3 MS Coast teams reach the Final Four in Jackson. Here’s how they did it
The quarterfinal round in the Mississippi high school basketball playoffs arrives this weekend and the Coast has a chance to send a crowd to the Big House in Jackson.
There are 11 teams hailing from the Mississippi Coast competing for a spot in the Final Four this weekend in games at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Holmes Community College and Pearl River Community College.
We’ll provide final scores as they happen for all 10 games featuring South Mississippi schools.
Friday, Feb. 23
The action tips today at 4 p.m. with three games at MGCCC and two at HCC. Four boys programs and a pair of girls teams take the floor hunting for a ticket to Jackson.
3A Girls: (1) Port Gibson 56, (2) St. Patrick 39: The luck of the Irish was missing from the first of today’s 10 games involving teams from the Coast. Top-seeded Port Gibson proved too much for St. Patrick, as the Lady Waves defeated the Lady Irish for a trip to the Class 3A Girls Final Four in Jackson. Brooklyn Mitchell had scored a career-high 36 points in an overtime upset win over Kemper County to propel the Irish into the state quarterfinals.
6A Girls: (1) Hancock 74, (2) Forest Hill 45: Hancock used a 28-point third quarter to blow past Forest Hill and clinch a spot in the Final Four. Brooklyn Cuevas poured in a game-high 33 points, 15 of which came in the third.
6A Boys: (1) Terry 49, (2) Picayune 47: The Maroon Tide’s upset bid came up just short after a three-point attempt in the final seconds was blocked. Sanchez Goss contributed a team-high 17 points on five made threes for Picayune.
6A Boys: (1) Pascagoula 61, (3) West Harrison 39: The Panthers pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn their spot at the Big House. Dorian McMillian scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half. Jazear Carter led West Harrison with 11 points.
3A Boys: (1) Magee 51, (1) St. Patrick 47: The Fighting Irish’s season comes to an end in the quarterfinal. Matt Krass scored 39 and 34 points in the first two rounds.
Saturday, Feb. 24
The 7A brackets are loaded with Coast teams in Perkinston with all four South State games featuring a South Mississippi team on Saturday.
7A Girls: (1) Northwest Rankin 46, (2) Biloxi 41 (OT): Biloxi erased a double-digit defict and forced overtime with a Zaniya Johnson basket in the final moments of regulation. Northwest Rankin would pull away in overtime and deny the Indians a spot in Jackson. Johnson led Biloxi with 17 points.
7A Girls: (1) St. Martin 46, (2) Meridian 29: The Yellow Jackets held Meridian without a field goal in the first quarter en route to a thumping of Meridian. Jamyria Robinson scored a team-high 12 points for St. Martin, including seven in the third quarter.
7A Boys: (1) Meridian 50, (2) Ocean Springs 46: Ocean Springs battled with Meridian to the wire, but couldn’t knock down enough shots down the stretch. Torian Kelly led the Greyhounds with 12 points in the losing effort.
4A Boys: (1) Raymond 45, (1) Pass Christian 18: The Pirates’ run comes to an end in the Elite Eight against Eric Paymon Jr and Raymond after failing to knock down a field goal in the first half.
7A Boys: (2) Brandon 62, (1) Harrison Central 54: Aujaylen Barron’s 24-point effort wasn’t enough for the Red Rebels as Brandon pulled away in the fourth quarter. Shaun Murray contributed with 11 points.
