Something must have found its way into the water since the last time I covered basketball in the Pine Belt.
Something must have found its way into the water since the last time I covered basketball in the Pine Belt.
It's always a given for the Pine Belt to have multiple state championship contenders in football or baseball with basketball being just a time killer.
As a result, the Pine Belt makes itself a hub for baseball and football recruiting, but basketball takes a backseat in terms of both recruiting and fan base.
But this year, the excitement for Pine Belt basketball is different. I think it was highlighted best when 900-plus people showed up to the last Hattiesburg-Oak Grove game on a Tuesday night.
In recent memory, it seems like there was one or maybe two teams that had a chance to go to South State. In fact, the most dominant basketball power in the area has been the Hattiesburg girls' basketball program, which won its last state championship in 2018.
As of now, I genuinely think that there are nine teams that have legitimate chances to end up in South State with three of them being hands-down favorites to punch tickets to the state championship.
First off, I think both Purvis and Forrest County Agricultural could find themselves in South State. Both are dangerous teams that, when each put it together, can beat anybody on any day. Another one that falls into that same category is the Purvis girls' team. The Lady Tornados have suffered several injuries that have thinned their bench. However, when they are clicking on the court, the only team that can stop them is themselves.
In a similar situation, Petal has the star power between Treylan Smith and Caleb McGill and has the capability to play with anybody. But it seems the Panthers have struggled in the big games this season. As mentioned like the teams listed above, Petal can beat anyone, which is why they cannot be ignored to make a postseason run.
Now I have to point out that I haven't seen these teams yet, but from what I know about the programs and their competition, these are teams that I see making runs. With that said, both the North Forrest boys and girls team won their districts. In my opinion, 2A South is anyone's to claim, and each program is playing good basketball.
Switching gears to my state title contenders: My first contender is the Oak Grove boys, who have had a spectacular season thus far and have proven to be the most dominant team in 6A. The Warriors may not be the biggest, but their shooting and depth have brought nightmares to 6A.
My next candidate is the only team to beat Oak Grove, let alone twice, is Hattiesburg. The Tigers are getting hot at the right time, its bench looks deeper, and the trio of Cam Brown, Nick Walker and Chris Lewis are playing some of their best basketball. I got to see that up close when they thrashed a Pearl River Central team with 15 wins last Friday.
As I said, the Hattiesburg girls have been the consistent power in the area, and this year should be no different. In spite of Melyia Grayson missing the start of the season, the Lady Tigers developed a lot of bench depth, especially at the post. I see no reason why they don't find themselves in Oxford walking away with some hardware.
For me, postseason coverage is going to be wild, but not just because of all the teams that will make deep runs. There’s also the playoff changes.
The start of the playoffs will begin as usual with higher-seeded teams hosting in the first round. Every team that moves on will essentially go on the road for the rest of the playoffs.
In the south, the quarterfinal games for the 3A, 4A and 6A schools will be played at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum while the 1A, 2A and 5A schools will play at Pearl River Community College. From there, each South State game will be played in the Mississippi Coliseum. Finally, Ole Miss will host the state championship games in The Pavilion.
Let's just be happy that we'll be able to do that much driving to see such a talented pool of Pine Belt teams.
Abadie is a New Orleans native and proud graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi. He’s also theSports Editor of The PineBelt NEWS.
