By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

KILN — It’s a big week for the undefeated Hancock Lady Hawks as they enter the 2024 part of their calendar with a perfect 15-0 mark.
Veteran head coach Jamie Sisco’s girls are off to that 15-0 start for the second consecutive season in Class 6A and the Lady Hawks host a pair of Class 7A foes this week before heading up north for a prestigious one-day event on Saturday.
The action-packed week for Hancock tips off Tuesday night as former Region 4-6A rival Gulfport comes to town. The teams met three times last season, with the Lady Admirals taking two of the contests. In fact, it was Gulfport that handed Hancock its first loss of the season last year and the Lady Admirals were responsible for a large portion of the Lady Hawks’ losses last year when Hancock finished 27-3 overall but missed the state playoffs after falling to Gulfport 29-27 in the consolation game in the Region 4-6A Tournament.

This season, Gulfport is struggling a bit as head coach Marcus Price’s squad sits at 2-12 overall and has lost 12 of its last 13 games. Included in that total was a pair of defeats in the Jackson Public Schools Christmas Tournament last week to Jackson Murrah 47-40 on Thursday and 55-35 to Brandon on Friday.
Prior to those losses, however, the Lady Amirals snapped a long losing streak with a win over Picayune three days before Christmas.
In addition to Tuesday’s game, Hancock will host another familiar and former Region 4-6A foe from last season in powerful Biloxi on Thursday night.
The Lady Hawks and Lady Indians met three times as well last season, with Hancock taking the first two regular season meetings before Biloxi bounced back in the first round of the league tourney to hand Hancock just its second loss of the season with a 42-30 decision.
Biloxi comes in to play this week with a record almost equally impressive as Hancock has, as the Lady Indians sit at 16-1 overall.
Both teams are coming off a pair of wins in the seventh annual Lady Indians Christmas Classic last week. The Lady Hawks and Lady Indians were two of four “Southern Six” squads that went unbeaten in the two day annual affair.

The host Lady Indians, the unbeaten Hancock Lady Hawks, Ocean Springs Lady Greyhounds and D’Iberville Lady Warriors all wrapped up play on Friday with wins after starting play on Thursday with victories as well.
Biloxi closed the event out early Friday evening with its second consecutive solid outing. The Lady Indians posted a 58-19 thumping of Greene Couty, Ala., out of Eutaw, Ala.
Biloxi freshman center Zaniya Johnson, who scored a career-high 43 points in a 57-22 win over St. Scholastica on Thursday, tallied a game-high 25 points on Friday to guide BHS again. Amarie Meredith added nine points to the winning effort and Jada Washington chipped in eight points for the Lady Indians. Aaliyah Davidson dished out six assists and had five steals, and Meredith added four assists and four steals also.

Hancock was the only unbeaten team entering the tourney and the Lady Hawks remained that way Friday afternoon with a hard-fought 34-31 win over Booker T. Washington of Pensacola, Fla.
The Lady Hawks moved to 15-0 with the win. Hancock also beat Wayne County 59-44 on Thursday.
After the big clash with Biloxi Thursday, Hancock travels to Pontotoc, Miss., on Saturday to participate in the prestigious Tangle on the Trail Tournament. The Lady Hawks will meet Hoover, Ala., at 1:45 on Saturday afternoon.