Picayune used a strong second quarter to turn back visiting St. Stanislaus on Tuesday night in a battle of ranked teams.

The Maroon Tide outscored the Rockachaws 22-7 in the second quarter and took command of the game that they would eventually win 60-51.

The win kept seventh ranked Picayune perfect at 8-0 in Region 8-4A play and keeps the Maroon Tide atop the league standings. Picayune is 18-3 overall, and hasn’t lost to a team from Mississippi this season.

“Any time you beat a team as good as that you are happy,” second year Picayune head coach Daniel Kennedy said.

The Rockachaws, ranked eighth in the state, dropped to 17-3 overall and 4-3 in league play.

Brandon Fortenberry poured in 22 points to pace Picayune in the win, while Justin Smith added 10 points and Chris Dees nine to the winning effort.

SSC’s Mason Brown matched Fortenberry with 22 points.

After the game was knotted at 11-1 after one period, Fortenberry registered back-to-back baskets to open the second stanza and propel the Maroon Tide on a 13-1 run over the first four minutes of the stanza and Picayune took a 24-12 lead.

“I thought that all started on defense, as we really did a good job of defending the ball and that turned into some good transition baskets for us,” Kennedy added.

The Maroon Tide survived a bit of a push in the second half by the Rocks to secure the win.

“I thought we got a little sloppy at times, but we never lost control,” Kennedy said. “It’s a good win for us.”

The Maroon Tide now hosts second place Long Beach on Friday.