Clarksdale coach Norman Snerling feels his Lady Wildcats can win the Class 5A title this March.

Count Vicksburg coach Barbara Hartzog as a believer after her Missy Gators were throttled, 62-48, by Clarksdale in the Red Carpet Classic Saturday afternoon at VHS.

“They were the best team we’ve played,” Hartzog said of the loss that dropped her team to 10-9 on the season. “They’ve got a great in-and-out game. They hit some 3-pointers early in the game, and even though I felt we played them even over the next three quarters, we couldn’t make up that much ground.”

Snerling is pretty confident about his Lady Wildcats, now 16-4.

“I feel like we will win 5A,” Snerling said. “I was a little concerned with how we would come out today. We haven’t played in eight days. We lost some games to the snow and bad weather. But, I was happy with the way we came out. We needed this.”

Clarksdale hit 11 of its 16 shots in the first quarter, getting scores from four different players. Guards Ashley Howard and Shyvuna Johnson combined for 13 points from the perimeter while 6-foot post players Seneca Walton and Erica Collins had the other 10 points for a 23-9 lead.

The Missy Gators were able to pull back in the second quarter as Clarksdale cooled off and Montevallo signee, Donyeah Mayfield tallied six points and five rebounds in the period.

A 3-pointer by Shaniqua Butler got Vicksburg to within nine, 38-29, with two minutes to go in the third quarter. Clarksdale answered with a 7-1 run keyed by baskets from Walton and Howard.

Up 15 at 45-30, Clarksdale went up 19 before a late Missy Gator rally accounted for the final.

Mayfield paced Vicksburg with 20 points, 13 rebounds and three steals. Shanequa Hill had 12 points and six steals.

Walton led Clarksdale with 18 points. Johnson and

Collins had 14 points each while Howard had 13.

(B) Vicksburg 68, Clarksdale 40

Josh Gaskin and Mychal Ammons combined for 17 first-quarter points as the Gators cruised to an Red Carpet Classic win Saturday evening. The Gators (18-3) were the lone local big school team to get an RCC trophy Saturday.

Vicksburg led 20-6 after Gaskin and Ammons had their big quarter. It was 33-11 at the half and 50-18 with 1:18 left in the third quarter.

VHS coach Dellie C. Robinson said his team is still playing in spurts.

“We get a good lead and then put it on cruise control,” Robinson said. “We don’t play like we should and then we come back and make some good plays. I would like to get that out of them before we get to the division tournament.”

Ammons finished with 23 points, including four off a pair of two-handed dunks in the fourth quarter. Clarksdale had pulled back to within 23 at 55-32 when Ammons’ slam ignited an 8-0 run to lock it up.

Gaskin finished with 15 points and Willie Gibbs had 10.

Clarksdale was led by Joshua Windham with 14 points and Carl Thomas had 13.