On Saturday, Picayune Memorial High School men’s varsity basketball team came back from an eight-point, fourth quarter deficit against the Bay High Tigers, defeating the Tigers 41-36 at the War On The Shore at St. Stanislaus.

Tide Head Basketball Coach Kelton Thompson played high school ball at St. Stanislaus, became an assistant coach there after his playing career and then moved to Bay High where he hoisted the state title trophy five years ago.

“This was a special win for us,” Thompson said. “This was the most complete game I have seen out of this team. A lot of guys contributed to our success.”

The Bay Tigers controlled the game early on as 6’9’’ Galen Smith III grabbed 11 rebounds and posted 10 points against the Tide’s stout man defense. With the help of teammate Darius Wyman’s four three-pointers and 14 total points, the Bay Tigers took a 28-22 lead going into the final quarter Saturday evening.

However, the Tide dug in and outscored the Tigers 19-8 in the fourth, including a 12-3 run led by Stephane Ayangma, who scored 12 of his 23 points in the final minutes of the game, pushing the Tide past another notch of their overall goal for the season.

“The ultimate goal is to win a state championship. With all the success that this program has had in the past, that’s never been done,” Thompson said.

Picayune has played for a state title three times in recent history, yet came up short in each attempt.

Thompson said he has other goals for the program, including winning the district, hosting a home playoff game and making it to Jackson at the end of the year.

“These are all stepping stones in the process of winning the whole thing. That’s something we work for every day,” he said.

Picayune (8-4) has a week to prepare to host Long Beach (5-4) on Dec. 16, which Thompson said is a luxury for any team midseason.

“We win our games in practice. If we take care of Picayune then we will be fine,” Thompson said.