Biloxi girls put it on Pearl, advance in 6A playoffs

Biloxi broke open a tight Class 6A girls state basketball playoff game Monday night, dominating the final four minutes and 21 seconds en route to a 54-41 victory over visiting Pearl in the Biloxi Sports Arena.

The Lady Indians (22-9) advance to a Friday matchup at Oak Grove, and can play in Jackson with a win on Friday. Biloxi entered the game as the Region 8-6A runnerup after an overtime loss in the region tournament to Harrison Central.

“We got in a position where we could do some pressing, which is what we wanted to do,’’ Biloxi coach Devin Hill said. “The game was so tight, and we were in foul trouble, that we weren’t able to do what we originally planned to do.’’

Pearl’s Olivia Knight tied the game at 34-all in the fourth quarter but Biloxi senior Breanna Riley dished a pass to Shareona Williams under the basket for a layup for a 36-34 lead with 4:21 left and Biloxi never trailed again. Williams scored eight points in the fourth quarter on similar plays – on two assists from senior Anna Thigpen and two from Riley.

Both Riley and Thigpen each scored 16 points to pace Biloxi.

Ashlyn Horne paced Pearl (18-8) with 13 points but she scored 10 of those points in the first quarter before going to the bench in foul trouble.

“They had a great game plan (double-teaming Riley),’’ Hill said. “At the end of the day, we just wanted to advance. It was a gut-check moment. Our girls accepted the challenge.

“Once we took the lead, we were able to sit back in the zone.’’

The game was tied at 13 after the first quarter and Biloxi led 24-21 at halftime. Pearl tied the game three times in the second half but never led again after taking a 19-17 lead with four minutes left in the second quarter.

“It was hard,’’ Thigpen said. “We weren’t as focused as we needed to be but we pushed through after halftime.’’

“We just kept fighting, we never gave up,’’ Riley said.

Now the Biloxi girls have given themselves a chance to keep their playoff run going.

“We will be at their place (Oak Grove) with a trip to Jackson on the line,’’ Hill said. “We have playing experience but not playoff experience. We want to stay composed and don’t let the moment get too big.’’

This story was originally published February 20, 2017 at 9:40 PM with the headline "Biloxi girls put it on Pearl, advance in 6A playoffs."