Arcola Scott of Vicksburg High looks to shoot after grabbing a loose ball from Provine’s Christmas Smith during the Coca-Cola Classic Thursday night. Provine won, 67-45, to advance to Saturday’s championship game. VHS will play Warren Central in the consolation game Saturday at Vicksburg High. (The Vicksburg Post/MELANIE DUNCAN)

[11/15/02]Devin Jones took over, Sedrick Williams took the winning shot, and Vicksburg High took down one of the state’s top teams Thursday night.

Jones scored 16 of his team-high 19 points in the second half and Williams, a sophomore, hit a 3-pointer from the right corner with nine seconds remaining as the Gators (2-0) upset defending Class 4A champion Provine 61-58 in the semifinals of the Coca-Cola Classic.

Jones also had five rebounds and four assists, Williams finished with 16 points, and L.J. Scott had eight points and eight rebounds for VHS. Charlie White led Provine with a game-high 22 points, and DeAngelo Edwards was 4-for-8 from 3-point range to finish with 14 points off the bench.

“This is a big win for us. It is a ranked team that has some pretty good players,” VHS coach Dellie Robinson said. “We came out tonight and just played hard and wouldn’t quit.”

The VHS victory set up an all-Warren County matchup in the boys’ championship game. Warren Central, a 52-35 winner over Jefferson County in the other semifinal, will host the Gators Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

The VHS and WC girls will also play Saturday after both lost in the semifinals. The Missy Gators and Lady Vikes will square off in the girls’ third-place game Saturday at 4 p.m. at VHS.

“Beating a team like that, I certainly hope we can improve on it. We’re going to enjoy this tonight, but we’re going to get ready for that ballgame tomorrow,” Robinson said. “Like I told the boys, this is just one out of 29 or 30 games we’re going to play.”

The Gators played this one like it was one of the most important of their lives, however.

After a late first-half run gave Provine (1-1) a 32-26 lead at halftime, the Gators rallied behind Jones in the third quarter. The 6-foot-1 point guard scored 10 points in the quarter, and also had an assist, two rebounds, and even a blocked shot in the period.

After Cedric Parson’s free throw tied the game at 44-44 with four-tenths of a second left in the third quarter, the teams went back-and-forth until the final seconds.

VHS took a four-point lead midway through the period, but Provine answered with a 10-4 run capped by Jeff Webb’s layup with about 1:30 to play to take a 58-56 lead.

After the Gators missed a shot on their next trip up the floor, Provine milked about 45 seconds off the clock before calling timeout with 25.8 seconds remaining.

After the timeout, Provine’s Derrick Smith got the inbounds pass in front of his team’s bench, but slipped on a wet spot on the floor and was called for traveling.

The Gators pushed the ball up the floor, and Williams was open on the right wing.

“They were in a 1-3-1 trap, and we knew Sedrick was going to be open on the baseline. All we had to do was be patient,” Robinson said.

Williams hesitated a moment before letting the ball fly, and the crowd started to roar as it headed toward the basket. When it swished cleanly through the hoop to put VHS ahead 59-58 with nine seconds left, the gym erupted.

“If it went in, (Robinson) was going to love me,” Williams said with a smile. And if it didn’t? “I guess he would still love me, because he had trust in me.”

After Williams’ shot, however, Provine still had nine seconds left and a timeout. They never really used either.

The Rams tried to inbound the ball, but never got it past the free throw line. Provine turned the ball over three times as the final seconds ticked away. Williams finally picked up a loose ball with about 2.5 seconds left and banked in an 8-footer for the last of his 16 points and the final margin of victory.

“We came out and pressured the ball and trapped for God knows what reason,” Provine coach Randy Boling said. “The kids played hard, we just lost our composure down the stretch.”

(G) Provine 67, VHS 45

Provine took advantage of 17 first-half turnovers and a 30 percent shooting effort by Vicksburg to build a 16-point halftime lead before cruising to the win.

Shonda Starks led Provine (3-0) with 16 points, Jessica Houston added 14 points and six assists, and Kaisha Younger had seven points and nine rebounds.

Tiffany Hubbard led VHS (1-1) with 14 points, while Tricia Dart overcame early foul trouble to finish with 12 points.

For the game, the Missy Gators shot just 34 percent, committed 34 turnovers, and were outrebounded 34-20.

The Lady Rams, who shot 54 percent, put the game away with a 10-2 run at the start of the third quarter that increased their lead to as many as 24 points.