Prep Basketball: Greyhounds nip neighborhood rival Yellow Jackets in OT

Chase Spring of Ocean Springs grabs a hold of St. Martin’s George Norman Tuesday night. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director
OCEAN SPRINGS — The Region 4-7A battle between neighborhood rivals Ocean Springs and St. Martin in boys basketball came right down to the wire Tuesday night.
And in the end, home-court advantage made the difference.
The Greyhounds slipped past the visiting Yellow Jackets 68-65 in overtime with an exciting finish in the renewal of this annual affair. The win moved OSHS back to even at 3-3 in the region race, and the Greyhounds sit at 11-8 overall. St. Martin falls to 2-4 in the loop and 11-10 overall.

Jeremie Packer of Ocean Springs takes aim on the basket with his drive to the hoop as St. Martin’s Markell Simmons defends Tuesday night. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

Christian Cowan of Ocean Springs pulls up for a 3-pointer vs. St. Martin’s Tuesday night. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

St. Martin’s George Norman slams the ball home vs. Ocean Springs Tuesday night. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

St. Martin’s Markel Simmons maintains control of his dribble vs. Ocean Springs Tuesday night. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

Ocean Springs trailed throughout most of regulation, including by five points at 61-56 with just :26 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
But Jacolby Bailey nailed a 3-pointer for the Greyhounds, and and Easton Bahr then stole the ensuing St. Martin in bounds pass. And, after a couple of timely time outs called by OSHS head coach Collin Goley, Jeremy Packer converted a lay-up to knot things up at 61-61 and send the game into the extra session.
In the OT, chase Springs hit a pair of baskets for OSHS as the Greyhounds out-scored SMHS 7-4 to secure the win.
“I’m proud of our guys for finding a way to win,” Goley said. “That’s what good teams do. We were down late in regulation, but we kept fighting and tied the game up. You don’t win those kind of games if you’re not battle-tested and can’t handle adversity. Our guys have continued to grow and learn this season and I think this was a testament to that. I’m very proud of their heart and fight.”

Jeremie Packer of Ocean Springs pushes the ball up the court as St. Martin’s R.J. Keys reacts Tuesday night. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

Easton Bahr of Ocean Springs makes a move towards the lane as St. Martin’s R.J. Keys pursues the play Tuesday night. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

St. Martin’s R.J. Keys looks for some working room as Jayvon Williams of Ocean Springs defends Tuesday night. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

St. Martin’s Markell Simmons battles with Jeremy Packer of Ocean Springs Tuesday night. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

After trailing 13-8 at the end of the first period, OSHS senior standout guard Christian Cowan exploded for six 3-pointers in the second stanza to lead the Greyhounds to a 34-29 halftime lead.
St. Martin, though, got 17 points from point guard R.J. Keys after intermission and bounced back to take that five-point advantage before things begin to unravel for the Yellow Jackets.
Keys tallied a game-high 30 points to pace St. Martin, while Markell Simmons posted a double-double in the loss with 14 points and 18 rebounds and he also had four steals.
Packer was a key for OSHS all game long as he dropped in 22 points, while Cowan added 19 points for the Greyhounds and Jayvon Williams had 12 points in the big win.