GULFPORT — The old saying goes that home is the place for the Holidays, and Picayune Lady Tide head coach Lacey Kennedy enjoyed a bit of a homecoming Tuesday night.

And the return proved to be a very successful one.

The first year Lady Tide mentor took her team to St. Patrick’s High and came away a big winner, as the Lady Tide picked up a 72-21 win.

Kennedy was the head coach for the Lady Irish three seasons ago.

Picayune made it a clean sweep on the night, as the Maroon Tide beat back a game Fighting Irish squad 78-55.

The Lady Tide moved a step closer to the .500 mark with the win, as they now stand 4-5 on the year.

“I consider any win a big win, no matter who it is we are playing or where,” the Lady Tide head coach said.  “This was also a good win because we were able to get a lot of girls into the game and get a lot of the younger girls some experience.”

Picayune jumped out to a 16-4 lead after the opening period and led 45-11 at halftime and cruised to the win.

Tee Myers paced Picayune with 14 points, while Britanny Guillotte added 14 points as well and Ashley Bridges chipped in 10.

Picayune’s boys pulled away from the home team in the final period. The Maroon Tide were up just 51-47 entering the final frame, but outscored the Irish 27-8 in the fourth quarter to take the win.

“They gave us their best shot for three quarters,” Picayune head coach Jason Kennedy, whose team is now 7-2, said. “But I told our guys the best way for us to win that game was to rebound and run, and we were able to get that going in the fourth quarter.

Marcus Rawls had 19 points to lead the Maroon Tide, while  Derrione Stewart added 17 and Courtney Nixon 12 to the winning effort. J.T. Biggs chipped in 10, and Tyler McGill came off the bench to register 11 assists and give Picayune a big spark in the final period.