By Cody Thomason
The Vicksburg Post

The Vicksburg Missy Gators got off to a roaring start in division play — and snapped out of a recent slump — by beating Callaway 59-42 Tuesday night in their Division 4-5A opener.

Vicksburg (9-6, 1-0 Division 4-5A) got 24 points from Ke’Mari Smith as it snapped a two-game losing streak and beat Callaway (0-13, 0-1) for the first time since 2006. Callaway had won 12 consecutive meetings between the teams.

Callaway shot 23 percent (12-for-53) from the field overall, and was 1-for-12 from 3-point range. Vicksburg took advantage of the Lady Chargers’ shooting woes to take a 31-18 halftime lead.

“We had a full court press on them, the press hurt them more than anything else,” Vicksburg coach Troy Stewart said. “They’ve got pretty good guard play, it’s just we were a little faster than they were up and down the floor. I think they’re really young so that’s what makes a difference.”

Smith set the tone for the Missy Gators, scoring a season-high 24 points and adding a couple of steals. It was the second game in a row, and ninth time this season, that the junior guard has scored in double figures.

“She’s been one of the shining stars all year,” Stewart said. “She’s consistent, she does the same job night in and night out. But I think she got off to a great start tonight, which made the whole game better.”

Smith was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the drive-and-kicks in the offense, knocking down five 3-pointers.

“We’re working on that week after week and it showed up tonight, I was happy to see that,” Stewart said. “The drive and kick is a part of the style of play we have to play, and when it goes in, it looks really good.”

Freshman guard Yakia Burns was key for Vicksburg’s scoring attack, as she scored six points and added four assists. Stewart said her presence was extremely important for the offense.

“Her role in our offense is to get us in it and get us going,” Stewart said. “As long as she’s on the floor, I feel we have a chance against anybody. She’s been getting into early foul trouble the last four or five games, kind of hindering what we’re doing, but she has an extremely bright future at point guard.”

The Missy Gators will return to action Friday night at 6 p.m., with another division game at Ridgeland.

(B) Callaway 82, Vicksburg 58

Callaway freshman guard Daeshun Ruffin scored 31 points, and the Chargers opened up a 19-point halftime lead on their way to beating Vicksburg (5-10, 0-1 Division 4-5A) for the 10th consecutive time.

Vicksburg has not beaten Callaway (12-2, 1-0) since 2009, and has lost six of its last seven games overall this season.

VHS coach Kelvin Carter said it was hard going against Callaway’s size and length.

“They’re tall guys, and all of them can play, they’re very skillful guys,” Carter said.

Carter’s message to his team at halftime was to keep fighting. Though the lead proved to be insurmountable, the Gators played better and scored 40 points over the final two quarters.

“We understand one thing, that we haven’t had enough floor experience,” Carter said. “We knew that coming in Callaway was probably the best team in the district by far, we understand that, but I just want them to keep fighting. We’re a young team, but we have to keep fighting. We have a lot of stuff to work on, and we plan to come in and get ready for Ridgeland on Friday.”

Senior guard Kamari English had a big night for the Gators, finishing with 14 points and splashing four 3-pointers. Carter said his role as a shooter and floor-spacer in the game was very important.

“His 10th and 11th grade year he was a big time contributor with the three-ball, and he kind of just went in a slump for six or seven games,” Carter said. “It kind of really hurt us because that’s another scorer on the floor and really spread the floor a little bit.”

Junior guard Leonard Sims was playing in his second game back from ACL surgery, and managed to score eight points for the Gators.

Meanwhile sophomore guard Peytin Jackson finished with nine points, six of which came from the free throw line, and fellow sophomore guard Chris Henderson added three points and three blocks on the defensive end.