If there was any debate about which is the best high school tennis team in town, Warren Central pretty much ended it on Friday.

Using a lineup featuring only two of their regular starters, the Vikings didn’t drop a set in cruising past archrival Vicksburg 7-0 at Halls Ferry Park.

“They’re good. Warren Central has the power this year. They have the best team in the city,” Vicksburg coach Vickie Bailey said. “They didn’t have their A-team out there today and still beat us.”

Warren Central won for the seventh time in eight matches as it prepared to enter the season’s home stretch. It’ll host West Monroe (La.) on Tuesday, then play at Clinton on Thursday in a match that will settle the Division 4-6A team championship.

WC will host the Division 4-6A individual tournament on April 11.

“Going into the home stretch, I feel pretty confident,” said Warren Central junior Alex Velazquez, who beat Jared Bell 6-3, 6-2 in boys singles on Friday. “We’ve only lost four third-set tiebreakers out of 10 that we’ve played. In tense situations, we’re doing well. If it comes to it, against Clinton or in the playoffs, I feel like we should be able to pull it out because of that experience.”

None of Friday’s matches came close to needing a tiebreaker.

The singles match between Velazquez and Bell was the only one featuring starters from both teams. They’ve played each other often on the junior and recreational circuit, as well as in practice matches, but this was Velazquez’s day. He neutralized the powerful serve of Bell — a Holmes Community College signee — and closed out the match after an even start to the second set.

“I tried to slow the game down. Jared likes to rip shots,” Velazquez said. “I tried to have at least three balls on every point and get his serve back to him.”

The only other Warren Central starter in the lineup on Friday was Brent Styles, who teamed up with John Jabour to beat Vicksburg’s Jonathan Boyd and Chris Albert 6-3, 6-0 in No. 1 boys doubles.

The rest of the lineup was filled with junior varsity players in a move designed to give them some valuable court time, WC coach Jeff Pilgrim said.

Laney Smith and Taylor Smith beat Ashleigh Bailey and Meena Dhawan 6-0, 6-0 in No. 1 girls doubles. In No. 2 boys doubles, Grayson Parman and Asher Carson beat Rashad Fisher and Chance Williams 6-2, 6-3. In mixed doubles, Jack Richardson and Madison Embry topped Vicksburg’s Sierra Shelton and Jon Bantugan 6-1, 6-1.

Vicksburg forfeited the No. 2 girls doubles point.

“I really like what we have for the future. What we have now is the best we’ve had since I got here three years ago,” Pilgrim said. “We’re trying to build a program that doesn’t have rebuilding years. Days like today, where we can put our backups in and they expect to win and do win, is what we’re looking for.”

In girls’ singles, Warren Central seventh-grader Hannah Hopson beat Vicksburg’s Faye Valerio 6-1, 6-4. Valerio won the first four games of the second set before a brisk wind and some sprinkles of rain came along and changed her fortunes.

“The sun was out and I was shining,” Valerio said with a laugh. “Then the weather changed.”

That wasn’t the first time that weather has been a thorn in the Gators’ side. Friday was only the second match they’ve played this season because of rainouts and bad weather.

There are less than two weeks to go before they play the Division 4-5A individual tournament. They’ll have three matches in three days next week — Wednesday at Canton, Thursday at Callaway, and Friday at home against Natchez — as they prepare for the postseason.

“Inclement weather has been a doozy for us this spring. That’s the nature of the beast,” Vickie Bailey said. “I still think we’ll fare well in our district. We have a full schedule next week, and all of the other teams are newbies just like us.”