Before the start of the 2008-09 season, Warren Central girls coach Donny Fuller issued a T-shirt to every member of his squad.

On the back on the shirt, were 10 goals the Lady Vikes had for the season. Nine of them had to do with defense.

The last? Winning, which Fuller said would take care of itself with the other nine accounted for.

Girls tournament bracket

Boys tournament bracket

Warren Central schedule

Consider Tuesday’s home opener in the Vicksburg-Warren Classic a step in the right direction, as the Lady Vikes got a combined 46 points out of their dynamic duo of Karnina Bunch and Sha’Kayla Caples in an 80-27 romp over Wingfield.

Caples led the Lady Vikes with 27 points, four steals and three assists, while Bunch contributed 19. Ricille Davis scored eight.

WC outscored Wingfield 30-2 in the first quarter to render the result academic.

“I thought we did a good job in the first quarter,” Fuller said. “But I’m afraid that we got a little sloppy in the second half. But when you are leading by 40 at the half, it’s very hard to keep your intensity.”

Despite the gaudy offensive numbers, it was defense where the Lady Vikes shone the brightest. It took until 6:23 remaining in the first quarter for the Lady Falcons (0-1) to even get on the board.

Caples and Bunch were the primary catalysts in WC’s pressure defense, which made it difficult for Wingfield to cross midcourt without a turnover.

“They’re both four-year starters,” Fuller said. “We expect them to be our leaders and set the tone.”

With the Lady Vikes (1-0) already up a basket, Caples stole an errant pass, drove to the hoop and found a cutting Bailey Anderton under the basket for an easy deuce.

On another possession, Caples and Bunch executed a crowd-pleasing give-and-go that left startled Lady Falcons in their wake and put more points on the board.

Caples then scored six points in quick succession, igniting a 25-2 explosion that put the game out of reach in the first quarter.

Despite the big 49-9 lead at the break, the Lady Vikes didn’t take the foot off the gas. Caples scored six and Bunch five to start the third quarter with a bang, as WC piled on with a 60-13 lead.

“We were hyped and ready to play,” Caples said.

By the time the Lady Falcons broke double-digits at the six-minute mark of the third quarter, Fuller ended the night for his starters.

With the game largely in hand as the WC lead hovered near 40 points, Fuller was able to get a feel for who will fill out his regular-season rotation.

The Lady Vikes will host Canton on Thursday at 6 p.m.

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Contact Steve Wilson at swilson@vicksburgpost.com