smurphy@vicksburgpost.com

They’ve met three times this season, but none will be bigger than when the Vicksburg Gators (24-7) battle rival Warren Central (17-10) tonight for the right to stay home on Tuesday.

The Gators and Vikings tip-off their Division 4-5A championship game at 8 p.m. at Natchez. The winner will stay home and face the loser of the Starkville-Columbus game. The loser in Natchez will travel to the winner of that game.

“It’s going to be a tough game,” said WC coach Preston Wilson, whose team beat Vicksburg once this season. “We’ll definitely have to play a complete game.”

On the girls’ side, Warren Central will play host Natchez at 6:30 p.m. Friday for the division championship. The Lady Vikes (13-15) are advancing out of division for the first time since 1997.

To get to the championship game, the Gators struggled to a 38-33 win over host Natchez. The Bulldogs slowed the ball down and turned the game into a half-court matchup.

“They did a good job of trying to slow things down,’ Vicksburg coach Dellie Robinson said. “We knew what they wanted to do.”

A half-court game is something that will not be seen tonight. Both Vicksburg and Warren Central like to get up and down the floor, and both play tenacious defense.

Warren Central upended Clinton, 67-65 in overtime, in the opening round.

On the girls’ side, Warren Central slammed Vicksburg by 10 in the opening round, while Natchez struggled to a five-point win over Clinton.

“Crystal Brown. their big kid inside is where it all starts with Natchez,” Warren Central coach Donny Fuller said. “They have some quick guards that can shoot the ball well. They’re not sitting there with only three losses for nothing, they are a very good team.”

The two split the division series with Natchez winning by 20 on its home floor and the Lady Vikes winning by six in overtime at WC.

“I think what we ought to do is with three of the four teams being from Vicksburg, and two from Warren Central, we should move the game here,” Fuller said with a chuckle. “I don’t think Natchez would go for that, though.”

The winner of tonight’s game will host either Tupelo or top-ranked and unbeaten Columbus, while the loser will travel.