By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PASCAGOULA — It wasn’t exactly the beginning of a new year the D’Iberville girls basketball team hoped for.

The Lady Warriors opened 2025 with a pair of losses on the road in Pascagoula in a two day span, falling to the host Lady Panthers 50-24 Friday night and then dropping a hard-fought 53-49 overtime decision to Mobile Baker Saturday morning in the 16th annual “Panther Classic”.

Against Baker, the teams went into the extra session tied up at 45-45 but the Lady Hornets held the Lady Warriors to just a lone field goal in overtime by Nay Jefferson while Baker’s Madison Carlton tallied seven of her team’s eight points to push the neighbors from across the state line to the win.

The Lady Warriors took a 24-20 lead into halftime, thanks in most part to Jefferson’s six second quarter points and five points from Lay Lay Evans in the first frame.

But Carlton dropped in seven points in the third period, including a 3-pointer, as the Lady Hornets out-scored DHS 16-11 in the quarter to take a slight 36-35 lead into the fourth period.

Jefferson and Vayda Lee had four points each in the fourth frame for the Lady Warriors as they out-scored BHS 10-9 in the quarter setting up the overtime period.

Jefferson led D’Iberville with 16 points while Evans added seven points for the Lady Warriors, who drop to 5-10 overall with the loss.

Baker, which moved to 4-12 overall with the win, got a game-high 16 points from Carlton.

Next up for D’Iberville is a home game against D’Iberville Tuesday night as both teams jump back into Region 4-7A action.

On Friday night, home-standing Pascagoula jumped out to a commanding 37-9 halftime lead and cruised to the big win over D’Iberville.

Lady Panther Khyliah Moore tallied 12 first quarter points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to get PHS off to the quick start and finished with 20 points in the first half . Samaha Johnson had eight points in the second stanza, including two treys of his own, to push PHS out to that big advantage at intermission.

Moore poured in a game-high 27 points to pace Pascagoula.

Jefferson tallied 15 points to lead DHS.