By CURTIS ROCKWELL

Item Sports Editor

Picayune head basketball coach Tom Taylor saw the quantity of his team increase significantly recently.

He only hopes it helped increase the quality of play for his Maroon Tide as well.

Taylor, in his second year at the helm of the Tide, dressed just seven players for the first six games of the season. But he added five more players from the Picayune football team when the Maroon Tide lost to Moss Point last week.

“At least we have enough to practice now,” Taylor said, after the Maroon Tide fell to a solid St. Martin squad 48-47 in overtime Monday. The game was the first in which the additions to the hoops squad were available after the football team lost in the state playoffs three days earlier.

“I definitely think it will make us a better team, without a doubt,” Taylor added. “Not only will there be better competition in practice but that level of intensity will hopefully carry over to the games as well.”

The Maroon Tide split the six games in which they were shorthanded, going 3-3. The team stands 3-4 now at the Thanksgiving break.

Joining the team from the football squad were Jamal Hall and Derrione Stewart, as well as Derronte Magee, Justin Marks and Nolan Fletcher.

Hall and Stewart both played and even started at times for the Maroon Tide last year, and Taylor said that Magee, just a sophomore, could also see significant playing time.

Picayune has relied on guard Vince Gable so far, who was the Maroon Tide’s leading scorer from last season, as well a swingman Marcus Rawls who came back to Picayune after a season in Albany, La.

Both the Maroon Tide and Lady Tide return to action on Friday, hosting Laurel.

It will be the first home games of the season for the Picayune squads. Picayune then hosts Purvis on Saturday.