By Curtis Rockwell/Sports Director

PASCAGOULA — A pair of perennial state powers on the hardwood renew acquaintances Friday night in the boy’s Class 7A South State Quarterfinal Round.

And that makes the Biloxi vs. Meridan battle this week’s “Vertical Raise Game of the Week” for SouthMiss6 Sports.

Each week during the prep basketball season, SouthMiss6 Sports will feature a “GOTW” sponsored by Vertical Raise, the premier online fundraising platform for athletic teams and associated clubs and supporters of all ages.

This marks the seventh meeting between the Indians and Wildcats on the hardwood in the past 16 years, and this one had some added importance as a trip to the overall Class 7A Final Four at The Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson next in on the line for the winner as well.

Biloxi is 22-6 overall, while Meridian sits 19-9. The Indians are the Region 4-7A champs, and the Wildcats finished as the runner-up in Region 3-7A.

The game pits a pair of state championship winning veteran head coaches as well, in Biloxi’s Seber Windham and Meridian’s Ron Norman. In fact, Norman has led the Wildcats to a pair of state titles in the past seven years.

Both teams are coming off of close wins at home to open the Class 7A South State playoffs, as Biloxi slipped past Petal 54-51 and Meridian took down West Harrison 55-48.

Biloxi won the last meeting between these two teams, 68-65 in the 2023 state playoffs. But Meridian is 4-2 against BHS over the past 16 years.

As the premier online fundraising platform, Vertical Raise utilizes the newest technology through a tested combination of email, text and social media campaigns to maximize the reach of your fundraiser.

Our successes are built upon our best-in-class email deliverability, detailed tracking and the complete personalization of every participant’s page. Combining this proprietary system, with experienced and passionate fundraising coaches has made us the most effective fundraising platform available.

We look forward to partnering with you to elevate your organization to its full potential! Please contact your local fundraising rep Ricky Cunningham at 228-263-4755 for more information.