Elite Eight Week and recapping round two
In what seems like a flash, we are headed to Elite Eight week in high school basketball. Pearl River Community College and the Coast Coliseum will be the host sites for the Sports601 coverage teams this week. In round two there were a few surprises, both good and not so good.
First, the not so good. Let’s rip it off like a band-aid.
Hattiesburg and Oak Grove were knocked out over the weekend in close contests. Hattiesburg’s Cameron Brown dropped 30 points, but unexpected injuries hampered the Tigers starting five and they fell to Wingfield. Meanwhile, Oak Grove suffered a 71-68 loss against Harrison Central. I would not have guessed that either of these teams would have suffered quick exits, but here we are.
On to the good.
The Purvis Lady Tornadoes, Lady Tigers, Lady Crusaders, Petal Panthers, and North Forrest boys all took care of business. Petal has surged at just the right time and will square off with Harrison Central on the coast this Saturday. Backboards beware of Caleb McGill when he drives to the basket.
Both the Lady Crusaders from Sacred Heart and Lady Tornadoes from Purvis have shocked the south by grinding out tough wins. Again, like Petal, they have surged at the right time. That is easy to do when you have players like the Falla sisters from Sacred Heart and competitors like Karson Suire and Andee Robertson from Purvis on your team.
Meanwhile, the Lady Tigers keep dominating led by Melyia Grayson with 18 points and Chloe Thompson with 12 points. They will square off with Brookhaven, which has the chance to be the best game of the weekend.
North Forrest shocked Heidelberg, defeating the Oilers 63-59 as Joe Holloway had a game-high 26 points. The Eagles are an athletic team that is well-coached. It will be interesting to see them face a tough Amite County team.
Schedule for Sports601 coverage area teams
Thursday
Girls 1A - Sacred Heart vs. Shaw, 7 p.m. Thursday (Pearl River Community College)
Friday
Girls 2A - Bay Springs vs. West Lincoln, 4 p.m.. (Pearl River Community College)
Girls 4A - Purvis vs. Raymond, 4 p.m. Friday (Coast Coliseum)
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Girls 2A - Taylorsville vs. Puckett, 5:30 p.m. Friday (Pearl River Community College)
Boys 2A - North Forrest vs. Amite County 7 p.m. Friday (Pearl River Community College)
Saturday
Girls 5A - Laurel vs. Jim Hill, 4 p.m. (Pearl River Community College)
Girls 5A - Hattiesburg vs. Brookhaven, 5:30 p.m. Saturday (Pearl River Community College)
Boys 5A - Laurel vs. Forest Hill, 7 p.m. Saturday (Pearl River Community College)
Boys 6A - Petal vs. Harrison Central, 7 p.m. Saturday (Coast Coliseum)
