By Curtis Rockwell/Sports Director

JACKSON — As action once again tips off here at the “Big House” this week for the annual Overall State Basketball Tournament, seven “Gold Balls” will be handed out for just the second time ever by the Mississippi High School Association.
And one local squad hopes not only to be in attendance when the Class 6A state championship trophy is presented, but it hopes to make a huge statement in the annals of prep basketball history in the state of Mississippi and in particular Jackson County as well.

The Pascagoula boys are still alive in the chase to create history and making their second straight appearance in the Class 6A overall Final Four this week. No boys or girls prep basketball team from Jackson County has ever won a state championship.
In fact, only two boys teams have made it to the final game of the year.
The MHSAA and its predecessor The Mississippi High School Literary and Athletic Association has been handing out state championship hardware since 1922.
And Jackson County, almost incredibly, is 0-102 over the past century in hoops.

Even Agricola High School won a girls state championship on the basketball court. As has Shady Grove, Beat Four, Ponta and something called Vimville. Even Hickory has won several state titles on both sides of the court, and neither Norman Dale or Jimmy Chitwood were a part of it.
“We are well aware of what’s at stake this week,” Pascagoula head coach Lorenzo Wright, recently said. “We know about the history involved.”
The last Jackson County boy’s team to make it to the state championship game was Pascagoula, and that came 48 years ago in 1977 when Barry Bargainer led the Panthers into the title game against Florence High. Florence, led by Greg Grim, stopped the Panthers state title hopes with a 77-59 decision behind Grim’s 37 points. Grim, who went on to Mississippi State and was an All-Southeastern Conference performer several years later, then scored 40 against Utica in the Grand Slam Tournament to give the Eagles the overall state title as well.
Bargainer scored 28 points in his last game at Pascagoula, but it wasn’t enough.

The only other team from Jackson County to play for a state hoops title was Ocean Springs in 1961. The Greyhounds fell to Starkville in close fashion 70-66. Ocean Springs enjoyed one of the best seasons in school hardwood history that season, going 32-10 led by head coach Tommy Glass guards Tommy Jones and Jack Bennie Hughes and 6-foot-6 center Travis Normand.
Pascagoula meets Ridgeland in the Class 6A Final Four semifinal round Thursday afternoon at 1:30. The game is a rematch from this same round last season, when Ridgeland made sure that it would be a night when Pascagoula would always remember the Titans.
Ridgeland upset PHS 48-42 and in the process snapped the 29 game win streak for the process.
The winner of this game will face either Hattiesburg or Olive Branch in the state title tilt Saturday night. The Tigers and Conquistadors face off at Noon Thursday.