By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

The prep volleyball season just recently wrapped up on courts all across the state of Mississippi, but the hardwood won’t be lonely for very long.
And that’s because two weeks from today, on Tuesday, Nov., 4th, yet another prep basketball season is set to tip-off all across the “Southern Six” as well as across the rest of the state.
A veritable plethora of games are scheduled for that first official playing date, after teams see their first action in jamborees on Sat. Nov., 1st. And as usual, one of the first hotbeds of action locally will be in Pass Christian as the Pirates and Lady Pirates host their annual Pass Christian Invitational Tip-off Tournament.
And the first two “Southern Six” squads to see action in the new campaign will be the West Harrison girls and the Pascagoula boys at that event, as both face Forrest County AHS to kick things off.

Pascagoula takes on FCAHS at 5:30 p.m., after the WHHS girls take the floor against the Lady Aggies at 4 p.m., to open the new season.
The Panthers are the only program in the “Southern Six” aiming for a third straight trip to the overall Final Four at The Big house in Jackson, and they open the new season against the Aggies at 5:30 p.m., in two weeks.
“I’m seriously excited about this season,” Panther head coach Lorenzo Wright said Tuesday afternoon before practice.
Wright begins his 10th year at the helm of the PHS boys team, and the Panthers have been eliminated in the Class 6A overall semifinals the past two seasons at The Mississippi Coliseum in the Capital City of Mississippi.
“This year will bring on an exciting challenge with some new names and new faces, however the expectations for us always remain the same.”

Senior standout guard Blake Nettles returns to pace the Panthers this season, after seeing extensive action the past two years at “The Big House”.

The final two games in opening day play at the PCHS tourney pit the host Lady Pirates vs. Pascagoula and the hometown Pass Christian boys facing West Harrison.
Other interesting match-ups opening night include a pair of all “Southern Six” affairs in Jackson County, as Moss Point travels to St. Martin and Gautier heads to Ocean Springs in both girls action.
Also, George County hosts Stone on Tuesday, Nov. 4th, while Bay High heads to Hancock and St. Patrick hosts D’Iberville.