What’s the best way to end a monthlong slump and pull out of a tailspin?

Winning would be the obvious answer, but taking one of the state’s best teams to its limit is a step in the right direction.

Warren Central rallied from a nine-point deficit in the third quarter against Columbus, forced overtime on Roosevelt Harris’ basket with 5.7 seconds left, then ran out of gas and lost 70-62 in a boys’ basketball game on Tuesday.

Warren Central (5-15, 2-6 MHSAA Region 2-6A) lost its sixth consecutive game after starting the region schedule 2-0. Columbus (20-3, 9-0), which is ranked No. 2 in Class 6A, won its eighth game in a row.

“You couldn’t ask for a better game. Couldn’t ask for a better effort from my guys,” Warren Central coach Keith Williams said. “Hopefully they keep in the right frame of mind. Our motto is ‘next game up,’ so now it’s on to Neshoba.”

The Vikings have two more regular-season games left, Friday at home vs. Neshoba Central and a rematch at Columbus on Saturday. The Region 2-6A tournament is next week at Neshoba Central.

Warren Central will be either the No. 4, 5 or 6 seed for the tournament depending on how the final games of the region schedule play out. It is tied with Vicksburg and Callaway — who play each other Saturday — for fourth place.

“I’m hoping they take it as motivation and as momentum, and we build upon it and we grow from it,” Williams said. “Starting this week it’s a new season anyway. Records don’t matter. The season don’t matter. We’ve just got to go have the right frame of mind and play our brand of basketball.”

Warren Central has had a couple of hard-fought, competitive losses during its losing streak, and this one was another for that pile.

Columbus opened a 38-29 lead late in the third quarter before Warren Central’s Davon O’Neal hit two 3-pointers on back-to-back trips up the floor to spark a comeback.

Warren Central started the fourth quarter with a 9-1 run, capped by a basket from Jaylon Winters, that gave it a 49-48 lead with 6:14 to go. It was the Vikings’ first lead since it was 3-2 midway through the first quarter.

“We just got back to who we are and played our brand of basketball. We were true to our identity,” Williams said.

The Vikings and Falcons went back-and-forth for the rest of regulation. DJ Verdell converted a three-point play with 21 seconds left to put Columbus ahead 59-57, and then Harris tied it with a tough shot in the lane with 5.7 seconds to go.

Columbus, though, took control in overtime. Mike Hood scored six of the Falcons’ 11 points to help them pull away while Warren Central went cold. Warren Central’s only points came on a basket by Micah Moore early in the extra period and a free throw by Harris with less than two minutes remaining.

Harris led Warren Central with 17 points. Robert Williams scored 14 — all in the second half — Winters had 11, and Moore had 10.

Hood scored a game-high 21 points for Columbus, Jace O’Neal finished with 18 and Verdell had 16.

“I’m not going to harp on the calls, but there were a couple of calls and we missed a couple of easy shots,” Keith Williams said of the overtime period. “Give credit to them. They’ve got a good team. It’s not fun with the shortcomings, but it happens.”

Girls
Columbus 54, Warren Central 19
Kamryn Coats scored a game-high 13 points, and five players had at least eight for Columbus (6-13, 3-6 Region 2-6A) as it beat Warren Central in Tuesday’s girls’ game.

Bri’Asia Sims and Mackenzie Lowery each scored 10 points for Columbus, Tuttie Neely had nine, and Jakaiya Elliott eight.

Camara Evans led Warren Central (2-17, 0-8) with six points and Anna Bridges scored four.