PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) — Seven Coast basketball teams advanced to the State Final Four, but only six teams will be eligible to play up in Jackson.
On Saturday afternoon, the MHSAA confirmed that the Resurrection Catholic Eagles will be replaced in the 1A Boys semifinals by Piney Woods, the team they defeated 49-34 on Wednesday night.
RCS Principal Kristal Sisson released a statement informing the public that the boys’ basketball team has been disqualified due to the “participation of a player who was later determined to be ineligible.”
Earlier in the day, the Daily Journal reported that the ineligible player is the Eagles’ leading scorer, Gian Vera, who, according to reports, transferred to Resurrection from Downey Christian school in Orlando, Florida, as a fifth-year senior. Vera was averaging just shy of 21 points per game for the Eagles despite multiple outlets listing him as a senior for Downey Christian in 2025.
Sisson’s statement also said:
WLOX reached out to both Resurrection and the MHSAA for further comment and was referred back to the school’s initial statement.
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