By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Both the Harrison Central and Ocean Springs boys won games in Alabama on Saturday to wrap up the 2023 portion of their respective schedules.
The Red Rebels captured the championship trophy at the Gulf Coast Christmas Classic Saturday in Mobile with a 67-63 win over Albertville (Ala.). The event took place at the Arthur Outlaw Recreation Center on the campus of Springhill College.
In the title tilt, senior standout guard Aujaylen Barron poured in a career and game-high 41 points to pace the Red Rebels to the win. He got help from classmate Jonathan Pace, as the senior center scored eight points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. Mickey Ducksworth also grabbed eight rebounds in the winning effort.
Harrison Central now stands 11-6 on the season, and head coach Boo Hardy’s squad has won 11 of their past 15 games. The loss was just the third for Albertville, falling to 15-3 overall.
“I am proud of the guys’ teamwork during the tournament,” Hardy said. “We are starting to play good basketball at the right time.”

It was the second consecutive close call for HCHS in two days, after a thrilling 52-50 win over Crescent City Christian (New Orleans, La.) on Friday afternoon in the semifinals.
In that win, Ducksworth posted a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while Shaun Murray chipped in nine points as well.
Harrison Central travels to Presbyterian Christian in Hattiesburg Tuesday night.
Elsewhere, Ocean Springs bounced back Saturday night from having its 10-game win streak snapped with a 59-47 win over Escambia (Fla.) in the third-place game in the “Orange” bracket at the prestigious Big Orange Classic in Hoover, Ala.
A trio of Greyhounds guided OSHS to the win, as Maddox Noblitt finished with 14 points, Jaylin Goleman had 12 points and Elijah Isom added 10 points giving them three players in double digits in the winning effort.

Ocean Springs lost to Montgomery Bell Academy out of Nashville, Tenn., on Friday in the semifinal round 63-54. Bell then went on to fall in the championship game Saturday night to the host Hoover Bucs 68-25.
Hoover moved to 17-2 on the season in winning its own tourney. Montgomery Bell is now 6-4.
Ocean Springs now gets its longest break of the season so far, as the Greyhounds will next face Gulfport in region 4-7A action on Tuesday, Jan. 9th on the road.