Vicksburg High’s L.J. Scott goes up for a layup and is fouled by Moss Point’s Kenny McBeath (45) in the second quarter of the Gators’ 77-62 win on Tuesday. Below, the Gators’ Roy Williams looks to pass through the defense of Moss Point’s Brandon Biggs (10) and Kenny Hooks. The Gators will play Hattiesburg on Monday at 8 p.m. (C. Todd ShermanThe Vicksburg Post

[2/26/03]Devin Jones and the rest of the Vicksburg Gators gave coach Dellie Robinson a present 24 years in the making.

Robinson, the veteran Gators’ coach, had never won a game in the Mississippi Coliseum until Tuesday night, when his team erased a 14-point first-half deficit en route to a 77-62 win over Moss Point in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament.

“We wanted to get a win for him,” Jones said. “We knew how important it was for him and this team.”

After the game, as he has said all season long, Robinson showed how important Jones was.

The senior point guard scored a game-high 24 points, snagged eight rebounds and had three steals. He also stayed out of foul trouble, something the rest of the team had a hard time doing.

“As long as Devin wasn’t in foul trouble, we weren’t worried,” Robinson said. “As long as Devin doesn’t get in foul trouble, we were in good shape. As long as he’s in the ballgame, we have a chance.”

The Gators (28-8), who will meet Hattiesburg in the state semifinals on Monday at 8 p.m., trailed big early, going down 27-13 less then two minutes into the second quarter.

Then Robinson switched from his usual 1-3-1 zone to a pressure defense and it made all the difference.

The Gators scored seven straight points, highlighted by Jones’ NBA-range 3-pointer.

“To coach Robinson’s credit, he went to that press at a good time,” Moss Point (22-12) coach Brian Brooks said. “Our guys didn’t respond to their pressure.”

A Sedrick Williams’ 3-pointer gave Vicksburg a 35-32 lead at halftime as the Gators used a 22-5 run over the final 6 minutes, 19 seconds of the second quarter. They never trailed again.

“I know the momentum started changing when I started hitting those outside shots because I am not usually an outside shooter,” Jones said. “Once I get going, my team gets going and they never let me down.”

L.J. Scott pitched in 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Roy Williams scored 15 points for Vicksburg.

Kenny Hooks, considered one of the top college prospects in the state, led Moss Point with 17 points, but was in foul trouble most of the game. Robert Lett had 14 in the loss.

Vicksburg used a 16-8 run at the beginning of the third quarter to take a 51-40 lead and the Gators held the double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

In addition to Robinson’s first game at the Big House since 1996, none of the Gators’ players had ever played there, either. VHS practiced early at Jackson State in an attempt to get used to the bigger surroundings, but early on, the big arena affected the Gators.

VHS hit only 5 of 17 shots in the first quarter as Moss Point rolled to a 23-13 lead at the end of the first period. Hooks scored eight in the first quarter, including a 3-pointer.

“He kept them in the game,” Williams said of Hooks. “But Jamaal (Thomas) did a great job shutting him down.”

Brooks said once Vicksburg settled down, his team didn’t and that had a lot to do with Jones.

“We saw him in camp two years ago and we knew he’d be two years better,” Brooks said. “Our players were scared of him. We’ve played bigger and quicker guys than that, but for some reason we played scared against him.”