Girls State Basketball Tournament gets underway Monday

Seventeen Coast teams earned berths in the Girls’ state basketball playoffs.

Fourteen teams will play first-round games at 7 p.m. Monday.

Champions Harrison Central (Region 8-6A), St. Martin (Region 7-6A) and Pascagoula (Region 8-5A) all have byes until Friday. All three will host second-round games.

In Class 6A, Biloxi is capable of making a deep postseason run under first-year coach Devin Hill. The Lady Indians, which narrowly lost twice to Harrison Central, host Pearl.

“I’ve always preached defense wins championships,” Hill said. “The girls are believing in our system and each other. They’re reaping the benefits of hard work. Pearl’s a scrappy team. They won’t wow you with talent, but play really hard. We’re excited to be there and hosting a game.”

Gulfport, the third team in Region 8-6A, faces a tall order on the road against Terry. The Lady Bulldogs are led by Nyah Tate, a Mississippi State signee.

“We are playing a very talented Terry team which is without a doubt the biggest team we have played this year,” Gulfport coach Donny Fuller said. “They start three players 6 feet or better. We are going to have to do a good job of blocking out to keep them off the boards.”

The other 6A games are Meridian at Ocean Springs, and D’Iberville at Brandon.

Four games are in Class 5A: South Jones at Picayune; Gautier at Provine; Brookhaven at West Harrison; Stone at Laurel.

Bay High, Moss Point and Region 8-4A champion Pass Christian all have a shot of advancing to the 4A state tournament. The Lady Pirates entertain Lawrence County, Richland visits Bay High and South Pike hosts Moss Point.

“Lawrence county is a very solid team, we will have to play well to get the victory,” Lady Pirates coach Greta Ainsworth said. “I am hoping we can play with patience and confidence. I feel like my girls play hard every game. If we play with the same intensity on defense and believe in what we are capable of doing, we will make it to the second round.”

The other 4A games are East Central at McComb and Poplarville at Northeast Jones.

This story was originally published February 19, 2017 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Girls State Basketball Tournament gets underway Monday."