JACKSON – Donny Fuller notched his 300th career victory as Warren Central’s girls coach on Monday afternoon with a 63-55 win over Bailey in the opening round of the Jackson Public Schools Holiday Tournament.

If his Lady Vikes have desires for No. 301, they’d better play better.

Freshman Sha’Kayla Caples scored 23 points and Shantta Taylor added 14, but WC was mired in foul trouble and missed many free throw attempts in surviving the Lady Knights.

&#8220It was a battle to the end,” said Fuller, now is his 15th season at WC. &#8220They have some athletes on that team. They have two quick guards and the big girl can play.”

The Lady Vikes (9-3) were playing without four players who were excused because of the holiday or were injured. Add to that severe foul trouble and the Lady Vikes struggled to the end.

WC connected on 8 of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter after Bailey had trimmed a 12-point lead down to three with less than two minutes to play in the game.

&#8220We lost focus a little,” Taylor said. &#8220They were able to get in the game.”

Leading 58-52, Caples connected on a layup and Bunch converted a basket as the Lady Vikes ended the game on a 9-3 run.

Caples scored 13 of her points in the second half, after scoing 10 in the first quarter. The team’s leading scorer was hampered with foul trouble the entire night, sitting almost the entire second quarter. She left midway through the third quarter when she picked up her fourth foul and didn’t return until the four minute mark in the fourth.

Valencia Rice led Bailey with 22 points, while Katta White had 14 points and Kayla Palmer scored 12.

Veronica Miller came off the bench to score nine points for the Lady Vikes.

Provine defeated Pearl in the first game Monday to earn a spot in the quarterfinals against WC. It will be the first time the Lady Vikes have played Provine since Barbara Hartzog left the Jackson school to become coach at Vicksburg High.

&#8220We have to play a lot better than we did today if we want to beat Provine,” Taylor said.