By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

RAYMOND — A pair of Class 3A “Southern Six” prep basketball squads travel to the Jackson area on Thursday afternoon in hopes that a win will punch their ticket for a return trip to the actual state capital next week.

Both the St. Patrick girls and St. Stanislaus take the court at Raymond High School in Class 3A South State Quarterfinal Round play. The Lady Irish take the court first facing Kemper County at 4 p.m., with the Rock-a-Chaws to follow at 5:30 against McLaurin.

A win and you move into the overall Class 3A Final Four at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson next week.

In the girls contest, both St. Patrick and Kemper County are coming off of comfortable wins in second round play late last week as the Lady Irish smacked Magee 63-37 while the Lady ‘Cats thumped Crystal Springs 64-20.

St. Patrick sits at a solid 25-5 overall, while KCHS is at 23-6.

This marks the second straight trip for SPHS to the Class 3A South State Quarterfinals under second year head coach Nick Mumme after the Lady Irish fell in this same venue 56-39 to Port Gibson.

This match-up is also a rematch from second round state playoff action last year when the home-standing Lady Irish slipped past Kemper County 46-42.

On the boys’ side of the ledger, St. Stanislaus is looking for its first trip to “The Big House” in Jackson in 14 years, since winning the Class 4A state championship in 2011 behind the play of senior standout Daniel Grieves and others.

Now, Grieves, in his fourth season at the helm of his alma mater, has the Rocks on the doorstep again as 20-5 SSC faces powerful McLaurin who sits at 26-5 overall.

Both teams are coming off of close wins in the second round of action last week, as McLaurin beat Magee 52-47 and St. Stanislaus slipped past visiting Franklin County 54-52 behind junior center Max Baria’s career-high 29 points.

The Class 3A overall Final Four begins for the girls’ Monday afternoon and for the boys Monday night at The Mississippi Coliseum.