By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PASCAGOULA — Pascagoula’s Kelan Rich is the SouthMiss6 Sports Boys “Player of the Year” for the 2024-2025 season.

Each season, the sports staff here at SouthMiss6 Sports votes on both a female and male “POY” in the Southern Six” and Rich was the pick for his play this season.

The 6-foot-5, standout senior Panther guard reported to Mobile Thursday afternoon to begin preparations for the prestigious Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Basketball Classic, after leading PHS to a solid 26-4 record this season and a berth in the Class 6A overall Final Four at the “Big House” in Jackson.

Pascagoula rolled to the Region 4-6A crown as well, going a perfect 12-0 through the regular season and the region tournament. In fact, Rich has helped guide PHS to a 55-6 record over the past two seasons and back-to-back trips to The Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson for the overall state tourney.

Early in the season, Rich drained a trio 3-pointers and scored 15 points in the first quarter as the Panthers raced to a 34-6 lead en route to an easy 73-44 win over host Warren Central in the final game of the River City Challenge Tournament. He finished that contest in Vicksburg with a game-high 21 points, as Pascagoula ran its regular season winning streak to 31 straight games, a new school record.

Rich poured in a game-high 29 points in late January in a battle for supremacy in the “Southern Six” against Gulfport in a 76-53 win at “HoopsFest”.

Rich played some of his basketball down the stretch, dropping in 29 points in a 67-48 win over Picayune, 22 points in a win over arch-rival Moss Point, 23 points in a win over George County and 20 points in a win over West Harrison.

He continued his strong work in the playoffs, as he made a quick statement early on in a 57-39 win over Terry in the Class 6A South State Quarterfinal Round. Rich not only converted a pair of slam dunks in the opening quarter, but dropped in a 3-pointer also as the Panthers took a 15-11 lead over THS heading into the second stanza.

Rich drained another triple in the next period to put PHS up by double digits for the first time at 28-18 at halftime. It was the third frame when the Panthers took total command of the contest out-scoring Terry 16-7 as Rich nailed two more treys and finished up with a game-high 24 points for the Panthers as they punched their ticket back to the “Big House”.

Rich was the only player, boys or girls, picked to play in the annual all-star game this season. He will lead Team Mississippi up against its neighboring rivals Saturday afternoon at The Mitchell Center in Mobile on the campus of The University of South Alabama.

Rich is the second straight Panther player to participate in that prestigious affair as well as the second straight PHS product to be named “SouthMiss6 Sports Player of the Year” after his former teammate Dorian McMillian took home both honors as well last season.

The SouthMiss6 Sports boys and girls “Prep Basketball Player of the Year” Awards are both sponsored by the Baria Law Firm out of Bay St. Louis.

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