By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

BILOXI — St. Stanislaus is one win away from finishing up an unbeaten season on the hardwood in Region 8-3A play for the first time in 14 years.
The Rock-A-Chaws only hope that might be a harbinger of better things to come as well.
St. Stanislaus completed a season sweep of arch-rival St. Patrick this week, with a 44-31 road win. The decision pushes SSC to a perfect 7-0 in league play and a 15-6 overall mark.
The Rocks of head coach Daniel Grieves welcome in Tylertown Friday night for “Senior Night” in what will serve as not only the final league game of the year but the regular season finale as well.

The last time SSC wrapped up region play unbeaten was the 2010-2011 campaign, when Grieves himself led the Rocks to not only a perfect mark in league play but they also stormed through the region tournament and ensuing state playoffs on their way to capturing the Class 4A state championship with a school record 34-2 overall mark.

In the latest Rock win, SSC and St. Patrick battled on pretty even terms in the first quarter as Allan Gilliam dropped in a pair of baskets for the Rocks and a 3-pointer by the Fighting Irish’s Grayden Davis ended the period with SSC up 10-8.

But the Rocks began to take control in the second stanza as recently named all-star Max Baria scored five points, including a triple of his own, and Gilliam drained a trey as well and SSC went into halftime up by double digits at 26-14 despite another 3-pointer from Davis for SPHS.
Rock center Baria put in six more points in the third frame, but Fighting Irish big man Andrew Ladner countered that with eight points of his own in the period and St. Patrick was able to cut the deficit back into single digits entering the final quarter at 34-25.

But that would be as close as the home team would get, as SSC got six more points from Gilliam down the stretch and sealed the win despite another trey from Davis.
Baria paced SSC with a game-high 15 points, while Gilliam chipped in 13 points to the winning effort and Jason Forte added eight points.
Ladner led the Fighting Irish with 12 points and Davis had nine points all coming on that trio of triples.

St. Patrick, the defending region champs, dropped to 3-5 in the region race and 10-17 overall.

The region tourney is set for Tylertown next week.