PICAYUNE — A 24-point, fourth quarter performance by the Maroon Tide helped the boys basketball team earn a 66-35 victory against Poplarville Thursday night in the first round of the Picayune Christmas Tournament.

Jordan Griffith led Picayune with 28 points, Marvun Arnold had 11 and Kobe Jones finished with eight points. Sergio Williams and Jalen Hall each contributed with six points, Delrae Smith had five and Montana Hammond added two.

“We have to be a lot better. I give credit to Poplarville, they played hard and have improved since the last time we played them,” Poplarville Head Coach Kelton Thompson said. “With the way the schedule picks up… right around the corner, we have a lot of areas to improve on and not much time to do it.”

In the first quarter, Griffith helped the Maroon Tide jump to an 18-6 lead by scoring 11 points. Halfway through the second quarter, Jacob Landry and Taylor Josey knocked down three 3-pointers combined to allow the Hornets to cut into the Maroon Tide’s lead. Picayune headed into halftime with a 30-18 lead after four points by Hall and a 3-pointer by Jones were put on the board before the end of the second quarter.

In the third quarter, Picayune outscored Poplarville 12-6, with contributions from Arnold, Griffith, Williams and Hall. Josey scored six points for the Hornets.

The Maroon Tide secured the victory against the Hornets after starting the fourth quarter on a 20-4 run. Picayune outscored Poplarville 24-11 in the last quarter of the game.

For the Hornets, Josey finished with 17 points and Landry had eight. Trent Chadwick, Canaan Ray and Jordan Bolton each contributed three points and Semaj Young added one.

With the win, the Maroon Tide moved on to the championship game of the Picayune Christmas Tournament where the team will face Stone High School, who defeated Perry Central High School 68-24 earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, the Hornets face Perry Central High School, which will decide the third and fourth placements of the tournament.

“Stone is a good basketball team, they’re very athletic, Todd Miller, their coach, does a really good job,” Thompson said. “They’re a much-improved team from the first time we played them and we’ll have to guard well and take care of the ball, in order for us to have a shot to win.”