Vicksburg and Jim Hill played a game of high percentage vs. high risk Monday night.

High percentage won, but just barely.

Vicksburg shot 69 percent from the field, got 26 points from Jonathan Phelps and a double-double from John Qualls, but still had to survive a late rush and 3-point barrage from Jim Hill to win 68-65.

Tristan McGowan scored 19 points and Cassius Wiley added 16 for Jim Hill (3-2), which went 11-for-33 from 3-point range. Vicksburg (5-2) only took three 3-pointers, including a halfcourt heave by Qualls at the end of the first quarter, and was 25-for-36 from the floor.

Qualls finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for VHS.

&#8220They shoot the lights out,” VHS coach Dellie C. Robinson said of the Tigers. &#8220The same thing happened to us last night, except they didn’t have a big man and we were able to get out and guard them a little closer.”

On Monday, Forest Hill hit seven 3-pointers in an 89-79 win over Vicksburg. On Tuesday a different, more trey-happy Hill came to town and refused to let the Gators run away.

The Gators took a 28-23 lead into halftime, but every time they threatened to push the lead into double digits in the second half Hill answered with a few threes to stay in it.

The decisive run came at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth. Vicksburg’s Delmon Robinson came up with two steals – which he converted into layups – and a fast-break basket in a span of less than a minute to give his team a 49-40 lead with 7:25 to play in the game.

Jim Hill continued to bomb away from outside, but Phelps got busy and helped the Gators hold off the rush. Phelps scored six straight points down the stretch, then dropped in four free throws in the last two minutes to keep it a two-possession game. The Tigers got as close a three points in the closing seconds, but couldn’t get in a position to sink the tying three.

&#8220We never overcame that little run they had,” said Jim Hill coach Fred Harris, a Vicksburg High alum who played on the school’s 1980 state championship team. &#8220They made plays when they had to make them. They hit a shot or a free throw when they needed them.”

(G) VHS 63, Jim Hill 51.

A night after scoring just 27 points in an ugly loss to Forest Hill, Vicksburg surpassed that total by halftime Tuesday and cruised to a win over Jim Hill.

Keshia Collins had 16 points and eight assists, and Tiffany Williams scored 15 points to help the Missy Gators (5-1) shake off their first loss of the season. Brigit Taylor had a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds for Jim Hill (1-4), which committed 30 turnovers.

VHS led by 10 points at halftime and never let the Lady Tigers get closer than seven in the second half.

(B) Madison-St. Joe 62, St. Al 52.

Chase Smith scored a game-high 24 points, but the St. Aloysius Flashes (2-1) were unable to hold an early lead and took their first loss of the season. Madison-St. Joe outscored the Flashes 37-20 in the middle two periods to take control of the game.

&#8220We just got stagnant. We were turning the ball over and missing shots,” St. Al coach Penn Majors said.

St. Al will return to the court on Tuesday when it plays Richland in a make-up game. The contest had been scheduled for Monday night, but was canceled when Richland failed to show up due to a scheduling mix-up.

It was rescheduled on Tuesday afternoon, after it was originally put in the books as a forfeit win for St. Al. Since the games will be made up, the victories will not count toward the Flashes’ and Lady Flashes’ records.