By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

CLINTON — Both the Pascagoula and Biloxi boys will compete in the prestigious “Rumble in the South” prep basketball event on Monday.

The annual event is taking place here this year at A.E. Wood Coliseum on the campus of Mississippi College.

The Indians take on Ridgeland at 1 p.m., and the Panthers face Germantown in the following game at 2:30 p.m.

Pass Christian was originally scheduled to play in the annual affair but withdrew over the weekend.

Biloxi faces a Titan team that finished as state runner-up last season in Class 6A after falling in a close contest to Olive Branch 59-56 in the state championship game at The Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.

“I believe your team always needs a test,” veteran Biloxi head coach Seber Windham said Sunday night. “Playing in high profile events gets your team ready for the playoffs because your playing high quality teams like we are in a team ranked high in the state in Ridgeland High.”

Windham’s Indians sit a solid 16-4 overall and the Titan’s come in at an equally impressive 19-4 overall. Both squads are coming off of losses, however, in their latest outings as Biloxi suffered a 49-43 loss to visiting D’Iberville Friday night while RHS fell to Columbus 67-57 also on Friday.

Ironically enough, Ridgeland plays just before Pascagoula after making sure that the Panthers will always remember the Titans at the end of last season when Pascagoula’s bid for history was denied in the most crushing way possible as Ridgeland used a variety of defenses to stymie the Panthers taking control in the fourth quarter to score a 48-42 upset in the Class 6A Final Four semifinal round at Mississippi Coliseum.

That loss snapped a school record 29 game win streak for Pascagoula, but the Panthers earned a bit of revenge earlier this season slipping past Ridgeland 60-58.

On Monday, the Panthers will tangle with Germantown which sits at an impressive 19-1 on the year.

Pascagoula is a solid 16-3 overall and is coming off a 72-42 thumping of visiting George County Friday night in Region 4-6A play.

The Panthers jumped out to a commanding 22-0 lead after the first quarter en route to the comfortable win. Blake Nettles and Quey’Sean Taylor each paced PHS with 13 points apiece while Kelan Rich chipped in 11 points to he winning effort as PHS remained perfect in the region race at 7-0.

Jeremiah Bolton led the Rebels with a game-high 20 points.