12/08/02Round 2 of the Vicksburg-Warren Central rivalry turned into a two-person show Saturday afternoon.

Tricia Dart and Shalonda Williams each had a career-high 28 points and VHS used a huge third-quarter surge to beat its crosstown rivals for the second time this season, 75-60, in the championship game of the Warren Central Classic.

“I didn’t realize they had what they had,” said VHS coach Mike Coleman, who got his first tournament championship in his fourth season as the Missy Gators’ coach. “It just came in the flow of the offense. It wasn’t anything special we set up for them.”

Williams’ performance was special, however. She made 9 of 10 shots from the field and was 5-for-5 from 3-point range. She scored 12 points in the first quarter and 11 in the third, and also led the Missy Gators with six rebounds and three assists.

Dart was 7-for-11 from the field, but most of her damage was from the free throw line, hitting 13 of 18 from the stripe.

“They really took it to us. I don’t know how many shots Shalonda missed, but it wasn’t many. She was in the zone tonight,” WC coach Donny Fuller said. “I coached (Williams’) momma, and her momma was a great player. But I don’t think her mom ever had a day like she had today.”

Carla Latham led WC (6-4) with 18 points and Cookie Johnson had 13 points, 10 rebounds, but WC couldn’t overcome 35 turnovers. Twelve came during a disastrous third quarter that saw VHS (6-4) increase its lead from four to 18 points.

Williams got things going by hitting an 18-foot jumper and then a 3-pointer to give VHS a 40-31 lead with 5:55 to play in the third.

“They were playing off of me, so I just pulled up for the shot,” Williams said.

WC went several minutes without scoring, while Williams and Dart continued to have their way with the Lady Vikes. After Williams drove the lane and dished the ball to Tiffany Hubbard for an easy layup at the buzzer, the Missy Gators’ lead had swelled to 60-42.

“I thought we lost our composure a little bit. Cookie went out, we turned it over some, and they got some baskets and they got on a roll,” Fuller said. “It snowballed so quick, that I’ll be honest with you, I looked up there and I said oh my goodness, you mean we’re down 18?'”

WC did make one last charge late in the fourth quarter, using a 6-0 run to get as close as 12 points, 69-57, with 1:26 to play. But the Missy Gators put the game at the free throw line and were never really in danger of losing the lead.

Although Saturday’s win was more convincing than VHS’ one-point victory in the Coca-Cola Classic consolation game in November, neither Coleman nor Fuller were ready to say the Missy Gators have WC’s number this season.

“I hope it is, but I’m not going to say that because it’s such a rivalry,” Coleman said.

(B) Jim Hill 41, VHS 39

The boys title game of the Warren Central Classic turned into a game of runs in the second half. Vicksburg’s last run missed by an inch or two.

Sedrick Williams’ 3-pointer bounced off the rim at the buzzer as Jim Hill (9-0) hung on to beat VHS (8-2).

L.J. Scott led VHS with 10 points, and Williams finished with seven. Stanford Speech had a game-high 13 points for Jim Hill, while Jason Husband added eight points and eight rebounds.

“It’s disappointing to be in two championship games and not win either of them,” said VHS coach Dellie Robinson, whose team lost to Warren Central in the Coca-Cola Classic title game in November. “But this is not the championship game we want. We want the district championship.”

Jim Hill led by six points at halftime, 23-17, but the Gators opened the second half with a 7-1 run to tie the game at 24-24 and the teams took traded six- and eight-point runs for the rest of the game.

Jim Hill started the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run to take a 38-32 lead, VHS used a run of its own to close to 41-39 with under a minute to play.

“We went on a little run, then turned it over a couple of times and it ended up being close. It ended up being a defensive struggle,” said Jim Hill coach Fred Harris, a former Vicksburg High standout.

(B) Central Hinds 55, Porters Chapel 41

Chip Lofton and Joseph Ivey each scored 13 points and Ryan Hoben added 12 in PCA’s loss on Saturday night.

(B) South Pike 76, Warren Central 72

Kevin McCoy scored 20 points to lead four South Pike players in double figures as the Eagles (2-6) held off WC (7-3).

Dewayne Washington had a game-high 31 points for WC, and Chi Chi Ezekwe added 20. Fred Jones had 14 points for South Pike, and Ked Herring and Cardarius Grady each added 10.

(G) Sharkey-Issaquena 39, Indianola 35

Keri Smith scored 21 points and Kristen Cox added 10 points and 11 rebounds for SIA (7-6). SIA will host Washington on Monday.

(B) Sharkey-Issaquena 43, Indianola 48

Chase Mahaltic scored a team-high 17 points and Peter Fisher added 12 in the Confederates’ sixth straight win. SIA will host Washington on Monday.