By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

MOSS POINT — A busy and important weekend for the Pascagoula boy’s basketball team tips off Friday night against one of its oldest rivals and wraps up Saturday against one of the newest foes.

The Panthers head across Jefferson Street Friday night to face arch-rival Moss Point in the only meeting of the year in this long running series. Then, on Saturday, PHS remains on the road and heads to West Harrison in a key Region 4-6A affair.

“It’s definitely one of the best rivalries on the coast,” PHS head coach Lorenzo Wright said Friday afternoon. “When we get together, especially at Moss Point, you can throw the records out the window, it’s all about competing and pride, so I expect a great game.”

The “Battle of the Cats” on the hardwood, just like on the football field, has become just a once a year meeting after many, many years of meeting multiple times on the hardwood each season.

The Panthers have already secured a berth in the upcoming Class 6A South State playoffs even before the Region 4-6A Tournament starts next week at Hancock High.

The Tigers, on the other hand, go into the Region 8-4A Tournament needing at least one win on Monday night in Leakesville to clinch a state playoff spot. Moss Point is the fourth seed in the event and will face fifth seed Poplarville at Greene County High at 7:30 in a do-or-die game to keep its season alive for at least three more games.

Tonight’s game against Pascagoula wraps up the regular season for MPHS.

The Panthers, on the other hand, still have at least four games left in their season as well as one more contest left in the regular season on Saturday against the home-standing Hurricanes.

Pascagoula leads Region 4-6A at 9-0, but still needs one last league win over WHHS to completely wrap up the top seed in the upcoming region tourney.

The Hurricanes are right on the heels of the Panthers in the region race at 8-1 after knocking off Hancock Tuesday night. Pascagoula handed the Hurricanes their only league loss so far when they blew right through them 82-45 a little over a month ago.

Pascagoula, which has won 21 straight region games and sits at 20-3 overall after a 67-48 win over Picayune Tuesday night.

Both PHS and WHHS are already assured of the top two seeds in the Region 4-6A Tournament next week and thanks to that each has already assured itself of a berth in the upcoming Class 6A. South State playoffs.