By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

LAUREL — Both the Gulfport boys and girls basketball teams head to Jones County Monday afternoon for some Martin Luther King Day action on the hardwood.

The Admirals and Lady Admirals travel to Laurel High School for the annual “Wilson Terrell MLK Classic.” The Gulfport girls face West Jones at 1 p.m., and the Gulfport boys meet defending Class 7A state champion Meridian in the following game at 2:30 p.m.

The match-up between the Admirals and the Wildcats is a rematch from Gulfport’s final game of last season, when Meridian and former Pascagoula Pascagoula head coach Ron Norman began their march to the first ever Class 7A state title in Mississippi High School history with a 64-41 win.

When first-year GHS head coach Brian Butler was asked Sunday night if he felt like Monday’s game against the perennial state power Meridian could be considered a “measuring stick” for his team this season, Butler replied:

““I do… I believe that any time you play a perennial state championship program it brings the best out in you. Regardless of records, established winners are always dangerous opponents. This will gauge our progress this season, and set the tone for our playoff run.”

Under Norman last year, the Wildcats won their second state championship since his arrival from Pascagoula just before the start of the 2016-2017 season.

Norman spent three seasons in charge at PHS. Norman, who came to Pascagoula in 2013 after an extremely successful career at Wayne County High School, continued that success at PHS. Norman also won the 5A state championship in 2011 with the War Eagles.

Since that loss to end last season for GHS, which signaled the end of Steve Hesser’s one season tenure at the helm of the Admirals, Gulfport has won 22 outs of its 23 games this year under Butler.

The Wildcats are coming off of a 58-47 win over Oak Grove on the road Friday night.

Also on Friday night, the Admirals moved to a perfect 7-0 in Region 4-7A play with a 61-42 win on the road in Lyman Friday night.

In that game, Travor Frost paced Gulfport with a game-high 17 points while Markell Simmons added eight points to the winning effort.

Nehemiah Barnett topped the Red Rebels with 12 points as HCHS fell to 0-7 in the region race.