By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Biloxi and Harrison Central remained on a collision course in the girls’ Region 4-7A race Tuesday night.
The Lady Indians knocked off visiting St. Martin 39-27 while the HCHS girls slipped past home-standing D’Iberville 35-34 as each squad moved to 7-1 in region play and remained knotted up atop the standings.
The most recent wins by each squad assured each of the top two spots in the upcoming league tournament in Ocean Springs and in the process also secured first-round berths in the Class 7A South State playoffs.
With the recent expansion in classifications, the top two seeds in each region not only get a bye in the first round of the league tourney but also automatically qualify for a spot in the opening round of the state playoffs.
In Biloxi, Lady Indian 6-foot-3 freshman center Zaniya Johnson has been a major reason why her team has already secured a state playoff berth with almost two weeks left in the regular season and she was once against Tuesday night.
Johnson scored seven of her game-high 23 points in the first frame, as BHS took a 12-7 advantage after one period. The Lady Indians never trailed and stretched that lead to 20-12 at halftime getting four baskets from four different players in the second stanza to head to halftime up 20-12.
St. Martin sophomore standout Kaleah Lowery helped the Lady Yellow Jackets close in on the home team in the third period, as she scored six points and Kylenn Ward added a 3-pointer as St. Martin trailed just 27-23 entering the final period.

But Johnson was having nothing to do with a possible SMHS comeback, as she piled up all 12 Biloxi’s points in the fourth frame and the Lady Indians out-scored the visitors 12-4 to secure the win.
Johnson enjoyed perhaps her best performance of the season in the win, as she posted a double-double of 23 points and 23 rebounds, both game-high totals, in the contest and she also had four blocks. Johnson was Aaliyah Davidson’s favorite target from her point guard post, as she dished out a game-high eight assists and Amari Meredith added three steals. Biloxi now stands 21-4 overall on the season.
Lowery led the Lady Yellow Jackets with 11 points, as they drop to 18-7 overall and 5-3 in the region race but St. Martin has cinched the third seed for region tourney purposes.

Meanwhile, in D’Iberville Tuesday night, Harrison Central out-scored the Lady Warriors 9-8 down the stretch in the fourth quarter to take home the exciting win.
Larissa Hubbard scored five of those nine points in the final frame in the win for HCHS, while Akeelah Cain did her part for DHS as she tallied six of her team’s eight points in the fourth period.
The game was close throughout, as Teeale Wells scored six points in the first frame for DHS but Saniyah Murray and Jayla Carriere rebounded with six points each in the second stanza for Harrison Central as HCHS took a 22-20 lead into intermission.
Hubbard, Murray and Carriere all led Harrison Central with 10 points apiece in the win as HCHS moved to 19-3 overall. Hubbard also had 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Wells scored nine points for D’Iberville, which fell to 3-5 in league play and 10-12 overall.

Elsewhere in Region 4-7A girls’ action Tuesday, Gulfport picked up a 49-30 road win. The Lady Admirals moved to 2-6 in the loop and 6-16 overall, while the Lady Greyhounds are last in the league at 0-8 and stand 4-14 overall.

Skky Bush paced Gulfport with 17 points, while M.J. Avery added 14 points to the winning cause and Shamiya Walker added seven points. Starr Jackson scored 10 points for Ocean Springs, and Bailee Lewis added seven points.