Malik Newman started Tuesday’s game against Vicksburg by taking the first possession and throwing down an earth-shattering, one-handed slam that rocked the rim and elicited audible “wows” from even the Gator faithful in attendance.

And that was the easiest part of Vicksburg’s night.

Newman’s dunk sparked a 24-2 first quarter run that buried the Gators before halftime as the Chargers rolled to an 85-49 win.

“That great dunk right at the beginning of the game, that got them started. They’re a hell of a ballclub,” Vicksburg coach Dellie C. Robinson said. “It was the same thing that happened to us the last time we played them. They jumped on us early. That took the fight right out of us.”

Callaway (14-3, 4-0 Division 4-5A) scored 46 of the game’s first 63 points and coasted into halftime with a commanding 29-point lead that was more than enough to bring home the win.

Newman, a five-star prospect and ESPN’s fourth-highest ranked high school recruit in the country, ended the game with a modest 13 points. But it was because he was barely needed as the Chargers controlled every aspect of the game from the opening tip.

“That’s the way they play. If they need him to get 40, he can get 40. If they need him to do anything, he can do it,” Robinson said. “If they need him to get them other boys to make their shots, he’s such a great kid that he’ll give it up and go have some fun.”

The Gators (10-8, 0-4) were unable to slow down Callaway’s relentlessly fast play, even when the Chargers put in their junior varsity squad with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

“We don’t have enough talent to answer their talent and compete with those guys. Their JV team was just as good as our high school team,” Robinson said. “They had about four or five dunks right there at the end and that’s the JV team. If that’s the JV team dunking on your high school team like that, you can imagine how good the high school team is.”

Kirk Parker led all Vicksburg scorers with 12 points, while D.T. Richardson ended with nine and Antonio Moore eight. Callaway’s length in the paint and athleticism ended up being too much for Vicksburg, which lost to its division rival for the seventh consecutive time over the past two seasons.

The Gators continue Division 4-5A play Friday when they travel to Pearl, and will most likely face Callaway again in the first round of the division tournament in February.

“Just keep fighting. Like I tell the kids all the time, you just can’t quit,” Robinson said. “You just got to keep fighting to the end and maybe some good things will happen to you. Certainly not with this ballclub here, but we’re going to play some more folks, and if you keep fighting and learn how to fight until the end, you’re going to win some ball games.”

(G) Callaway 55, Vicksburg 34

The Vicksburg Missy Gators hit just 12 of 57 shots from the field — an appalling 21 percent — and lost to Callaway (13-5, 3-1 Division 4-5A) for the second time this season.

VHS was just 5-for-20 from 3-point range and 9-of-21 at the foul line.

Keiyana Gaskin led Vicksburg (10-10, 0-4)) with 10 points and Micha Williams scored nine. Karry Callahan had six points, 11 rebounds and seven steals.