St. Aloysius’ boys’ basketball team needed to win three of its last four district games to guarantee a spot in the postseason.

It’s gotten the first two.

Anthony McCloud scored 20 points and St. Aloysius held off a late charge to beat Providence Classical 54-50 on Friday.

Korey Sims and Laken Bradley added nine points apiece for St. Al, which took a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter but was outscored 23-10 over the last eight minutes. It managed to hang on, though, for a crucial victory in the MAIS District 4-5A playoff race.

St. Al (14-10, 3-4 District 4-5A), Providence Classical and Cathedral (13-15, 1-5) are vying for the district’s last two berths in the Class 5A South State tournament.

There is no district tournament, so the top four teams in the standings will advance and one will be left out. Adams County Christian School and Copiah Academy have clinched the top two seeds and will play each other for the district title next week.

St. Al and Cathedral play Tuesday in Natchez, and St. Al also has a district game left at Copiah Academy on Feb. 2. If St. Al wins Tuesday, it will likely earn the No. 3 seed from the district.

The Flashes also host Tallulah Academy in a non-district game Monday at 6 p.m. It will be the team’s senior night.

Porter’s Chapel 70, Prairie View 55
Taylor Labarre scored 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting, and added four steals as well, as Porter’s Chapel Academy knocked off Prairie View Academy.

Noah Porter also had 20 points, six assists and four steals for the Eagles, and Ty Mack had 17 points.
PCA scored 29 points in the second quarter to open a 15-point lead at halftime, then rolled from there.

The Eagles (12-5, 5-3 MAIS District 4-3A) will be the No. 2 seed for the district tournament that they’ll host Feb. 1-2.

Vicksburg 96, Neshoba Central 69
Tyler Henderson and Kameryn Bailey scored 30 points apiece, Davian Williams added 17, and Vicksburg High (19-4, 7-1 MHSAA Region 2-6A) routed Neshoba Central (13-11, 3-5).

The Gators had a season high point total and topped the 90-point mark for the second time this season. They won their third game in a row.

In other boys’ basketball games in Warren County on Friday, Ridgeland beat Warren Central 59-48.

Girls
Providence Classical 40, St. Aloysius 11
Sarah Kate Hann made four 3-pointers and scored 19 points, and Providence Classical defeated St. Al in Friday’s girls’ game.

A basket by Maddy McSherry in the first quarter was the only one for St. Al through the first three periods. McSherry added another basket in the fourth quarter to finish with a team-high four points.

Neshoba Central 81, Vicksburg 44
Neshoba Central (24-1, 8-0 MHSAA Region 2-6A0 amassed a 16-point halftime lead and had no trouble finishing a season sweep of its girls’ basketball series against Vicksburg High (7-17, 4-4).

Rodrianna Hall led Vicksburg with 21 points and Kierra James scored 17.

Vicksburg will finish the regular season with two road games next week. It will play at Ridgeland on Tuesday, and at Warren Central on Feb. 2.

Porter’s Chapel 49, Prairie View 14
Jae’la Smith finished with 22 points, six rebounds and five steals to help Porter’s Chapel Academy clinch the MAIS District 4-3A regular-season championship.

Lauren Madison added 10 points and eight rebounds for PCA (15-0, 8-0 District 4-3A), while Marley Bufkin scored six.
Sophie Masterson had six points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.

PCA will finish the regular season Monday with a road game at Briarfield, and then will host both the District 4-3A tournament Feb. 1 and 2 and the Class 3A South State tournament Feb. 6-10.

Although it is playing a tournament, District 4-3A will use the regular-season standings to determine its seedings for the South State tournament. PCA is the No. 1 seed in both.