For four years, Warren Central’s Sha’Kayla Caples and Karnina Bunch formed one of the state’s best one-two scoring punches

Gulf Coast (Fla.) Community College coaches Roonie Scovel and Grover Hicks saw enough of how well the Lady Vikes pair played together as they signed them to national letters of intent on Thursday to the Panama City, Fla. school.

Hicks was on hand for the twin signing and feels the Lady Commodore program got two of the best players in Mississippi.

“We heard about these two from an AAU coach up in Memphis and then we talked with Ole Miss coach Renee Ladner about them. We saw them play last July in the North/South All Star game and then followed up by seeing them play several times during the season. We are a transition team and we feel these two fit into what we want to do,” Hicks said.

A big need to replace a pair of starting guards off a 27-3 team was another catalyst for Gulf Coast to land both Bunch and Caples.

“We lose our point guard in Ashlee Kelly out of Australia and our All-American two-guard in Chimere Jordan,” Hicks said. “Ashlee is going to Southern Miss and Chimere is headed to Georgia College. We have a lot back, but not in those positions.”

The Lady Commodores will return nine players off their 27-win team that won their 12th straight Panhandle Conference championship. In 12 years, Scovel’s teams have won two national championships, gone 363-40 overall, and produced 12 All-Americans.

Caples is the Vicksburg Post’s four-time Player of the Year and a member of the All-State team. Caples, a 5-11 forward who will play guard at Gulf Coast, averaged 24.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and made 55 percent of her shots from the field in leading the Lady Vikes to a 24-5 record.

She originally signed with Louisiana Tech in the fall, but the dismissal of Tech coach Chris Long made Gulf Coast a better fit.

Bunch is a four-time All-Warren County player.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com