By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

HATTIESBURG — The Pascagoula girls got the night off to a good start against home-standing Hattiesburg Thursday night as they nipped the Lady Tigers 51-49.
It marked a measure of revenge for the Lady Panthers after Hattiesburg ended Pascagoula’s season last year with a 50-45 win in Pascagoula in the opening round of the lass 6A South State playoffs.

The latest decision tipped off a very successful night for the visitors from the Gulf Coast against the Hub City home teams, as the PHS boys also picked up an exciting 56-52 win over the Tigers to close out the proceedings Thursday night.
The win for the Lady Panthers evened their overall mark up at 2-2 in the young campaign, and the HHS girls dropped to 2-3.
“We just have to keep working and getting better,” PHS second year head coach Lakeia Westerfield said after the big win for her Lady Panthers. “I’m Happy for the win! But it was a rough one. Too many turnovers. I’m just glad we pulled out the win.”

Last season, in her first year at the helm of the PHS girls, Westerfield paced Pascagoula to a 14-11 overall record and a second place finish in Region 4-6A behind perennial power Hancock.
In that contest to end last season, Hattiesburg took control of the game by out-scoring Pascagoula 22-10 in the third period.
But Thursday night, the Lady Panthers opened up an eight-point lead, 36-28, at the end of the third quarter before Hattiesburg went on a 10-1 run to take the lead.

Sophomore Massyah Thomas put ‘Goula back in front 43-42 with a drive down the lane with 2:33 to play, and Thomas closed it out in the final seconds with a pair of foul shots, giving the Panthers a 51-47 lead with 10.8 seconds to play.
Thomas had 22 points to lead Pascagoula, and senior Samaha Johnson added 14 for the Panthers. Senior Kelby Holliman had 12 points to top Hattiesburg.

Last season, in that season-ending playoff loss to the Lady Tigers, Thomas also paced Pascagoula with 17 points.