[10/30/01]The stamina Willie Powers gets from running cross country came in handy Monday night.

Powers scored seven of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as Vicksburg High distanced itself from Port Gibson and won easily, 57-41, in the first round of the Coca-Cola Classic.

Next up for the Gators (2-0) is McComb, which features 6-foot-10, 250-pound Jackie Butler, rated by Athlon as the fifth-best junior in the nation.

VHS’ big men, Dewayne Jackson and Patrick Igbokwe, proved to be too much for the Blue Waves (0-2), coach Kim Windom said.

“They just wore us down,” said Windom, who is minus five football players, three of whom are post players.

VHS’ Dellie Robinson can sympathize. He is without two starting guards who are still on the gridiron.

“We really needed a big game from Willie,” Robinson said. “He just took over the ballgame in the fourth quarter.”

Powers, who has been limited in practice while running cross country, made 8 of 14 shots from the field and pulled down seven rebounds. Igbokwe finished with 11 points and six rebounds and Jackson had nine points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Devin Jones dished out five assists.

Antwan Jones led Port Gibson with 14 points.

Freshman Johnny Brown hit three straight 3-pointers in the second quarter to pull Port Gibson within one.

“They started taking our wings away after that,” Windom said.

The Waves trailed 26-24 at the half and were down by just four headed into the final period.

“We played the way we wanted to … we just stepped it up in the fourth,” Robinson said.

Powers said a first-quarter dunk “got me fired up” and sparked him to the best game of his career.

“When he starts making his jump shot, he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Robinson said.