Big comeback win over Sumrall shines light on progress made by PCHS Lady Bulldogs

By Stan Caldwell

Dispatch Correspondent

 Recently married and newly minted with a doctorate, Consuela Bourne Nickson has already had a big year in 2025.

And her third season as head girls basketball coach at Perry Central began with just as big a splash last week as the Bulldogs mounted a comeback for the ages in a 61-55 overtime victory over Sumrall.

PCHS rallied from 21 points behind in the second half to tie it up  in the final minute of regulation, then pulled away in the extra period to open what Nickson hopes a successful season.

The Bulldogs showed their worst in the first half against the Bobcats, then came out of the halftime locker room and showed their best in the second half.

“We couldn’t buy a shot, or a free throw,” said Nickson. “I went in (at halftime) and hit ‘em where it hurt. My girls, they love, they want to run through a wall for me, and they weren’t missing shots on purpose.

“But I told them they’re not playing like they love me, like they don’t want me to be their coach. They said I hurt their feelings, but they came out and redeemed themselves.”

How bad was it for Perry Central in the first half? PCHS converted just one lonely field goal in 30 shots in the first half. Of those, 25 were 3-point attempts, which Nickson said was a big part of the problem.

“We like the 3-ball,” Nickson said. “But I told them that if it’s not falling, you’ve got to get to the rim.. Sometimes you have to see it go in and through the net.

So, get the rim, draw fouls, make free throws. Our shooting percentage went way up, from bad to decent just because we were able to come out and get to the basket.”

The Bulldogs weren’t any better at the foul line, either, just 1 of 6 in the first half. Sophomore Jamyla Dixon had a baseline drive early in the second quarter for Perry Central’s only field goal of the half.

After trailing 23-3 at halftime, there was nowhere to go but up for the Bulldogs.

“We came out a little slow; weren’t quite ready to play,” said senior Erryn McGilvery. “We got back in the locker and had a little pep talk, a little wake-up call.”

It was McGilvery who got the second half comeback started right from the beginning, slicing through the Bobcats’ defense for a fast-break layup.

A steal produced another fast break, and senior Jaidyn Underwood stuck the missed shot back, and that got the Bulldogs in an offensive rhythm.

PCHS was 7 of 12 shooting from the field in the third quarter, 7 of 14 in the fourth quarter, and 4 of 6 in overtime. And the Bulldogs took care of the ball, committing just 12 turnovers, only three in the second half.

“They’re big this year, and they want to go deep in the playoffs,” Nickson said. “They have their eye on the (region) championship.

“So I just told them at halftime, ‘right now, this is not a championship team. Can we be? Yes, but what you have to do is come and fight, show that you want to be a contender. Contenders don’t lay down.’ And they came out and contended.”

The Bulldogs played solid defense throughout the contest, forcing 24 turnovers and holding Sumrall to 32.8 percent shooting from the field (20 of 51).

Three-point shooting allowed the Bobcats to maintain their lead through the third quarter and into the fourth. Sumrall was 6 of 20 from beyond the arc, with senior Ella Robertson responsible for four 3’s on her way to a game-high 24 points.

Perry Central starts three seniors, along with McGilvery, who came off the bench against Sumrall to score 14 points.

Those girls have been through the wars with their coach, who inherited a team in 2023 that did not win a game the year before she returned to her alma mater.

That leadership showed out, along with a decisive contribution from Dixon, who led PCHS with 20 points. Dixon’s 3-point shot midway through the third quarter, igniting a 17-7 run the rest of the period.

“She’s a special kid, a sophomore that started for me as an eighth-grader,” Nickson said. “I brought up after she finished her junior high season. We use her a lot.

“It came down to that last minute (in regulation), we put the ball in her hands, and I knew she was going to take care of it. I trust her with that, just running from the defense until we could get to the line.”

The Bulldogs were also better at the foul line in the second half, converting 12 of 19 after halftime, including 4 for 4 in overtime. PCHS also limited Sumrall’s free throw opportunities, and the Bobcats were just 50 percent (7 of 14) shooting from the foul line.

“We had already made the decision that we wanted to be champions, and champions don’t look like that,” McGilvery said. “We had to come out the second half and make a difference, go to the hole and do what we had to do to win.”

McGilvery hit back-to-back 3-pointers to trim Sumrall’s lead to 43-35. Robertson answered with back-to-back treys to give Sumrall a double-digit lead again.

But Perry Central finished the fourth quarter outscoring the Bobcats 13-1 down the stretch, converting 6 of its last 9 shots from the field in the final four minutes of regulation.

Junior Madison Travis nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing – her only points of the night – to cut the deficit to 48-41. Sumrall missed a pair of free throws, and the Bulldogs converted with a layup by senior Hy’leigh Bolton.

After a pair of defensive stops, Underwood took an outlet pass ahead of the defense for a fast-break layup, and Underwood stuck back a missed trey to cut it to 48-47.

Dixon got a steal on the Bobcats’ next possession and streaked down the court undeterred for a fast-break layup and a 49-48 lead with 48 seconds to play. Sumrall drew a foul, but only made one of the free throws, and the game went to overtime.

Bolton opened the extra period with an open drive down the lane for a layup, but Robertson answered for the Bobcats.

Senior Chailyn Travis only had four points for Perry Central, but they all came in overtime. She got a putback basket, then a layup after Sumrall tied it up again.

Two foul shots knotted the game one final time, but Bolton hit a runner in the lane from 10 feet to put PCHS ahead for good.

Dixon drew an intentional foul, while the Bulldogs were trying to run out the clock without being fouled, then another foul with 5.6 seconds left. She sank all four free throws to nail down a dramatic victory.

Nickson’s program has made steady progress in her two previous season leading the Perry Central girls. The Bulldogs were 6-17 in 2023-24, then finished a very competitive 14-20 last season.

“I think this is our year,” said Nickson. “Year 1, I came in and broke up the foundation, redid some stuff, and last year, they were still getting acclimated to the game. Now they understand what I expect, what the standard is, and they come out and play hard for me.”

The Bulldogs will generally use a 6-7 player rotation. Underwood, Bolton, Dixon and the two Travis girls started against Sumrall, but McGilvery will be a swing player, starting sometimes and first off the bench at others.

“Just having that experience makes a world of difference,” said Nickson. “First year, they’re 10th graders, 10th graders who haven’t had any type of success. They love me, so when I tell them something, they trust me and they buy into it.”

Life in Region 8-2A may be different now that Perry Central has dropped down from Class 3A, and the Bulldogs figure to be one of the favorites in the region, along with North Forrest.

“I think we can win it all if we stay focused and listen our coach,” said McGilvery. “A big key for this team is to come together and build a stronger sisterhood, be on the same page, and do what we need to do to go to the Big House.”