The last time Vicksburg and Warren Central met on the basketball court, it was the first quarter that proved costly for the Vikings.

This time around, it was the second. Vicksburg outscored Warren Central 20-6 in the period and powered to a 63-47 victory on Saturday.

The Vicksburg man-to-man defense did a good job of cleaning the defensive glass and forcing lots of off-balance shots. Warren Central big man Gerald Glass was held to just four points, three below his average.

“It’s just a matter of making shots,” WC coach Jesse Johnson said. “I thought we played them an even-keel game except that second quarter. I’m pleased, though, with the progress we’re making. We’re a young team, but we’re progressing every day.”

It was even more galling since the Vikings weathered a storm in the first quarter. Point guard Dominique Brown hit two 3-pointers and Willie Gibbs hit another as the Gators built an 11-4 lead out of the gate.

But Eric Howard swished a pair of 3-pointers and Jeremy Harper hit another as the Vikings cut the Gators’ lead to 17-16 at the end of one.

After a disastrous second that buried them under a 37-22 halftime deficit, the Vikings rallied behind Harper and Kourey Davis, who scored nine of his 14 points in the third. Davis finished the third with a driving layup and a plus-one opportunity that cut the lead to 48-35. Then Gibbs swished another 3-pointer and Josh Gaskins rocked the rim with a dunk to put Vicksburg up 53-35 at the end of three.

Gaskins added two more big dunks off putbacks in the fourth to put the contest away. He finished with 10 points.

“Josh is our sparkplug,” Vicksburg coach Dellie C. Robinson said. “When we’re rebounding and getting out on the break, we’re pretty tough to beat. Josh is playing outstanding for us.”

Harper paced Warren Central (8-8, 0-3 Division 4-6A) with a game-high 19 points.

Mychal Ammons paced the Gators (13-3, 3-0) with 18 points as the Gators continued their multi-year mastery of their archrivals. Vicksburg has beaten the Vikings 12 consecutive times, a streak that dates back to 2006.

Brown returned to the starting lineup and scored 13 points after spending a few games coming off the bench. He enjoyed getting the season sweep, but doesn’t care whether he plays off the bench or starts.

“It was big because it’s the team across the street,” Brown said. “It doesn’t really matter to me, because I just want to get out there and help the team.”