By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

GULFPORT — Normally, milestones such as a 40th anniversary are memorable experiences.
For the Gulfport boys basketball team, however, the 40th annual Admiral Hardwood Club Holiday Classic was quite forgettable.
For the first time ever in the history of the event, the Admirals went 0-3 in the tourney, which wrapped up play Saturday at Bert Jenkins Gym on the campus of Gulfport High School.
Gulfport finished eighth in the eight-team event, and the Admirals were the only team not to win a game after dropping a 63-55 decision to Princeton (Oh.) Saturday afternoon.
That loss followed losses to Windemere Prep (Fla.) 73-60 on Thursday in opening day play as well as 73-53 to Terry High in consolation play on Friday.
The three straight losses drop Gulfport to 6-10 overall on the season, after the Admirals had entered their own holiday tourney with a little momentum thanks to a 50-40 win over a pretty strong Picayune squad three days before Christmas.

This year’s Admiral Hardwood Club Holiday Classic brought with it a new format for the first time in the four decade history of the event. Second year GHS Athletics Director Matt Walters decided to make the Admirals the only “home team” in the event in more ways than one, as no other team from the “Southern Six” was included in the field for the first time ever.
Normally, at least two or three (If not more) South Mississippi squads would compete each year for the title. However, the other three teams from the Magnolia State this year were a pair of teams from central Mississippi in Raymond and Terry as well as Olive Branch which sits 15 minutes from the Tennessee state line.
The other four teams that completed the field were Princeton, Windemere, Zachary, La., and Marion, Ark.
Meanwhile, local teams such as Pascagoula and Harrison Central, who have each played in at least 17 of the past 20 Holiday Classics at GHS, each went on the road this past week and won three-day tourneys. The Panthers captured the inaugural Madison County Christmas Tournament with three straight wins in the event and the Red Rebels went to Mobile, Ala., and brought home the crown in the Gulf Coast Christmas Classic at Springhill College with three straight wins of their own.

The lone bright spot for Gulfport in the 40th annual Admiral Hardwood Club Holiday Classic was the performance of senior standout guard Amir Abdul Rauf, who tallied 73 total points combined in the three GHS games including a game-high 32 points Saturday against Princeton. His point total was the highest for any player in the tourney.
Defending Class 4A state champion Raymond won the tourney with three straight wins including a 45-40 decision over Windemere in Saturday night’s title tilt. Senior 6-foot-9 center and Dandy Dozen pick E.J. Paymon of the Rangers was named the Most Valuable Player. Raymond has been to seven consecutive Class 4A state championship games. Raymond is now 16-3 on the season.