By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

JACKSON — The Hancock girls haven’t won a state basketball championship in 20 years.
The Lady Hawks and their huge support system hope that changes over the next four days.
The powerful Hancock Lady Hawks will tangle with the equally powerful Neshoba Central Lady Rockets on Wednesday afternoon in the Class 6A Final Four as the Overall State Basketball Tournament gets started this week.
Both teams sit a spectacular 30-1 on the season coming into the game.
Hancock and NCHS will face off at 5:30 in the second Class 6A semifinal game in what has been one of the most highly anticipated match-ups this season in prep basketball circles around the state of Mississippi.
So, it seems only fitting that the huge match-up will be contested in the Big House with a trip to the state title tilt on the line.

“Playoff basketball is all about toughness, fighting through adversity, and playing fundamental basketball.” veteran Hancock head coach Jamie Sisco said, after the Lady Hawks practice Tuesday afternoon. “I am not sure it cares about records and rankings, unfortunately.”
Hancock has won 13 straight games Neshoba Central has more than doubled that streak up with 28 consecutive wins.
Both teams have won 46 out of their past 50 games as well. However, Hancock has not lost to an opponent from the state of Mississippi in over a year, as the lone blemish on the Lady Hawks’ record this year came in a close three-point decision 44-41 to perennial Alabama Class 7A power Hoover High back at the prestigious “Tangle on the Trail” event in Pontotoc in early January.
“Neshoba Central definitely presents problems with their speed and talent level,” Sisco added. “I am not sure I have seen a team play as fast as they do, so we will have to be ready for that. We intend to stay true to who we are and do what has gotten us to this point.”

The only loss of the season for the Lady Rockets came in early November in their third game of the year to Class 7A power Starkville 72-63.
Neshoba Central went 33-0 two years ago and captured the Class 5A state championship under then and current head coach Jason Broom.
It was the second state title in six seasons for NCHS, after they won it in 20017 as well. That title was the first one in 26 years, though.
Hancock is looking for its fourth state title overall and its first state crown in 20 years, since 2004.
The Lady Hawks, then known as Hancock North Central, won back-to-back state titles in 1979 and 1980 then took the only one under the name Hancock High School 20 years ago.
In its latest outing, Hancock hammered Jackson Forrest Hill 74-45 in the Class 6A Elite Eight in Perkinston Saturday afternoon at Dantzler Arena on the campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Meanwhile Neshoba Central thumped Columbus 63-40 in the Class 6A North State Quarterfinal round.

“I am expecting a huge crowd with the build-up for this game, Sisco concluded. “Excited to watch our team compete like heck.”
The winner of Wednesday’s game will meet the survivor of the South Panola (22-3) vs. Terry (24-6) game Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m for all the marbles. Terry and SPHS meet in the first semifinal affair on Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.