In the opening night of the season for both teams, the Hattiesburg Forerunners defeated the Jackson Victors for the first time since 2010.
The Jackson Victors (0-1) have won the last seven MSAHA crowns, but with a new team coming off losing six seniors, the Victors have an uphill battle.
The Victors began the game in the driver’s seat, up by as much as 14 in the first half behind a hot start by Jackson which included a few threes from the outside. But the Forerunners scrapped, tightening the game to five points at halftime.
The second half began with an 8-0 run by the Forerunners to take their first lead of the game, up 34-31. But the Victors again took the lead back, behind a rush of scoring by Gideon Peacock (#10), leading by four going into the fourth. The game stayed close, and was tied at 48 with two minutes left. After two big free throws by Ethan Hendry (#12), the Victors were up by two. The Forerunners called a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Hattiesburg immediately tied the game on a driving bucket by Dima Mixon (#2) with one minute to go.
The Victors were melting 56 seconds off the clock in the halfcourt, but only made it 43 seconds before Isaac Carraro (#32) stole the ball, giving it up to Harrison Cook (#30) for the go-ahead layup. Hattiesburg was then up 52-50 with 7 seconds to go.
Jackson inbounded it from the sideline after the timeout, getting a contested shot off at the buzzer that missed and the Jackson Victors lost their first conference game since 2014.
The Hattiesburg Forerunners display a team that took the 2020 MSAHA 16u Championship, and this served as a statement win for them.
The Hattiesburg Forerunners (1-0) will have their home opener Tuesday night as they host the Laurel Knighthawks in Hattiesburg. The Jackson Victors (0-1) will also take the court again Tuesday night when they host the Canton Academy Panthers.
