Quitman High Falls to St. Stanislaus 49-36 in Class 3A State Championship

The Quitman High Panthers' run to the MHSAA Class 3A boys basketball state championship ended with a 49-36 defeat at the hands of the Saint Stanislaus Catholic Rock-A-Chaws on Saturday, March 7, at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.

Saint Stanislaus seized control from the opening minutes, building an 18-12 lead after the first quarter and stretching it to 32-22 by halftime. The Rock-A-Chaws never relinquished that advantage, outscoring Quitman 12-10 in the third quarter to push the margin to 44-32 heading into the fourth. The Panthers could not overcome the deficit, managing only four points in the final period while St. Stanislaus added five.

Rafael Cohen Ramirez was the driving force for Saint Stanislaus. The No. 11 finished with a game-high 22 points, converting 8 of 13 field goal attempts, including one three-pointer, and going 5-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also pulled down five rebounds. Max Baria complemented that performance with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Alan Gilliam added nine and Jason Forte contributed seven points and seven boards.

For Quitman, Ethan Nicholson led the team with 11 points. Jyshawn Bumpers finished with eight points and eight rebounds, and Cadarius Buxton scored seven. The Panthers shot just 14 of 45 from the field, a 31 percent clip that made recovery from the early deficit nearly impossible. Saint Stanislaus, by contrast, converted 17 of 31 attempts and made 14 of 21 free throws.

The loss caps a season in which Quitman reached the state's final stage in Class 3A, the program's biggest stage. For St. Stanislaus, the victory completed a 14-game winning streak and pushed the Rock-A-Chaws' season record to 31-4. It is the program's first Gold Ball in boys basketball since 2011, a championship team that included current head coach Daniel Grieves and assistant coach Ramone Tate. Grieves reportedly wore his 2011 ring on the sideline throughout Saturday's title game, adding a personal thread to a program milestone 15 years in the making.

The win also carries broader Mississippi Coast significance. According to the Biloxi Sun Herald, 2026 marks the first time in 17 years that two Coast schools have claimed state basketball titles in the same year, following Pascagoula's boys 6A championship the day before.