By CURTIS ROCKWELL

The boys’ prep basketball teams from both Ocean Springs and Harrison Central are headed to a neighboring state to participate in a pair of pretty important holiday tournaments to wrap up Christmas week and head into the new year.
Both the Greyhounds and Red Rebels will cross over the state line into Alabama beginning Thursday as OSHS heads to Hoover High just outside of Birmingham and HCHS travels to Spring Hill College in Mobile.
Ocean Springs is playing in the prestigious Big Orange Classic at Hoover High. The Greyhounds will compete in the “Varsity Orange” bracket, facing Benjamin Russell High in the opening round Thursday at 6 p.m.

There are eight teams from four different states vying for the title in the three-day, true tourney-style format. The other Alabama team in the “Varsity Orange” bracket, in addition to BRHS from Alexander City, is Cullman. The Greyhounds are on the same side of the “Varsity Orange” bracket with Montgomery Bell out of Tennessee, while a pair of teams from Florida in Booker T. Washington of Miami and Escambia are on the other side of the bracket along with Cullman and the only other team from Mississippi in the event Oxford High.
There’s also an eight-team “Varsity Black” Bracket that includes seven Alabama teams as well as Calhoun City, Miss.
The tournament has been around for over 40 years and is one of the longest-running annual events of its type in the United States.
“It’s an honor to be invited to play in such a prestigious tournament,” first-year OSHS head coach Collin Goley said. “We’ll get to face some teams that we don’t normally see and it should be a great experience for us.”
The event will wrap up on Saturday with the championship through seventh-place games.

Meanwhile, a little closer to home, The Harrison Central Red Rebels are headed to Mobile, Ala., for the Gulf Coast Holiday Classic at Springhill College.
The action begins on Thursday, as HCHS faces Faith Academy of Mobile at 9 a.m., on the opening day. In other action in that three-day, true tourney-style event, Crescent City meets Theodore, Cottage Hill faces Albertville and Williamson takes on Daphne.
The tourney wraps up on Saturday.
In addition, a pair of other “Southern Six” squads in the Moss Point boys and the Gulfport girls are also on the road this week as both are playing in the annual Jackson Public Schools Christmas Tournament. Moss Point beat Jackson Wingfield 41-35 on Tuesday and will meet Warren Central Thursday, with both of those games taking place at Jackson Lanier High.
The Lady Admirals jump into play Wednesday after against Jackson Murrah at Lanier then on Thursday night Gulfport closes out the event against the host Jackson Forrest Hill on their home court.