The MHSAA high school baseball playoffs began Friday and there were five teams in our coverage area that competed. Six total teams are playing in the postseason, but Oak Grove is the lone team with a bye into the second round.
Below is a recap of area Game 1s:
Purvis 1, St. Stanislaus 1
PETAL – Holding just a two-point lead over Petal with just three seconds left before halftime, Oak Grove’s Jay Barnes came up with a steal and nailed a 3-point shot that gave the Warriors a 23-18 half time lead.
The Lady Petal Panthers are not off to the start that head coach Kotreece Bender had envisioned for the team at the beginning of the season.
Petal fought hard but costly turn-overs and an aggressive full court defense by Meridian led the Wildcats to a 58-53 win in the season’s first division matchup.
With the Petal Panther football team receiving most of the shine with their sSouth State run and District champs title, the men’s basketball team looks to steer the glory to the hard court and continue the progress made from the previous successful year.
The Petal Panthers find themselves back in the playoffs after finishing the season 10-1 and 7-0 in division play.
The Petal Panthers sit atop the 6A Region 3 standings with four games remaining in the regular season.
Many have looked past Petal during the season, but with quality wins against No. 4 Brandon and No. 9 Pearl, the Panthers have proven they belong in the conversation as one of the best teams in the state.
Friday night’s matchup in Petal was a battle of two of the state’s Top 10 teams as the No. 10 Panthers welcomed the No. 5 Brandon Bulldogs to town.
The annual Oak Grove-Petal rivalry game was one for the books. A slight chance for rain turned into a deluge with thunder, lightning and more than a two-hour weather delay at Warrior Stadium.
But the visiting Petal Panthers didn’t let the weather dampen their momentum as they improved to 6-1, knocking off rival Oak Grove 21-7.
The Petal Panthers and Oak Grove Warriors will face off in a rivalry showdown Friday night.
