Prep hoops: "Starting 5 in the Southern 6" returns once again as playoffs tip-off this week

“The Starting 5 in the Southern 6”

It’s Week seven of our “Starting 5 in the Southern 6” presented by 228 Sports.com in which each week throughout the rest of the prep basketball season we will highlight five individual performances from the following week as well as five upcoming games that week in our area to keep an eye on. You readers can help us out by sending us stats on your favorite players from the previous weeks’ games on our “228Sports” Facebook page as well as at “@228Sports” on Twitter. We will consider all of those recommendations as we choose our “Starting 5 in the Southern 6” each week. Also, look for the upcoming feature “Starting 9 in the Southern 6” as baseball and softball get started soon as well.

January 24, 2023: Biloxi Duran Parish (12) during the Gulfport versus Biloxi varsity boys basketball at Biloxi High School, Biloxi, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/ ©228 Sports 2023

Players:

Shanel Corpuz, Biloxi: After finishing as the third-seed in the regular season the Biloxi Lady Indians rolled through the Region 8-6 Tournament last week to take the league post-season championship and the senior standout Corpuz was a main reason why. Corpuz poured in a game-high 25 points to guide Biloxi to a 42-30 upset of second-seed Hancock on Monday and then she posted a double-double in the region title tilt on Friday in a 39-29 win over home-standing Harrison Central as she tallied a game-high 18 points and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds as well. The Lady Indians moved to 23-6 overall with the 10-point win, and Biloxi has a first-round bye and will open the Class 6A state playoffs at on Friday night.
Marlin Odom, George County: The junior standout Odom helped guide his Rebels to their first region championship in six years, as they beat Vancleave 54-45 Friday night in Lucedale in the Region 8-5A championship game. Odom tallied a game-high 20 points in that win, and three days before that he did the same as his 18 points paced the Rebels past East Central 75-48. George County will open the boys’ Class 5A state playoffs at home Saturday night.
Aalyssa McSwain and Aaliyah McSwain, Gautier: The twin sisters McSwain helped the Lady Gators finish a perfect 8-0 in Region 8-5A action as they won the postseason tourney last week after finishing with a perfect slate in the regular season as well. Aalyssa McSwain finished with a game-high 18 points in a 54-31 win over home-standing George County in the title tilt on Friday, while in the opening round on Tuesday, Aaliyah led the Lady Gators with 16 points while Aalyssa finished the night with 13 points in a 63-20 win over Vancleave.
Duran Parish, Biloxi: Parish, a Vanderbilt football signee as a wide receiver, is making big plays with the roundball as well for the Indians as he led Biloxi with 23 points in a Region 8-6A Tournament-clinching 72-66 win Friday against home-standing Harrison Central. Parish also chipped in 15 points to the winning effort on Monday as Biloxi made it a three-game season sweep over Hancock with a 57-37 decision.
Teeale Wells, D’Iberville: In the Region 7-6A Tournament at St. Martin High, the D’Iberville Lady Warriors also completed a clean eight-game sweep of action in the region, including a 6-0 mark in the regular season, with the win a 37-27 win over Ocean Springs in the tourney title tilt Friday night to move to an impressive 23-5 overall on the season. Wells chipped in 13 points to the winning effort in the title tilt, while the junior point guard also tallied a game-high 15 points for DHS in an opening round 37-34 win over St. Martin on Tuesday night.