You can bet one of the first questions Mallory Archer will get out of anyone when she says she&8217;ll play for Pearl River Community College is this: In two years, then what?

&8220;Two years is a long time,&8221; Archer answered. &8220;I&8217;m kind of worried about right now.&8221;

Which, suffice to say, is plenty to worry about. The Trinity Episcopal standout made it official Tuesday morning at the school to play for PRCC and head coach Ed Walley.

Sure, there was some Division I interest, but the move to junior college was the best for Archer right now.

Not two years.

&8220;When I went there and visited, I kind of knew that&8217;s where I&8217;d be,&8221; said Archer, the first Lady Saint to sign with a college since Sarah Greer in 2001. &8220;I really, really liked the coaches a lot. The campus was a lot bigger and nicer than I expected. That impressed me, too, but I love the coaches. I really think their program will really be good for me, the coaches will be good for me and they&8217;ll help me any way they can.&8221;

Archer will join a program that&8217;s coming off a 5-20 season and featured 10 freshmen and four sophomores. The Lady Wildcats finished 12-12 the prior season and won the MACJC state title in 2003 while advancing to the NJCAA tournament.,

Walley, who completed his sixth season at PRCC and 27th coaching basketball at the high school and collegiate level, likes Archer&8217;s hustle and ability to play defense.

&8220;I like Mallory because she plays hard,&8221; said Walley, whose son, Brady, recruited Archer. &8220;Every time we&8217;ve seen her, she plays extremely hard. She handles it fairly well, shoots it fairly well and plays hard on the defensive side of the ball. We&8217;re always looking for someone to do that. I think she&8217;ll do well with us, and we&8217;ll work her hard to make her much better.&8221;

At Pearl River, Archer will get a chance to play immediately in Walley&8217;s up-tempo system. The Trinity senior had some interest from four-year schools but turned them down in order to play immediately.

Louisiana-Monroe, she said, offered a spot on the roster but asked her to walk on as a freshman before a spot would open up the following year.

&8220;I&8217;d rather go somewhere and play now and get some experience than go to a bigger school and sit the bench for a few years,&8221; Archer said. &8220;I&8217;d rather play.&8221;

Archer will bring her scoring ability to the Lady Wildcats&8217; system, one that will feature guards that are almost interchangeable. She played every position for the Lady Saints as a senior, leading the team in rebounds (210), scoring (586 total points) and steals (91).

&8220;The 1, 2 or 3 position,&8221; Walley said. &8220;The way we play, she may be the 1 one time and the 3 the other time. It&8217;s going to be up-tempo, in-your-face style every night. She&8217;ll be a perimeter player.&8221;

Among other prep standouts in the area, Franklin County point guard Shalenia Wilcher signed with Co-Lin Saturday. The senior was on C-L head coach Gwyn Young&8217;s protected list, and she made it official Saturday &8212; the first day for players to sign with junior colleges.

NCAA&8217;s National Signing Day for basketball is today.

&8220;She&8217;ll be playing the point or the 2, depending on who&8217;s got the ball,&8221; Young said. &8220;I like my guards to be interchangeable. She&8217;s smart and knows the game pretty good. She&8217;s a good passer, and she knows who to get it to.&8221;

Also at Franklin County, standout guard Victoria Hunt is expected to sign this week with Pensacola (Fla.) Junior College. She sharp-shooting Hunt drew interest from Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss and Alabama late in the season.

&8220;She&8217;s had a good bit,&8221; head coach Charles Moore said. &8220;She&8217;s had some senior colleges call and talking to her.&8221;

At Wilkinson County, forward Kimberly Griffin has drawn interest from Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley and Southwest Mississippi Community College, head coach Edwin White said.