By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director
JACKSON — 49 years.
It’s been 49 years since a boy’s basketball team from Jackson County played for the state championship.
And that team was Pascagoula.
Monday afternoon here in the Mississippi Coliseum, a far different looking Panthers squad will try and duplicate that feat.
Back then, to end the 1977 season, Barry Bargainer led the Panthers into the title game against Florence High that year. Florence, led by Greg Grim, stopped the Panthers state title hopes with a 77-59 decision behind Grim’s 37 points.

Grim, who went on to Mississippi State and was an All-Southeastern Conference performer several years later, then scored 40 against Utica in the Grand Slam Tournament to give the Eagles the overall state title as well.
Bargainer scored 28 points in his last game at Pascagoula, but it wasn’t enough.
In fact, only two boy’s teams from Jackson County have ever made it to the final game of the year since the Mississippi High School Association and its predecessor, The Mississippi High School Literary and Athletic Association, have been handing out state championship hardware since 1922.
The first was 65 years ago. The only other boys team from Jackson County to play for a state hoops title was Ocean Springs in 1961. The Greyhounds fell to Starkville in close fashion 70-66. Ocean Springs enjoyed one of the best seasons in school hardwood history that season, going 32-10 led by head coach Tommy Glass guards Tommy Jones and Jack Bennie Hughes and 6-foot-6 center Travis Normand.

Now, it’s time for Pascagoula to try and end that drought for the third straight season when the Panthers take on once mighty Jackson Callaway at 1:30 p.m., here in the Big House in the semifinal round of the Class 6A overall final Four.
A trip to Thursday night’s championship contest is one the line. Where the winner of the PHS-Callaway contest will meet the survivor of the Terry-Canton game, which also is set for Monday afternoon.
Defending Class 6A state champ Ridgeland ended Pascagoula’s season each of the last two years in this round.
Last year, the Titans returned to the Class 6A state championship game after a 70-60 overtime win over Pascagoula. Ridgeland then went on to thump Olive Branch 79-53 in the title tilt.

Two years ago, the Titans upset also then top-ranked PHS 48-42 in the same round, snapping a school record 29-game winning streak for the Panthers in the process.
But Callaway upset Ridgeland Wednesday 60-55 in the Class 6A North State Quarterfinal Round, so there will be no repaet for the Titans or rematch for the Panthers this year.
The Chargers come in to the Final Four at 17-16 overall, while Pascagoula is 26-6.
Once again, the Panthers carry the mantle not only for their program into the final week of the season, but all of Jackson County as well. No prep basketball team from Jackson County, boys’ or girls, has ever won a state championship.