The Vicksburg Missy Gators found an easy cure for their woes — just play Warren Central.

Diari Gilliam scored the game’s only goal with 11:20 left in the second half, and the Missy Gators beat WC 1-0 Friday afternoon at Viking Stadium. The win ended a dismal first half of the season for Vicksburg, which has won only three times in 15 games.

Two of those victories have come in their last three outings, however, sending the Missy Gators (3-9-3) into the holiday break on a high note. They beat Terry at last week’s Brooke Welch Tournament in Ridgeland, then lost to Gulfport before beating Warren Central (7-6-4).

“I feel like we got over a hump that we’ve been trying to get over and over and over this season,” Gilliam said.

The nailbiter was just the latest in a long line of close games between the Missy Gators and Lady Vikes. It was the seventh time in nine meetings that the game has been decided by one goal or ended in a tie. This is the only time the two teams will play this season.

“It’s the rivalry. It’s always the rivalry when it comes to this game. We try harder this game than any other game we play,” Gilliam said, before adding sarcastically, “We always finish the half 0-0 or 1-0. It’s a tradition. We’ve got to keep it the same.”

Neither team was able to do much offensively during Friday’s matinee. Neither side had a shot on goal in the first 20 minutes, and they combined for only 10 shots in the game. After more than 68 minutes of action in the middle of the field, Gilliam finally livened things up with a dazzling play.

She took a pass along the left sideline, dribbled about 20 yards, then cut hard toward the middle of the field. WC’s Chelsea Duett stayed with Gilliam, and did it again when Gilliam made another juke.

Gilliam was able to get just enough of an opening to loft a shot, however, and lifted a floater over WC keeper Molly Beth Jourdan into the right side of the net.

Needing a goal, Warren Central got two opportunities in the closing minutes but couldn’t convert either one. VHS keeper Kelli Brewer made a point-blank save with under three minutes to play, then stopped an easy shot a few moments later. She finished with five saves and the shutout.

“They got one by us, but I thought we pressured them most of the game. We just couldn’t get one in,” WC coach Janet McMaster said. “That’s the way the game goes sometimes.”

(B) Vicksburg 4, WC 0

Ryan Ferrington and Patrick Parker formed a brutally efficient tag team against Warren Central.

Ferrington scored three goals in the first half — two off assists by Parker — and the Gators pummeled an undermanned Vikings squad in the last game of 2007 for both teams. Paul Velazquez added the final goal for Vicksburg (5-9), which has won six in a row against its crosstown rival.

“Tonight was probably the best game we’ve played all year,” Ferrington said.

Warren Central (8-7-1) was without five starters due to injury, illness or vacations, a factor that played a part in the outcome, WC coach Greg Head said.

“We had five starters out. People left, people were hurt, people were sick. We’re playing with a lot of young guys,” Head said. “We have a good team. We’re looking for this break to come around so we can get everybody back. We were beating people when everybody was healthy.”

Ferrington got his first goal just six minutes into the game. He fed a pass through traffic to Parker, who dribbled up the right seam with Ferrington trailing to his left. Just as he reached shooting distance, Parker fed Ferrington a perfect cross that Ferrington booted into the net for a 1-0 lead.

Ferrington added another goal by heading in a corner kick from Parker at the 21-minute mark, and made it 3-0 five minutes later by juking a defender in the open field and launching a rocket past the keeper.

That was more than enough for the Gators, who controlled the action throughout the second half and kept the Vikings from sniffing anything close to a quality shot on goal. VHS outshot WC 8-3 in the game.