Miracle comeback gives Lady Bulldogs win over PRCC

PERKINSTON – Mississippi Gulf Coast was down seven points with 44.2 second left in regulation, staring at a defeat to its archrival.

The Lady Bulldogs scored the last seven points of regulation, and Shaniqua Tobias hit the go-ahead 3-pointer late in overtime to lift her team to a 75-73 victory.

"I was pleased with the kids and their effort," Gulf Coast coach Jason Conner said. "We made some plays and then (Tobias) knocked the shot down. It showed a lot of courage on our part."

Gulf Coast improved to 11-10, 3-9 MACJC South in its effort to finish with a winning record for the first time in three years.

Pearl River falls to 6-14, 3-9.

The Lady Bulldogs trailed 63-56 with 44.2 second left in regulation. Ka'Nosha Fairley knocked down a 3 off an inbound play with 37.3 seconds to go.

Pearl River tried a length-of-the-court pass that went out of bounds, and Gulf Coast's Markeisha Watson scored in the lane after a Lady Bulldogs offensive rebound to cut it to two.

The Lady Wildcats missed two free throws with 17.0 second left, setting up a desperation scramble.

Kailin Young drove and dished, but it was knocked away. It wound up in Tobias' hands, and she drove but missed.

Young was there, though, and got the put-back just before the buzzer went off to force overtime.

"We really was playing together the whole game," she said. "We just pushed through it because we really wanted it."

Gulf Coast trailed again in the final 30 seconds of overtime after a pair of Pearl River free throws made it 73-71. Tobias knocked down her 3 then, and after the Lady Wildcats missed two tries from the floor, Haley Pichon hit a free throw with 0.4 seconds left to ice it.

"I can't say enough about my kids," Conner said. "We missed a lot of free throws down the stretch and could have won it then. We missed everything. We missed some chippies and free throws, but we fought and got it in."

Gulf Coast closes out its season on the road Monday at Hinds before Copiah-Lincoln visits Perkinston on Thursday on Sophomore Night.