Area teams prepping for district play

Local basketball teams are prepping for the thick of district/region play, with multiple teams seeming to be favorites and looking to make deep postseason runs.

The Neshoba Central girls team is already 2-0 in region play with wins over Columbus and Ridgeland and will be favorites in Region 2-6A. The only other undefeated team in the region so far is Callaway, who Neshoba Central will travel to play on Friday.

For the Neshoba Central boys, the Rockets have started 0-2 in region play, but have played two of the top five teams in the state in Ridgeland and Columbus. It will unfortunately not get much easier for the Rockets, as Region 2-6A is one of the toughest in the state.

The Choctaw Central girls are off to a 2-0 start in region play, with both wins coming by 20 points or more. The Lady Warriors are the clear favorites in Region 4-4A and are one of the best teams in 4A overall.

As for the Choctaw Central boys, they are also off to a 2-0 start, picking up a ten-point win over NE Lauderdale and eeking out a three-point win over Newton County. The Warriors will be one of the favorites in Region 4-4A, with Leake Central also being one of the top contenders.

After a slow start in non-region play, the Philadelphia girls are off to a great start in region play, picking up wins over Union and J.Z. George by a combined five points. The Lady Tornadoes will look to continue their momentum with region matchups against Sebastopol and Eupora this week.

The Philadelphia boys are also off to a 2-0 start in region play, with two dominant wins over Union and J.Z. George. The Tornadoes will be one of Region 4-2A’s top contenders this year and will have a huge home matchup against 13-5 Eupora on Friday.