Who are the top basketball title contenders on the Coast?

In a week that didn’t provide many surprises in region basketball tournaments across South Mississippi, there’s no denying that the Gautier boys provided the biggest shocker of all.

Gautier, who was the No. 4 seed, stunned Pascagoula 48-44 in the opener of the Region 8-5A tournament and topped West Harrison 32-28 in Friday night’s title game to earn a first-round bye.

While Gautier went through some early season struggles, there’s no denying that the Gators play championship-caliber defense and that showed up this week.

Gautier is one of four boys teams on the Coast who can sit and watch in the first round. Harrison Central topped Gulfport 63-60 to take the Region 8-6A tournament. Picayune (22-7) thrashed Hattiesburg 49-33 to win Region 7-5A and George County claimed Region 7-6A for a second consecutive season, 59-55, over Ocean Springs.

There is no first-round bye in Class 4A, but it’s apparent that Region 8-4A champion Bay High gives the Coast its best chance at a state title on the boys side.

The Tigers (24-5) will face a stiff challenge in the first round of playoffs with a Tuesday home game against South Pike (16-7). Bay High topped South Pike 57-50 on Dec. 28 in a tournament at McComb.

Rolling Red Rebels

Not many pegged Harrison Central and Picayune as contenders to get to Jackson when the season started, but both teams are playing their best basketball at the right time.

Harrison Central (22-7) has won 12 of 13 games thanks to a lineup that features four or five players that can score in double digits on any given night.

Picayune has won nine of 10 games. Six-foot-5 senior Stephane Ayangma, who is drawing interest from a handful of Division I schools, is averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds this season for the Maroon Tide.

At George County, senior LaRaymond Spivery is determined to lead his team back to Jackson for a second consecutive season. If junior Cameron Hartfield continues to play like he did during his 19-point performance Friday night, the Rebels will have a shot to at least reach the 6A quarterfinals.

Girls favorite

The Harrison Central girls, who are ranked No. 1 in South Mississippi by the Sun Herald, again present the Coast’s best shot at a state title on the girls side.

The Red Rebelettes (21-3) earned a first-round bye with a 39-35 win over Biloxi in overtime Friday night in the Region 8-6A title game.

The other girls region champions on the Coast are St. Martin (7-6A), Pascagoula (8-5A) and Pass Christian (8-4A)

The St. Martin girls haven’t been all that dominant late in the season, but they still feature one of the state’s best post players in 6-foot-3 junior Daphane White. St. Martin rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Ocean Springs 50-44 on Friday in the region title game.

The Pascagoula girls (19-11) made it look easy in region play this season and they’ll need LSU signee Jailin Cherry play the best basketball of her career to make a run at a 5A state title.

The Pass Christian girls made their way through a difficult Region 8-4A schedule and should be as battled tested as any team in the southern half of the state. The Lady Pirates will host Lawrence County on either Monday or Tuesday.

There are plenty of Coast teams still alive in the playoffs, but the area’s region champs have the best path forward.

This story was originally published February 18, 2017 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Who are the top basketball title contenders on the Coast?."