by Joseph W. Gex II, Contributing Writer
BILOXI (GG) –The Our Lady Academy Crescents basketball team has had a season of firsts in 2026. The Crescents (22-7) have won 20 games for the firs time, advanced to consecutive playoff appearances, and hosted the program’s first home playoff game. But, perhaps the most impressive first secured in 2026 was the program’s first ever division title on the hardwood. The Crescents held off the Lady Irish of St. Patrick 58-46 last Friday to claim the Division 8-3A title.
The Crescents jumped out to a 15-5 first period lead behind Mariah Galbreth’s eight points.
St. Patrick stormed back in the second period behind the play of Alex Patino to make the halftime score 28-21.
In the third period, the Crescents surged ahead again outscoring the Lady Irish 19-10.
In the final period, St. Patrick and Patino came storming back outscoring OLA 15-10 behind Patino’s nine points but to no avail.
OLA head coach Bill Henley commented, “The 2026 season has a special one for OLA in a myriad of ways. We had to fight through a tough opponent in St. Patrick tonight. We split with them during the season. We knew that we had to change some things up to to try to get a new look. We changed how we guarded them in the title game and it may have confused them. We were able to surge ahead early to catch them off guard. Now, we get ready for our first ever home playoff game.”
The Crescents had Nicole Bradford, Krissi Pavolini, Mariah Galbreth, Leah Laporte, and Taylor Henley selected to the All-Division 8-3A team with Henley being selected as Offensive Player of the Year.
In the title game, Henley scored 20 points while Galbreth had 14 points, and Bradford collected 10 points.
The Crescents won their home playoff game on Monday evening 61-23 against West Lincoln. The Crescents advanced to the second round of the Class 3A playoffs hosting an opponent on Friday.
“This is an incredible moment for Our Lady Academy,” said Assistant Principal Leigh Chapman. “Our players have worked tirelessly, and this team has set a new standard of excellence for our basketball program.”
Head Coach Bill Henley credited the team’s achievement to both their performance on the court and the character they displayed all season.
“The accomplishments of the 2025–2026 OLA Varsity Basketball team — including players, coaches, parents, and administration — has catapulted our program to the next level in terms of success and expectation,” Henley said. “Future teams will look back at this team as a starting point. I couldn’t be more proud of this team and how they have represented Our Lady Academy.”
Photo: Our Lady Academy 2025-2026 Basketball team after winning the District Championship. Submitted by Our Lady Academy.
