Playing its fifth home game in a row, the Warren Central Vikings gave one away to Crystal Springs Tuesday night.

The Vikings (1-4) saw a slim fourth quarter lead vanish behind turnovers, missed shots, missed free throws and a pair of offensive fouls as the visiting Tigers left with a 53-47 win.

Warren Central, which opened the year with three games in the tip-off Vicksburg-Warren Classic and then followed that with Saturday’s home loss to rival Vicksburg, has one more home date with Northwest Rankin on Monday before going on the road for the first time next Tuesday at Ridgeland. Crystal Springs, a Class 3A team that just welcomed back its football players, was a chance for WC to pick up a much needed win.

It didn’t work out that way.

“Too many missed free throws, too many unforced turnovers. We got the lead to seven or eight there early in the third quarter and then we started missing free throws,” WC coach Jessie Johnson said. “We could’ve squashed them right there, but didn’t. We got too complacent and wouldn’t run our offense.”

The Vikings were just 10-of-21 from the free throw line and had 11 second half turnovers. They also saw a 35-28 lead drop to 39-37 by the end of the third quarter.

A 9-2 run by the Tigers to start the fourth quarter opened up a five-point deficit for the Vikings at 46-41. A 3-pointer by Martez Carroll pulled WC back to within one at 46-45 with 3:27 left. But back-to-back offensive fouls on the Vikings prevented them from staying within a basket.

A free throw from Marzedrick Johnson put the Tigers up 49-45 with 1:30 left but the real damage was the fifth foul assessed to WC’s Dino Harris, the lone Viking who could get his own shot. Harris departed the game with a game-high 15 points.

With 48 seconds left, the Vikings lost Y’Tarrius Goldsberry to fouls and the Tigers were able to ice the game at that point.

“I just had to find five guys who could pressure their guards into mistakes. I kept scrambling all game, trying to find those five,” Crystal Springs coach Broderick Owens said. “I finally got five to go. This was a very hard game that could’ve gone either way.”

It went the Tigers way and the win improves them to 2-1. DeMario Bell had 13 points for the Tigers while Joshua Hollins had 10.

Martez Carroll added 14 for WC while Malculm Harper had seven points, six rebounds and two blocks.

(G) WC 74, Crystal Springs 49

Louisiana Tech signee Sha’Kayla Caples scored 26 points as the Lady Vikes stayed unbeaten at 5-0.

Three, 3-pointers by Dequanna Kilbert helped WC grab a 39-22 halftime lead and the Lady Vikes finished it off by outscoring the Lady Tigers 20-10 in the third quarter. Ricille Davis had 11 for WC. Marshanthia Walker led Crystal Springs with 19.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com.