Sun Herald Top 10: Bay breaks through, bounces Biloxi from top spot

Biloxi’s boys have reigned supreme in the Sun Herald’s Top 10 for most of the year.

Saturday’s Hoopsfest at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum set the stage for a possible shuffling atop the Coast’s rankings and Bay High took advantage.

The Tigers (19-5) and Indians (18-4) played a close opening frame before Bay eventually pulled ahead to win 36-27. As a result, No. 1 Bay and No. 3 Biloxi flipped in this week’s Sun Herald Top 10. Monday’s rankings mark the first time a team other than Biloxi has been ranked No. 1 since late November.

“We’ve won four in a row and we want to keep that momentum going,” BHS coach Randy McCrory said after the Hoopsfest win. “We have confidence in this team being very good. We just have to keep putting it together every day.”

The Tigers have had a well-rounded attack with strong perimeter play. What jumps out while watching Bay, however, is the play of Galen Smith III and Galen Smith Jr.

“My goal is to just help this team be successful,” Smith III said after scoring 16 points with 12 rebounds against Biloxi. “We just want to keep going so we can get to the championship.”

The younger Smith leads Bay in scoring (13.7 ppg) and is second in rebounds (8.5) to his brother’s 8.7 mark. Galen Smith Jr. is also scoring at a 10.1 clip, sandwiched between Jaylen Wilson (11.1) and Darius Wyman (9.8). Chris Moody is fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 7.1 points per game. He’s also the Tigers’ leading assist man with 4.6.

As for Biloxi, the Indians have been able to get away with slogging through low-scoring contests until Saturday. The Hoopsfest loss was Biloxi’s first since Jan. 14, when Harrison Central out-paced the Indians to a 53-45 decision.

This story was originally published January 30, 2017 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Sun Herald Top 10: Bay breaks through, bounces Biloxi from top spot."