[6/7/03]The Mississippi Gamblers are within three wins of a national championship, advancing to the round of eight at the National Senior Games basketball tournament in Norfolk, Va.

The Gamblers, who have Vicksburg resident Randy Shelton on their five-man roster, beat teams from New Jersey, Alabama, and Tennessee in the opening rounds of the 50-54-year-olds’ tournament. There are 40 teams in the tournament, all of which qualified by finishing first or second at their state tournaments.

The Gamblers will face a team from Arkansas today at 10 a.m.

“This far, the final eight, these guys have been here before. But for me, it’s an exciting trip,” said Shelton, the only team member who wasn’t on the roster when the Gamblers won the bronze medal at the 1999 National Senior Games.

The Gamblers will have to go the rest of the way without one of their players, Robert Russell, who broke his wrist in the opening minutes of a 48-15 win over New Jersey. Mississippi beat Alabama 68-36 and Tennessee 60-55 without Russell, but the rest of the way could be tough, Shelton said.

“So far, we’ve been able to keep winning. But now we only have one sub and everybody we play from here on is great,” Shelton said.

Another Vicksburg resident, race walker Emily Lee, has already medaled at the Senior Games. Lee, 55, finished second in the women’s 55-59-year-olds’ 1,500 meter race walk with a time of 8 minutes, 29.96 seconds. Texas’ Kathleen Frable won the event in 8:19.26.