The high school basketball season is a tale of two halves.
There’s the first half of the season, meant for unfamiliar opponents, holiday tournaments and self-improvement; and then there’s the second half of the season — region play — headlined by local rivalries and an urgent push toward the postseason.
The McComb Tigers, North Pike Jaguars and South Pike Eagles all begin their 2014 Region 7-4A schedules Tuesday night, with North Pike traveling to take on McComb in the Tiger Den, while South Pike plays host to distant regional opponent, Purvis.
“It’s about time. We have been waiting on region play,” South Pike head coach Joe Taylor said. “We say that it’s a new season now. You can ignore all the records. This is what counts now.”
McComb, which dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 in the Clarion-Ledger’s most recent Mississippi prep rankings, is the odds-on favorite to win its region. The Tigers dropped their first game of the season last Friday to then-No. 3 Callaway, but remains undefeated against fellow 4A opponents (Callaway is the state’s No. 1 5A team).
The Tigers are led by a veteran group of seniors, headed by guard Antonio Johnson and center Stacey Mack.
North Pike has been the surprise team of Region 7 through the non-conference portion of the schedule. The Jaguars have been involved in their fair share of close games — eight of the team’s 13 games have been decided by single digits, with the Jags finishing 5-3 in those games. Head coach Keith Russ thinks those close games will help prepare his squad for the added intensity of region play.
“The second half is the most important part of the season,” Russ said. “I think we have an opportunity to make a good run, but of course we have to do the things that we’ve done well the first half.”
South Pike also looks like one of Region 7’s most dangerous teams, accumulating an 11-5 record thus far including a championship in the Dexter Holiday Tournament earlier this month. The Eagles are led by scrappy point guard Derrick Horton and sharp-shooting forward Desmond Cook, and have benefitted from the recently-improved play of big man Doreon Hill. The Eagles’ 6-foot-7, 265-pound force inside has averaged 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest.
Region 7’s girls basketball slate also begins Tuesday, with the McComb Lady Tigers squaring off with the North Pike Lady Jags Tuesday prior to the boys game between the schools.
The Lady Jags and the South Pike Lady Eagles enter Region play with 13-5 and 9-4 records, respectively, giving both teams a safe cushion from the rest of the Region.
The McComb Lady Tigers limped their way through non-conference play, finishing that portion of the schedule with a 2-10 record. But coach Angelia Johnson’s squad earned itself a Region 7 title last season despite a 13-18 overall record, the product of improved play against Region 7 opponents.
Johnson knows the same can happen this year, and has tried to keep her young team and its supporters optimistic for the second half of the season.
“Just stay tuned and stay positive,” Johnson said, as she typically says following every Lady Tigers’ game. “Better things are coming.”
