Picayune prepped to face Hattiesburg for 5A Boys Basketball State Championship

JACKSON, Miss. (WLOX) - Excitement is building for Picayune Memorial High School as the boys basketball team get ready to play for a state championship.

The Maroon Tide (20-15) are slated to face the Hattiesburg Tigers (23-7) in Jackson for the MHSAA 5A Boys Basketball State Championship. The two teams faced each other in November in a game that saw the Tide fall by a score of 47-54.

If Picayune redeems themselves Thursday night, it will be the team’s first state championship in the program’s history. The Tide came close to taking gold in their most recent playoff run in 2008, finishing as runner-ups.

Students and players are ready for the challenger and say a win would mean the world to the school.

“Well, I think it will put Picayune on the map a lot more,” said Picayune cheerleader Phenly Oldmixon. “Winning state championships in football and hopefully winning in basketball too is really going to showcase our school a lot more than it has in the past.”

“Yeah, it means a lot,” said Picayune forward Tyran Warren. “It’s history in the making a here. It’s been, like, a minute -- first time we had the possibility of winning the championship.”

The Maroon Tide matchup against the Tigers at 7 p.m. Friday night at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. To watch, tune into WLOX - Bounce 13.2 or visit NFHS Network for streaming options. Head over to GoFan for ticket information.

Want more WLOX news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2023 WLOX. All rights reserved.