By SAM STAFF/Sport Writer

The girl’s basketball state playoffs resume for some squads in the “Southern Six” on Friday night while it begins for many others as well on that same evening.
The smaller classifications, Class 1A-4A, got started on Monday and the survivors of that round move on to action on Friday. For the larger classes, Class 7A-5A, the playoffs tip-off Friday.
In the first-ever Class 7A South State playoffs, St. Martin hosts Pearl and Biloxi hosts Brandon. The Lady Yellow Jackets upset the Lady Indians 42-34 last week in the Region 4-7A Tournament after falling twice to Biloxi in the regular season.

Pearl stands 9-19 overall, after falling to Brandon 50-44 in the Region 3-7A consolation contest last week. The Lady Bulldogs come to the coast at .500, at 13-13.
Elsewhere in Class 7A, Harrison Central heads to Meridian in a first-round battle of perennial state powers while D’Iberville is also on the road at Northwest Rankin. HCHS knocked off DHS 55-38 in the consolation contest of the Region 4-7A tourney, while NWR took down MHS 45-36 in the Region 3-7A title tilt.

In the Class 6A South State playoffs, the powerful Hancock Lady Hawks look to continue their magical run as the playoffs begin by hosting West Jones in the opening round. Hancock, which sits at 28-1 overall, is coming off a 58-43 win over Pascagoula in the Region 4-6A championship game. The Lady Panthers host Hattiesburg in the first round.
Hattiesburg nipped West Jones 48-44 in the consolation contest of the Region 3-6A tourney. Terry beat Jackson Forrest Hill 58-44 in the title tilt of that tourney, so West Harrison heads to FHHS and Long Beach travels to Terry.
In Class 5A South State playoff action, East Central is on the road at Natchez and Stone heads to Florence.
In the second round of the Class 4A South State playoffs, Bay High hosts Morton.

“We’ve got a tough team coming in here on Friday,” said BHS head coach Kelton Thompson. “They’re 26-2 going into Friday’s game. They’ve been ranked in the state all year. That’s a tough second round matchup, but if you plan on beating them all, you’ve got to beat them somewhere.”
The Bay High Lady Tigers (26-5, 8-0) opened postseason play with an impressive 43-22 win over McComb on Monday evening. The Lady Tigers also are on a 17-game win streak.
In Class 3A, the South State playoffs resume for St. Patrick as the Lady Irish head to Kemper County. The home-court advantage worked well for the St. Patrick Lady Irish as the Class 3A South State playoffs got underway Monday night.
The SPHS girls held off a fourth quarter rally by visiting Crystal Springs to post a 51-46 win and keep their season alive for at least another game.
The winners of all games on Friday night advance on to their respective South State Quarterfinal Tournaments next week, beginning on Friday, Feb. 23rd. The Class 3A quarterfinals will take place at Holmes Community College, while the Class 4A ad Class 5A contests will be played at Pearl River Community College. The Class 6A and Class 7A Quarterfinal Round tourney will take place at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community college.