South MS team removed from Final Four due to ineligible player, school confirms
Resurrection will no longer be competing in the boys basketball semifinal round in Jackson. The team has been disqualified from the tournament, confirmed by a statement released from the school on Saturday.
The Daily Journal first reported the Eagles have been replaced by Piney Woods, the team RCS defeated in the quarterfinal round, due to the participation of multiple ineligible players, though the school later confirmed in its statement that it was one individual who was deemed ineligible.
The report says leading scorer Gian Vera has reportedly been playing as a fifth-year senior. Vera transferred in from Orlando, Florida, where he played at Downey Christian.
His MaxPreps page at Downey lists him as a 2025 graduate.
Resurrection Catholic School Principal Kristal Sisson released a statement on the matter.
“We have been disqualified from the Mississippi High School Athletic Association State Basketball Tournament due to the participation of a player who was later determined to be ineligible,” Sisson said. “I want to sincerely apologize for the disappointment and inconvenience this has caused our student-athletes, families, and our RCS school community. This oversight was entirely unintentional and in no way malevolent. Nevertheless, the responsibility rests with us, and we fully accept the consequences of this mistake.”
Vera averaged 20.9 points an outing this season, including 41 against Poplarville and 39 against Simmons in the second round. He scored a season-low four points in 32 minutes in his final game against Piney Woods.
Resurrection won 24 games and the R8-1A championship and was set to face Calhoun City in Jackson on Monday.
Sisson said in the statement the school would be putting additional provisions into its eligibility processes going forward.
This story was originally published February 28, 2026 at 3:38 PM.
