Three area high school basketball teams are currently alive in the MHSAA postseason and with the quarterfinals beginning this week, action moves to neutral sites around the state ahead of the semifinal and championship rounds being played at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.

 

Friday, Feb. 21

2A Boys Quarterfinals

Bogue Chitto (23-3) vs. Pelahatchie (27-2) at Raymond High School (8:30 p.m.)

Coach Marc Howard and his veteran group of Bobcats face their first big test of the postseason on Friday with a Pelahatchie squad that’s had a similarly successful season in 2024-2025.

The Bobcats cruised through the first two rounds, beating Raleigh High 65-22 in the first round and Heidelberg High 57-42 on Saturday in the second round.

Senior point guard Devanta “Bam” Thompson led the way with 17 points in the win over Heidelberg (14-14). BC also got 13 points from senior wing Shakell Jenkins, 11 points from senior wing Noah Magee, nine points from forward Randy Crisler and seven points from forward Tripp McCaffrey.

Bogue Chitto led Heidelberg 23-18 at halftime.

Pelahatchie rolled Wilkinson County 98-33 in the first round and then survived Newton High (16-9) on Friday by a 53-48 final.

Howard and his Bobcats are playing in the quarterfinals for the third year in a row as they were semifinalists two seasons ago and the 2A runners-up last year.

Pelahatchie reached the quarters last season but lost by one point to Bay Springs in that round.

Junior forward Laterrion Irvin is one of the leaders for the Chiefs, as he was named the Region 6-2A MVP.

Senior point guard Mickey Jennings is another standout for Pelahatchie along with junior guard Zion Grant, and junior guard Tyson Beeman.

The Chiefs have won 13 games in a row, last losing on Dec. 28 to 3A Magee High (50-42). The only other loss this season for Pelahatchie this season was a 62-58 setback to 7A Pearl High on Dec. 10.

When you hear folks talk about Pelahatchie, they talk about a team that can run and play fast, with a guard-heavy lineup. Irvin at near 6-foot-2 is the leader in height for the starters.

If you know ball, then you know Bogue Chitto is not uncomfortable playing fast either. The Bobcats have won 12 in their own right.

The last loss of the season was a 71-69 setback for Bogue Chitto at Franklin County on Dec. 19. The loss was surprising after BC had previously beaten the Bulldogs from FC by 45 points two weeks prior.

The other losses this season for Bogue Chitto have come to MAIS 6A Jackson Prep (24-6) and MAIS 5A runners-up Oak Forest Academy (33-3).

Howard wanted his team to play a tougher schedule in the final push for a state title for his talented senior class.

Where Bogue Chitto will have an advantage is in team size. McCaffrey stands 6-foot-5, Magee is 6-foot-4, and Jenkins is 6-foot-1.

Thompson, the Region 7-2A MVP and Daily Leader All-Area MVP as a sophomore and junior, is exceptionally quick with the basketball and Crisler gives Bogue Chitto a strong inside presence with his toughness and rebounding.

“We’ve got to limit fast break points and rebound the ball,” said Howard when asked what the Bobcats will need to accomplish on Friday. “Hopefully our size and length will cause some issues for them.”

Pelahatchie is chasing the first state championship appearance in school history. Bogue Chitto last won it all in 1952, but the Bobcats also have championship game appearances in 1975, 1978, 1993, and 2024.

The winner will advance to play the winner of East Union (21-6) and Northside (19-11) on Feb. 26 at 12 p.m. in the Mississippi Coliseum.

 

5A Boys Quarterfinals

Brookhaven (17-10) vs. Laurel High (22-8) at Pearl River CC (8:30 p.m.)

Brookhaven High moved on to the 5A quarterfinals with a 64-57 win over Gautier High at home on Monday. The 5A-7A classes in MHSAA play one less round than their 1A-4A brethren in the postseason.

It’s the second straight year for BHS head coach Charlton Grey to take his team to the 5A quarters, the Panthers lost to their region foes from Provine last year in the playoffs.

Next up they’ll face an old, familiar foe in Laurel High. Last season the Panthers beat the Golden Tornadoes 69-65 in a 5A first round playoff game.

Laurel won its first-round game this year over the weekend with a 57-53 victory against Natchez High. The Golden Tornadoes have won 16 straight games, as they went unbeaten (12-0) in Region 4-5A, last suffering a loss on Dec. 20 to 2A quarterfinalist Bay Springs (24-4).

 Laurel would later beat Bay Springs during its current winning streak.

Grey knows his team is going to face pressure from a Laurel squad that wants to use defense to create offense. He says his Panthers must be ready to handle that in order to win.

“We’ve got to keep good spacing and create turnovers with our pressure,” said Grey. “We’ve got to execute our offense and make sure we protect the ball and rebound.”

Junior wing Jamarion Cooper led the way with a game high 25 points in the win on Monday for Brookhaven High.

Cooper started alongside senior point guard Jay Ross, freshman wing Johnnie Crump, junior wing Christian Lyons, and junior forward Nicholas Gamble.

The Panthers are playing a man-down as 6-foot-5 senior Kordell “Slim” Collins has missed the last few weeks with an injury. Collins is the tallest player on the roster for BHS.

Ross scored 15 points and sophomore guard Tristion Thomas came off the bench to add 10 points. Junior Trey Moore also scored seven points off the bench for BHS. Lyons finished with three points, Gamble scored three points, and junior Jacaiden Cook rounded out the Ole Brook scoring with one point.

“My young men play very hard and compete to the best of their abilities,” said Grey. “I’m very proud to coach this team.”

The winner will play either Gentry (7-19) or Canton (18-10) on Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the 5A semifinals in the Mississippi Coliseum.

 

Saturday, Feb. 22

4A Girls Quarterfinals

Lawrence County (22-5) vs. Morton (22-5) at PRCC (1 p.m.)

Lawrence County and head coach Candice McDuffey are also making a repeat appearance in the quarterfinals of the 4A girls’ bracket.

The Cougars picked up a huge road win in the second round, winning 38-36 in Jackson County on Friday over the homestanding Moss Point Tigers (20-10).

McDuffey is in her fourth year as head coach at her alma mater and on Saturday, the Cougars will face a Morton squad that hasn’t lost in 2025.

The last defeat suffered by Morton came to Simpson Academy on Dec. 27. Morton has won 13 games in a row, including a 70-40 victory over Sumrall in the second round. The Panthers from Scott County also won 55-14 against Pass Christian in the opening round of the postseason.

Morton made the 4A finals last year, going 29-3 after losing 37-17 in the championship game to Tishomingo County. The Panthers were semifinalists the year before that, losing 34-30 to Booneville to finish 25-4.

Perry Fletcher took over at Morton this season after former coach Matt Wilbanks was hired to lead Starkville High.

Fletcher won a state title in 2019 at Newton High with a championship game victory over West Lincoln.

Lawrence County beat Raymond 60-37 in the opening round of the 4A bracket. They’re the only member of Region 7-4A still playing as Columbia, Forrest County AHS, and Sumrall have all been eliminated.

The Cougars last won a state championship in 2018 under former coach Vicki Rutland and the program also reached the 2011 championship game.

If Lawrence County is going to get to the next round, McDuffey says there are some clear areas where her team has to be strong on Saturday.

“We’ve got to be aggressive and take control with our intensity,” said McDuffey. “We’ve got to stay strong defensively and limit their inside scoring and we’ve got to knock down open shots and make every possession count.”

The winner of this matchup will play the winner of South Pontotoc (26-5) and Louisville (17-4) on Feb. 26 at 4:30 p.m. in the Mississippi Coliseum.