MS SR98

Northside High School Gators won their first Class 2A State Championship on March 7, 2026, defeating Pelahatchie High School 51-39 at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson

The team finished the season 28-3, winning their final 12 consecutive games under Head Coach Demarcus McKinley, who had led the program to the quarterfinals or further in each of his five years

Senior shooting guard Jamarion Johnson scored 21 points with six rebounds and two steals, earning Game MVP honors

Northside High School formed in 2018 from the merger of John F. Kennedy Memorial High School in Mound Bayou and Broad Street High School in Shelby, making this the first boys basketball state championship in the North Bolivar area since 1989

The resolution directs presentation to Coach McKinley and Principal Johnnie Vick, with copies forwarded to the North Bolivar School District