Riding a 17-game streak, what’s next for the No. 1 boys basketball team in Mississippi?
A first-round exit wasn’t what anybody wanted or expected when the Pascagoula boys basketball team was bounced on its home court by Terry last February.
But the Panthers have responded with force. Pascagoula is 17-1, has won every game since dropping its season-opener — and beat the team it lost to in a tournament rematch in Jackson — and is sitting atop the Clarion Ledger’s statewide rankings with wins over two other top-five teams.
Headed by an athletic scoring guard in Dorian McMillian, PHS is playing with confidence and a short memory each night.
“It’s a one-game-at-a-time approach, just trying to go 1-0 each time out,” coach Lorenzo Wright told the Sun Herald. “That’s really what it’s all about for us. Trying to make sure we stay focused.”
Both Wright and his players point to one thing as the catalyst for the Panthers’ explosive season: vastly improved team chemistry.
Pascagoula returned much of its core from a year ago, including McMillian’s cousin Kelan Rich. The two guards compliment each other well, with either willing to play the facilitator role at any moment.
Tying them together is the rise of point guard Blake Nettles, who provides a physical defensive presence and a good feel for the flow of the game, and “glue guy” Chris North.
“They really like each other a whole lot,” Wright said. “They’re all about the team. They don’t care who gets the credit as long as we get the win each night.”
Case in point, when the Panthers secured a road win over Jackson Academy, North was named MVP for his 20-point outing on the same night Rich recorded a points-assists double-double.
According to Wright, Rich and the rest of the team celebrated North’s performance and accolade as if they had won it themselves.
“The difference is we actually like each other,” McMillian said. “We know where everybody is at and know where everybody’s place is on the court and it makes it easier.”
“You see how unselfish they are, and sometimes it becomes too unselfish, but they’re always looking to get somebody involved,” Wright added.
Complimentary basketball
It’s an any-given-night situation when looking at the Panthers’ box score. McMillian, who scored his 1,000th career point earlier this season, has multiple 30-point games under his belt and was named the MVP of the tournament that saw PHS down both Madison Central and Canton.
McMillian had 17 against Madison Central and 18 against Canton, spurring the Panthers’ wins over two of the top teams in the state, and giving Wright an answer to what kind of team he’s putting on the court.
“I found out we were really tough,” Wright said. “In a tough environment, miles away from home, nobody is from Pascagoula, showed that we were really tough.”
Nettles has been a boon on a nightly basis, as well. In a December win over Hancock, the sophomore scored 15 points and dished out six assists. He hauled in seven rebounds against Meridian and picked up seven assists against Long Beach on a night Rich poured in 33 points.
“I’m just trying to get everybody involved, play my role and do what I’ve got to do,” Nettles said.
Wright lauds Nettles as a key component of his team’s surge and praises his ability to play above his age.
“He brings toughness, he’s a good solid defender and he’s a bull with the ball,” Wright said. “He’s smart, he’s real crafty. ... He’s probably one of the better point guards that I’ve had.”
Having so many weapons to turn to is never a bad thing. Pascagoula’s 13 wins by double-digits shows just how difficult it’s been for opponents to plan for the Panthers.
The road ahead features two contests against a tough Picayune team and another battle with a state power at Yazoo City.
But Wright isn’t focused on the what’s down that road, at least for the moment. Knowing full well the Big House sits at the end, his top priority remains the same: winning the next one.
“You can’t look ahead because that’s how you get beat,” Wright said. “You have to respect your opponent and respect who you play. You have to keep going one game at a time.”
