Something had to give Friday night at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
After all, Picayune has never won boys’ state basketball championship and even though Hattiesburg has won two, the last title came 49 years ago in 1974.
Plus, Tiger head coach Ernie Watson had been a part of 19 overall state tournaments in the Big House and never, ever hoisted a gold ball.
But most of that equation changed Friday night in the Class 5A state championship game, and it did so in favor of Watson and his Hub City crew.
Hattiesburg used a furious fourth-quarter comeback that involved some clutch free throw shooting to slip past the Maroon Tide 55-50 to take the crown. It was the third overall gold ball in hoops for the Tigers, as they also won in 1972 and 1974. Picayune dropped to 0-3 overall in the title game, also losing in 2008 to New Hope in overtime and to Jackson Provine in 2002.
The Tigers led throughout the first half, at times by double digits, but the Maroon Tide managed to cut the deficit to eight, at 29-21, at halftime.
The Maroon Tide rolled into the lead with a 13-0 spurt and in the process took a 38-31 lead midway through the third frame, The Tigers bit back a bit, though, and trailed Picayune by four at 38-34 entering the fourth and final stanza.
And it would be that quarter that proved to be the deciding period, as Hattiesburg out-scored the Maroon Tide 21-12 to wrestle the lead back and take home the title.
The two teams swapped the lead late, as the Tigers took the lead at 47-46 on a pair of free throws by Stephen McCullon. Picayune’s Ty Warren, a football signee with Alcorn State, then slipped inside the Tigers’ defense for a lay-up just seconds later to return the advantage to Picayune at 48-47.
But on the next trip down the court, Hattiesburg’s Darrian Johnson tipped in a putback for the Tigers off a teammate’s missed shot to give HHS the lead for good at 49-48 with 1:33 to play. The Tiger defense then held strong on Picayune’s ensuing possession, and Hattiesburg secured the win as both McCullon and Johnson hit a pair of free throws each in the final minute or so to hold the Maroon Tide at bay.
McCullon had a game-high 16 points to lead Hattiesburg, and he was a perfect eight for eight at the free throw line in the fourth quarter. The six-foot-7 senior forward Johnson added 13 points, including a lay-up with 11 seconds to play that resulted in the final score. Christian Moody chipped in 12 points for the Tigers as they finished with a 24-7 record and a state championship.
DaKeith Quinn and Warren each tallied a game-high 15 points apiece to pace Picayune. Quinn also added eight rebounds. Hattiesburg held Picayune’s high-scoring one-two punch of Josh Holmes and Troy Carter to just 14 points combined in the game. Holmes, who averages right at 20 points per game, finished with nine points and Carter scored just five in the loss. Carter averages around 15 points per game.
The Maroon Tide finished the season at 20-17 overall.
