Only the best of the best remain standing in basketball's postseason following a week of opening-round action, and after all six of Pike County's public school teams began their runs last week, only one has extended its stay.
The third-seeded North Pike Lady Jags went on the road and cruised to a 52-31 win over Northeast Jones on Friday to reach the quarterfinals of the MHSAA 5A bracket, where they will face top-seeded divisional rival Laurel.
That game will be played at 1 p.m. on Saturday from Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C., with a trip to the Final Four at the Mississippi Coliseum being on the line.
Ron Kessler's side produced such a dominant opening-round result in large part thanks to the play of junior guard Kadence Thompson, who tallied 17 points and nine rebounds.
Junior forward Kadence Jordan tacked on 11 points and six boards, while senior guard DeAsia Hudson added nine points and eight more rebounds.
The Lady Jaguars (23-9) went 9-for-10 from the charity stripe and held Northeast Jones to just a single point in the third quarter, allowing them to pull away for the win.
Other Local Public School Scores:
Boys 5A First Round (Saturday): No. 1 Wayne County 60 | No. 4 North Pike 42
Boys 4A Second Round (Saturday): No. 1 Raymond 59 | No. 3 South Pike 39
Boys 4A First Round (Tuesday): No. 1 Pass Christian 66 | No. 4 McComb 55
Girls 4A First Round (Monday): No. 2 Greene County 49 | No. 3 South Pike 38
Girls 4A First Round (Monday): No. 1 Moss Point 54 | No. 4 McComb 29
