The Warriors of East Central Community College went toe-to-toe with No. 23 Pearl River to open conference play on Thursday but ultimately came up short in the contest, 91-75. The final score was not indicative of the contest as the Warriors kept the contest tight for the bulk of the minutes. The loss moved the Warriors to 9-4, 0-1 while PRCC improved to 9-2, 1-0. 

The Warriors were in control early as shots were falling from beyond the arc in the first minutes of the 2023 portion of the season. The early ECCC advantage eroded over the next 10 minutes as the teams went back and forth down the floor. ECCC's Christopher Keys, David Berry, Damian McKnight, Julius Ellerbe, and Cameron Lewis all made key baskets down the stretch of the first half to keep the game neck and neck as the teams entered the locker room with PRCC on top, 41-39. 

PRCC hung on to their lead in the early goings of the second, but a trip to the free throw line from Keys eight minutes into the second half cut the PRCC lead down to just three, 55-52. In the final 10 minutes of action, the Wildcats grew the lead to double-digits, but Coach Dylan Shields' Warriors continued to battle it out on the court and again pulled the lead down seven, 75-68, with just over four minutes to play. The Wildcats kept the Warriors at bay in the final minutes to secure the win. 

Keys finished the night with a team-high 27 points and posted yet another double-double as he snatched 10 rebounds. Ellerbe finished the night with 14 points and 13 rebounds, also posting a double-double. Christian Freeze came off the bench to net 13, while Tai'Reon Joseph chipped in nine. Dylan Brumfield led PRCC with 22 points and 10 boards.