[05/30/02]Basketball junkies will have more than their fill starting today as three Amateur Athletic Union girls state championships will be at Warren Central.

The tournament starts at 1 p.m. today and will end on Sunday night. Admission is $3 per day. As many as 10 games will be played on Saturday and 10 could be played on Sunday.

“Best deal in America,” said tournament director and Warren Central girls coach Donny Fuller.

The 14-year-olds start things off with four games starting at 1 p.m. Warren County, made up of next year’s Warren Central freshman team, tips off at 5:30 against the M.S. Lady Stars. The Warren County 13-year-olds (next year’s Warren Central eighth grade team) will end the night at 8:30 p.m. against Belmont.

The most competitive division the 17-year-olds start Friday at 7 p.m. with the Jackson-based Hoop Dreams taking on Greenwood, followed by Warren County (next year’s WC varsity team) against the MBA Jags, also from Jackson.

The winners of each age group will automatically earn a berth to the national AAU tournament. Fuller did not say whether his team would go to nationals should one win the state championship. His varsity team took second in last year’s state tournament.

“We like to play good competition in the summer and get our team better,” said Fuller, whose 17-year-olds’ team will be playing with several players younger than that.

The 15- and 16-year-olds will be playing in Yazoo County and will also be playing for berths in the national tournament.

Mean Green, a team of 16-year-olds coached by Vicksburg High coach Mike Coleman, advanced to the national tournament in Oklahoma last year. VHS players Shayla White, Tricia Dart and Tiffany Hubbard all play for Mean Green.