By Stan Caldwell/Sports Writer

HATTIESBURG – Gulfport’s boys don’t normally get the chance to come to Hattiesburg High for the annual HHS Coca-Cola Holiday Classic, because the Admirals traditionally host a holiday tournament of their own.

But this year, the calendar fell right, giving Gulfport a chance to get another non-region challenge in before next week’s Admiral Holiday Classic at Bert Jenkins Gymnasium, and the Admirals made the most of it against Brandon.

The Admirals got off to a blistering start, building a 13-point lead, then and weathered a series of comebacks by the Bulldogs to come away with a 66-58 victory Friday at Watkins Gymnasium on the HHS campus.

Gulfport, ranked No. 1 in the SouthMiss6 Super 7 boys rankings, improved to 10-1. Brandon dropped to 7-10 overall.

“I think this is the first time Gulfport has been in it,” said Gulfport coach Brian Butler. “We host our own tournament, and it’s a lot like this one, very prestigious, one that good teams want to play in.

“So to come in here to play in this tournament is an honor, and, luckily, because of the way Christmas fell, we were able to move our tournament, so we can play in both. We wanted to come up here and showcase a little more than just on the Coast.”

Butler said he wasn’t fooled by Brandon’s relatively mediocre record this season. The Bulldogs have been regular visitors to Mississippi Coliseum for the MHSAA Final Four, reaching the state semifinals the past four seasons.

“This was a big-time 7A test for us,” said Butler. “Possibly a potential playoff matchup, so we had a lot of respect for their team. We knew it was going to be a tough one.

“One of the big things we did talk about was how good of a program Brandon has,” Butler said. “Year-in, year-out, they’re a perennial. They’re in Jackson all the time.”

The Admirals were ready to go from the outset. After spotting the Bulldogs an early field goal, Gulfport reeled off 13 unanswered points, before Brandon found its rhythm.

Gulfport converted 6 of 9 shots from the field in the first quarter, mostly from inside five feet. Sophomore Travor Frost quickly tied it up with a soft 6-foot jump shot, the completed a fast break off a steal with a thunderous dunk to put the Admirals ahead.

Then senior Morris Robertson stepped up, taking a defensive rebound the length of the floor for a layup, then drew a foul and converted both free throws, and finally swished a 3-point shot. Junior Denzel Jackson finished the 13-0 run with a pair of foul shots.

“We like to start in the paint, get a few lay-ups, get a few middies in there, then we go for the 3s,” said Robertson. “That’s how we play, inside-outside.”

Gulfport led 19-11 after the first quarter, then kept the pedal to the metal in the first part of the second quarter. The Admirals were good on 3 of their first 4 shots in the period, including 3-balls from Robertson and sophomore Jeffrey Isabelle.

Isabelle’s 3-point shot gave Gulfport what would prove to be its biggest lead of the game, 30-17, with six minutes still to play in the first half.

“We have some very good kids,” said Butler. “They work their tails off. They’re very big on their process in how they become great, and they want something bigger than themselves. They want us to be great, to put Gulfport back on top again. So they work every day for it.”

It was a pace the Admirals couldn’t keep up indefinitely, and they hit a lull through most of the rest of the period.

Brandon went on a scoring binge of its own, scoring 14 unanswered points, mostly on the play of senior Josiah Jackson, who scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the second quarter.

Sophomore Caiden Ratliff capped the surge with a pair of free throws to put the Bulldogs briefly back in the lead 32-31.

But that’s when Jackson stepped up for Gulfport. The 5-foot-9 guard slashed his way through the lane for a layup to give the Admirals the lead back, nailed a trey from the left wing, then another one from the right wing after Brandon got two points back on foul shots.

Jackson finished with 25 points to lead the Admirals.

“That sequence, we were just trying to win the game right there,” Jackson said. “They were dogging us a little bit at that point, but we had to bow up, because they had the energy , they had the pace. So our offense, we had to score, then get back on defense.”

Gulfport continued to struggle from the field in the third quarter, converting just 3 of 14 from the floor. But the Admirals were able to draw fouls and make free throws, 10 of 14 in the third period alone, and they finished 17 of 24 from the line for the game.

“We take a lot of time out of practice shooting free throws,” Robertson said. “We shoot a lot of them, so we’ve got to make them. They’re free shots. They were the difference tonight.”

Still, Brandon took advantage of Gulfport’s shooting woes to chip away at the lead, tying the game 41-41 after junior Lando Cavett took a steal for a fast-break layup.

The Bulldogs had a chance to take the lead after a pair of missed shots on the Admirals’ ensuing possession, but turned the ball over on a traveling call, and Robertson put Gulfport back in front for good with a soft 3-footer in the lane.

Gulfport rebuilt its lead to nine points late in third quarter, leading 54-45 heading into the fourth quarter.

Brandon opened the final period with a 7-2 surge, pulling to within 56-52, but Jackson responded for the Admirals with a 3-point shot, and the Bulldogs never got any closer down the stretch.

“It’s one ball, but at the end of the day, it’s a brotherhood thing,” Jackson said. “We share the wealth because we know each other so well. We’re all just trying to win the game. And I think we’re good enough to win state.”

Frost put the finishing touches on the victory for the Admirals by driving the lane in the final seconds for a monster slam. He finished with 9 points for Gulfport. Robertson, the Admirals leading scorer coming in with 18.2 points per game, had 21 against Brandon.

“We’ve got a deep team,” Robertson said. “If the first five have a problem, the next five can come in and help. It’s a deep team, a brotherhood.”

Gulfport will be back at Watkins Gym on Saturday afternoon to face Oak Grove at 4:30 p.m., after the Warriors upset host Hattiesburg Friday night. The Admirals then open play in their own tournament Monday against Laurel.