Warren Central coach Donny Fuller tells his players to calm down during a loss to Provine on Saturday. Fuller surpassed Lloyd Clark as the winngest girls basketball coach in school history. (Jon GiffinThe Vicksburg Post)

[11/19/03]It was a night to remember for Warren Central coach Donny Fuller.

With the Lady Vikes’ 65-47 victory over Hazlehurst, Fuller picked up his 246th career victory to pass Lloyd Clark for the all-time WC record.

In humble fashion, Fuller passed the glory of the accomplishment to his players.

“I didn’t win any ballgames. Those players won the ballgames,” he said. “I just got a little credit for it.”

On hand to witness the event were several of Fuller’s former players, who sat behind the Lady Vikes’ bench to cheer them on.

“They were all part of it,” Fuller said. “It was special for me for them to be here tonight. I looked up there and told them, Once you’re part of our program, you’re always part of our program.'”

Jessica Holly, who played center for the Lady Vikes from 1994-96, was one of the alumni at the game.

“It’s kind of special for me because I graduated from Warren Central and I teach here now,” said Holly, adding that she attends every game. “It felt good that he involved the former players. To bring us in with the present players, it was very special.”

The Lady Vikes (3-2) took the early lead and never relinquished it. Both teams played about evenly through two quarters, but Warren Central took a 7-point lead into halftime.

Leading the Lady Indians 18-17, the Lady Vikes ended the second quarter with a 10-4 run capped off by a fast-break layup from Saleda Montgomery as time expired.

Warren Central opened the third quarter with an 8-2 run as the defense poured on the pressure to force Hazlehurst into making mistakes.

“In the second half, we did a better job defensively to start with,” Fuller said. “We shut them down pretty good and took them out of their offense.”

Playing with only eight players, Hazlehurst eventually succumbed to the defensive pressure.

“When you go 15 deep and we can only go eight, that’s what happens,” Hazlehurst coach Freida Craft said.

Montgomery led all scorers with 19 points, finishing 9-of-9 in free throws. As a team, the Lady Vikes hit 19-of-22 from the free throw line.

(B) WC 68, Hazlehurst 40

The Warren Central boys had a big night of their own, picking up their first victory of the season in blowout fashion.

It was also the first win at WC under new head coach Jesse Johnson.

“It’s always good to get your first win under your belt,” Johnson said. “I felt the guys played hard, and the players we had come in from football brought a lot of intensity.”

Having the football players also gave the Vikings their first full bench, which they used often to keep the players on the floor fresh.

“When you play the style of ball that we play and you’re only playing seven people, then fatigue’s going to be a factor,” Johnson said. “But when you’ve got 12 to 14 that you can rotate in and out that will bring the same type of intensity, it’s always a better situation.”

The Vikings (1-3) took advantage of their numbers early with a full-court press to begin the game. Warren Central jumped ahead to a 13-4 lead in the first quarter, but Hazlehurst soon cut it to 13-10 early in the second period.

Led by Brian Phelps’ 11 first-half points, the Vikings finished the quarter strong and took a 29-20 lead into halftime.

“Brian’s always good on the offensive end,” Johnson said. “The only thing I’m looking at is for him to pick it up on the defensive end. If he brings the same kind of intensity on both ends, then he’ll be the complete player.”

(B) Vicksburg 63, Collins 55

Sedrick Williams’ big night lifted the Vicksburg Gators past an undermanned Collins team.

Williams, the lone returning starter from last season’s Class 5A state championship team, scored 28 points, including three 3-pointers, in the victory.

Fred Thomas added 13 points, and he also had three 3-pointers.

Collins was playing without several starters because the Class 3A school is still involved in the football playoffs.

(G) Vicksburg 59, Collins 36

Tiffany Hubbard scored a game-high 23 points and the Vicksburg Missy Gators (3-2) used a suffocating defense to slam Collins.

Cre’Tarsha Taylor scored eight in the victory.

The Missy Gators led 30-5 early in the second quarter before coming out of their pressure defense into a zone.

“Their point guard had four fouls in the first half,” Vicksburg coach Mike Coleman said. “The girl they put in really couldn’t do much.”

The Missy Gators led 56-27 at the end of the third quarter and played every player on the team.

VHS is scheduled to host Raymond on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a girls-only game.

(B) Deer Creek 47, PCA 46

Chip Lofton and Dan Ivey each scored 15 points, but Porters Chapel came up just short again.

The Eagles (2-4) scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to inch closer to Deer Creek.

(G) PCA 50, Deer Creek 48

Annie Beaugh’s offensive prowess continued Tuesday night against rival Deer Creek. It was the first win in two years for PCA over Deer Creek. Last season, Deer Creek handed PCA five losses.

Beaugh scored a game-high 28 points, and her sister Amy netted a career-high 16 as PCA outlasted Deer Creek.

The Lady Eagles (7-2) outscored Deer Creek by six points in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.