By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PASCAGOULA — A history-making regular season came to a close for the Pascagoula boys basketball team Friday night.
Now, the Panthers hope that the postseason turns into an historic one as well.
Pascagoula drubbed visiting Moss Point 75-39 in the only meeting on the hardwood between the arch-rivals this season to wrap up regular season play for both teams. The win extended the Panthers’ school record 25-game win streak, and PHS also finished with the best winning percentage for any team in program history at 25-1.
No prep basketball team, boys or girls, from Jackson County has ever won a state championship. Pascagoula’s quest to become the first begins next week in the Region 4-6A Tournament in Ocean Springs.

“It’s been a remarkable season thus far, a great regular season run.” seventh-year Panther head coach Lorenzo Wright said. “Hopefully, this tough schedule has prepared us for a great post-season run.”
The Panthers dropped their opening game of the season in a close 52-49 decision on the road at Madison Central. Since then, though, the Panthers have run roughshod over the competition including wins over perennial state powers Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Meridian, Velma Jackson, Yazoo City and Canton as well as avenging that lone loss with a 54-42 win over Madison Central at a neutral site.
In addition, PHS beat three-time defending Class 5A Louisiana state champion Zachary High as well as Harrison Central and Picayune twice. The pai of wins over Picayune came in Region 4-6A play, as Pascagoula went 10-0 in the loop.
The latest win was played before a sold-out and standing room only crowd that filled the PHS gym Friday night for “Senior Night”. The game was basically over at the end of the first quarter.

Pascagoula senior standout and Dandy Dozen shooting guard Dorian McMillan drained a trio of 3-pointers to begin the game and tallied 11 points in the opening frame as the Panthers leaped out to a commanding 26-8 advantage heading into the second stanza.
The second period featured more hot-shooting by McMillan, as he dropped in another trey and wound up with 10 more points in the period. Panther 6-foot-5 center Markeuse Grady added eight first half points, and along with McMillian’s 21 points in the first half Pascagoula led 45-20 at halftime and never looked back.
McMillan poured in a game-high 27 points to pace Pascagoula, while Tylan Wilson chipped in 14 points to the winning effort with 12 of those coming in the second half. Grady had six rebounds.
Jujuan Nettles led the Tigers with 10 points, while Alejandro Montalvo added nine points for Moss Point as it finished the regular season at 16-11 overall.

Next up for the Tigers is the Region 8-4A Tournament in Poplarville next week. Moss Point is already assured of a berth in the upcoming Class 4A South State playoffs.
Likewise, Pascagoula has already earned a spot in the Class 6A South State playoffs, as both the Panthers and Tigers will be battling for a home game in the opening round of the state playoffs in their respective region tourneys.
Last season, Hattiesburg beat Picayune 55-50 to win the Class 5A state championship. This season, both the Tigers and Maroon Tide along with Pascagoula were grouped in Class 6A after expansion by the Mississippi High School Activities Association.
While Hattiesburg finished the regular season at 24-3 and Picayune also won 20 games, Pascagoula is a combined 3-0 against both of those teams as the postseason tips off.