Pascagoula boys, Gautier girls survive at Region 8-5A tournament
Pascagoula trailed Long Beach by three points at halftime of the Region 8-5A basketball tournament consolation game on Thursday at West Harrison High School.
The Panthers rallied in the third quarter to pull out a 53-45 win, landing a spot in the 5A state playoffs. Pascagoula will face either Provine or Brookhaven next week.
“It feels good to get in the playoffs,” said Pascagoula coach Lorenzo Wright. “You’ve got to win three games to get to Jackson, any way you can do it. They know what to do. They know what it takes. They know how to find a way to get it done.”
Pascagoula needed an 11-0 run to open the third quarter, en-route to outscoring the Bearcats 22-4 for a 40-25 lead.
Eli Dykes hit a three pointer for Long Beach to pull within six points with just over two minutes left. On their next possession, Monta Davis hit another three pointer with 1:38 remaining to pull within 48-45. But the Panthers went into a ball-control clock-consuming offense. The Bearcats were forced to foul. The Panthers sank five of six free throws the rest of the way.
“The guys have grown up a lot,” Wright said. “Earlier in the season we might have thrown up a shot.”
The Panthers were led by Dyasmond Booker with 12 points and Dequan Weatherspoon and Jayden McCorvey with 11 points each. Davis led Long Beach with 15 points.
Gautier Girls 33, Long Beach 23
Gautier overcame early fouling and mistakes to beat Long Beach. The Lady Gators pulled away from the Lady Bearcats, with a 10-4 second period run to take a 16-10 lead at halftime.
Gautier turned up their defensive intensity in the fourth period, denying the Lady Bearcats scoring opportunities, holding them to only three points in the period.
“We fought hard all night,” said Lady Gators coach Fred Williams. “They had made adjustments from the last time we played them. We adjusted and got our post players open for some scores. I am excited to make the playoffs. I am excited for these girls. We have had to overcome so much in the latter part of the season, with injuries.”
The Lady Gators were led by by four 6-point scorers - Tazena Carter, Joan Carter, Jessica Eatman and Ziyuna Grady. Tazena, Joan and Grady each added 5 rebounds. Eatman had four steals.
The Lady Gators will play a first-round playoff game on the road next week.
This story was originally published February 16, 2017 at 10:42 PM with the headline "Pascagoula boys, Gautier girls survive at Region 8-5A tournament."