By STAN CALDWELL/Sports Writer

HATTIESBURG — Two teams that have gotten used to playing deep into February collided on the hardwood to open the 2024-25 high school basketball season, and it was home-standing Hattiesburg that came out on top.

The Tigers led from start to finish, built a big first-half lead then weathered a big comeback from the Red Rebels to make off with a 60-47 victory Tuesday night at Watkins Gymnasium on the HHS campus.

The win gave Hattiesburg a split of the two games, as the HCHS girls rolled to a dominant 51-28 triumph in Sandra Rushing’s debut as coach of the Red Rebelettes.

“This is something we do every year,” said Harrison Central coach Boo Hardy. “Coach Watson and myself made a pact that the first game, we’d play each other, home and home each year.”

The Tiger boys hit the Red Rebels with a big haymaker right from the start, building a quick 10-0 lead on the strength of 7 for 11 shooting from the field in the first quarter.

Senior guard James Griffin swished a 3-point shot from the left side, and juniors Jaylin Dixon and Ethan Long each nailed a 3-ball from the right baseline on back-to-back possessions.

“For the first game, everybody was tired of practice, and so was I,” said Hattiesburg coach Ernie Watson. “To play a team of that caliber, with the athletes they have, I was really proud of the way we played.”

Harrison Central finally got its bearings and went on a 9-1 run to get back in the game, but Hattiesburg outscored the Red Rebels 6-2 to close the quarter leading 18-11, a harbinger of what was to come in the second quarter.

The Tigers outscored Harrison Central 19-4 in the second period to take command, and grew the lead to 23 points midway through the third quarter.

Long, a 6-8 forward to who transferred from Petal in the offseason, scored 9 of his game-high 20 points in the second quarter in all sorts of ways: fast-break layups, putback slams and he closed the half with another 3-point shot.

The Tigers converted 13 of 27 shots (48.1 percent) from the field in the first half, including 6 of 14 from downtown.

“We’ve only got three guys with any varsity experience at all,” said Hardy. “So this is all new to these guys.”

Long had an alley-oop slam and a reverse layup in the third period in a 7-0 run after the Red Rebels opened the second half with six unanswered points. That gave the Tigers a 44-21 lead midway through the period.

But Harrison Central refused to quit, and closed the quarter with a 14-0 surge to get back in the game. Sophomore guard Nehemiah Barnett had 12 of his team-high 18 points in the third quarter, including Harrison Central’s only made 3-pointer of the game.

“We just needed a burst of energy,” said Barnett. “I just tried to give my team a spark. We knew we had the willpower to come back. We just trusted each other and followed the game plan the coaches set out for us.”

The Red Rebels were also 5 of 7 from the foul line in the third period, as the Tigers went stagnant on offense.

“We started taking quick shots, and weren’t working the offense like we were supposed to,” said Watson. “And they were scoring with the clock stopped at the foul line, and they were getting some good looks.

“We were rushing our shots – one pass and shoot it – and we had to cut that out, Once we did that, we settled back in and did what we needed to do.”

HCHS switched from a man-to-man defense to a zone in the second half, and it seem to bother Hattiesburg a bit.

“We had a little talk at halftime, and recommitted,” said Hardy. “We told them if we can get this thing under 10 points by the end of the third quarter, we’d be in good shape. And we did that, even got it to four at one point.

“But it’s just inexperience. We couldn’t sustain it, and Hattiesburg has a very good team. That’s why I like playing them. This is going to make us better.”

Harrison Central picked up where it left off in the final period, closing the deficit to just four points 46-42 after a pair of transition baskets and 3 of 4 free throws. The Red Rebels had a chance to cut the margin even further after getting a one-and-done on a missed 3-point shot.

However, a traveling call gave the ball back to Hattiesburg, and Griffin swished a 3-point shot from the left wing to give the Tigers some breathing room and pulled away down the stretch.

Senior Shaun Murray and junior Tony Magee Griffin scored 10 points, Long added seven blocks to his scoring line, and Dixon had nine rebounds for Hattiesburg.

The Tigers were 25-5 last year, but their season ended abruptly in a first-round upset in the Class 6A playoffs against West Harrison.

“I think if we’d had (Long) last year, we’d have won it again, back-to-back,” Watson said. “I’m glad to have him this year.”

This is the 10th consecutive season the Tigers and Red Rebels have opened the season against each other, and it’s developed into a nice little rivalry.

“We’ll go down there one year, and they’ll come up her the next,” said Watson. “We don’t have our football players, and they don’t have their football players. , so it’s a good even match. It lets us know right quick how good or how bad we’re going to be.”

Hardy has a fairly young team by HCHS standards, after losing the bulk of last year’s 22-6 squad that reached the Elite 8 in Class 7A before falling to Brandon.

“That’s what we talked about after the game, just development,” said Barnett. “We’re just trying to develop each other and get ready for our next game. We don’t have a lot of experience, but the more we play together, the better we’ll get.”

In the girls game, Harrison Central never trailed and took advantage of 35 Hattiesburg turnovers. Sophomore Saniyah Murray had 22 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Red Rebeletts.

Harrison Central jumps right back into action Thursday in its home debut against West Harrison, while Hattiesburg has a week off before its next game, November 14 at Laurel.