The second week in January brings with it an important shift in the focus of Mississippi’s high school basketball teams. The second phase of the season, divisional play, begins Tuesday night across the state as teams sink their teeth into the meat of the season.

Waiting as a dessert at the end for Warren County’s teams is a game that always carries weight, yet might not even be the most important on the schedule this week.

Vicksburg High and Warren Central will tangle Saturday at 2 p.m. at VHS. The game was moved back an hour from its originally scheduled start time because of a middle school tournament in town.

Before they get there, however, the Gators and Vikings must navigate a couple of division games that are crucial to their playoff hopes. Warren Central opens that portion of the schedule Tuesday night at Clinton. Vicksburg hosts Callaway on Tuesday, and then is at Ridgeland on Friday night.

“To be honest, it’s not the most important game at all,” Vicksburg coach Kelvin Carter said. “We’ve got Callaway, we’ve got Ridgeland on Friday, and those are the most important games. It’s always a nice environment when it’s Warren Central-Vicksburg — I played in that game, so I know how special it is — but at this stage, with us not being in a district together, we just need to get that game behind us and focus on district.”

Vicksburg’s boys’ team heads into the week having lost five of six, and with a 5-9 record overall. It has lost five of its last seven meetings with Warren Central (12-3) after winning 19 in a row in the series at one point. WC won their first game this season, 47-40 on Dec. 9.

The changing momentum in the series, as well as their differing fortunes this season, gave Warren Central coach Bruce Robinson a different take on the importance of Saturday’s game.

“It’s important that we can go over there and beat Vicksburg, because we want to establish our dominance in the area. If you want to be a good team, you have to be the best team in the area. Vicksburg has been so good for so long, and they’re going to be good because they have the right man in place and he’s got good young talent, so we’ve got to get them now. I don’t know what the future holds,” Robinson said. “It’s your rivalry game and you want to win. When I got to Warren Central, somebody said it ain’t so many district games but if you want to keep your job you’ve got to beat Vicksburg.”

On the girls’ side, Vicksburg (8-6) has struggled to not only beat Warren Central (13-4), but to even be competitive with them. Warren Central has won four in a row and nine of 12 in the series, with the last three games being decided by 39, 39 and 38 points. Warren Central won 80-42 when the teams played in December.

The Missy Gators have also lost their last two games after a four-game winning streak, making it an important week for momentum.

“We’re starting a new season now. So to me we’re 0-0. We’re trying to win the first two to help us get off to a good start and help us at the end,” VHS girls coach Troy Stewart said. “Our season has been up and down because of our youth. We play some games up to where we should be, and other games we fall off. I don’t think it’s preparation or their legs, it’s their mental state. If you go into the game not feeling well, you’re not going to have a good result. Mentally, we’re having issues keeping ourselves together. Physically, we’re all right.”