By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director
PASCAGOULA — The Resurrection boys basketball team was large offensively on Fat Tuesday.
The Eagles exploded for a season-high 90 points, and in doing so destroyed visiting Mt. Olive 90-64 in the opening round of the Class 1A South State playoffs.
The win moves RCS to a solid 22-4 overall on the season, and more importantly into the second round of the playoffs Saturday night again at home in the friendly confines of Glenn Murphy Gymnasium where the Eagles are 10-1 this season. The win also extends the current win streak for head coach David Pilger’s crew to 10 straight games.

“Our guys were scoring machines!” Pilger said. “We scored 90 points. We just have to work harder on guarding our man and boxing out, because we gave up too many points also.”
Resurrection got nine first quarter points from senior standout guard Gian Vera along with seven points from Keyshwan Nesbitt, and both nailed a 3-pointer, to take a double digit lead at 24-14 entering the second stanza.
Vera collected six more points in the that period, while Nesbitt, Simeon Ballard and Judd Bullison each put in a pair of baskets apiece as the home team steadily stretched out its advantage and began to take complete control at halftime, 45-29.

Then, the RCS combo of Denzel Eaton and Tyrese Ricardo squashed any thoughts the Pirates may have had of a second half comeback as Eaton tallied eight points, including a pair of treys, in the third frame and Ricardo added seven points as the Eagles cruised into the fourth period up by 20 points at 68-48 and never looked back.
Resurrection placed a season-high five players in double digits in the big Mardi Gras night win, led by Vera’s 20 points. Nesbitt chipped in 19 points to the winning effort, while both Ricardo and Eaton added 13 points apiece and Ballard finished with 12 points.
Zakory Taylor dropped in a game-high 24 points for the Pirates.
Resurrection hosts Hollandale-Simmons in the second round.