The crowd at Friday's league challenge between the Quitman Panthers (Quitman, MS) and the host Northeast Jones Tigers (Laurel, MS), observed Quitman's basketball team knock off Northeast Jones by a score of 53-44.

The Panthers (10-4) will now prepare for their challenge against Mendenhall (Mendenhall, MS). The Tigers come into the 4A Region 5 challenge with a 11-3 record. In their last challenge, Mendenhall dropped by Pearl (Pearl, MS), 67-64, in a non-league challenge.

In their next game, the Tigers encounter the Forest Bearcats (Forest, MS) in a 4A Region 5 challenge, on Tuesday, January 7. Northeast Jones will attempt to improve on its 3-12 season record. The Bearcats come into the challenge with a 2-10 record after their 63-41 league loss to Morton (Morton, MS).