When asked before the Red Carpet Classic why he scheduled fifth-ranked Harrison Central, Warren Central coach Donny Fuller said his team needs to play the best if they want to be the best.

In reality, Fuller scheduled the Red Rebellettes in hopes that down the line, the experience against a team they don’t normally see and valuable scouting could be accomplished.

On Friday night on the Gulf Coast, Fuller’s scheduling plan may again pay dividends.

The Division 6-5A champion Lady Vikes are scheduled to play at Harrison Central in the opening round of the Class 5A South State tournament. Hancock will play Moss Point in the other semfinal. The top three teams advance to the state tourney.

“All the seniors want to go back (to Jackson) again, and this time win it all,” WC’s Cookie Johnson said. “I know we can do it, but we can’t just go down there not ready to play and expect to win.”

The Lady Vikes went to the Coast last year as well. Fuller said he had hoped to bid on hosting South State, but the school’s play, “Hello Dolly,” is playing at the school this weekend making Fuller and the Lady Vikes hit the road.

“The good thing about our kids is that they’ve been there before,” said Fuller, whose team defeated Gulfport at Hancock last year to earn a trip to the state tournament. “We know what to expect and our girls look forward to the trip.

“Would we have liked to have hosted? Yeah, we’d have loved to. But we don’t care. We’ve been as good, if not a better team on the road than we have at home.”

In their first meeting, a 60-52 Warren Central victory, Harrison Central’s Shanea Cotton was sidelined much of the game with foul trouble. The 6-foot, 3-inch Cotton scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Cotton averages more than seven blocks a game and Fuller said getting her in foul trouble was a key then and could be a factor this time around.

The Lady Vikes, whose starting five and top two reserves are all seniors, disposed of Picayune in the South State satellite game on Monday. University of New Orleans signees Cookie Johnson and Shondalyn Rogers scored 24 and 12 points, respectively.