[11/14/03]It was far from pretty, but Vicksburg picked up its second win of the young season with a 51-33 sleeper over Jefferson County.

Passes bouncing off knees, air balls and travels all led to a sloppy game for both squads. A telling sign the game was going to drag came when neither team scored a point during the first four minutes of the game.

Vicksburg’s defense held strong all game, however, and helped the Gators bounce back from a 72-50 loss to Provine on Monday.

“We didn’t move the ball real well on offense tonight,” VHS coach Dellie Robinson said. “I thought we played pretty good defense, and I thought we rebounded the ball real well. I thought our rebounding was the difference in the ballgame.”

Alfred Patton was a human squeegee for the Gators, cleaning the glass for 13 rebounds. He also added eight points and two steals.

Patton’s effort may have vaulted him into Vicksburg’s starting lineup for future games.

“I always like a kid that can come off the bench. If things don’t go right, we can put somebody else in to give us that player we need,” Robinson said. “But certainly I think Alfred deserves to be a starter now.”

Robinson employed his 1-2-2 matchup zone to stifle Jefferson County all night long, forcing countless long jump shots.

“He’s a master of the matchup zone,” Jefferson County coach Marcus Walton said. “And if you don’t shoot the ball well, you can’t get them out of that zone. We had a horrible shooting night.”

Sedrick Williams paced the Gators’ offense with 14 points, while Cedric Parson chipped in 10.

(G) VHS 64, Jefferson County 37

If there were any doubts about the outcome of the game, Vicksburg quelled them early on. The Missy Gators ended the first quarter with a 15-0 run and cruised to victory over Jefferson County.

The game was over by halftime as VHS pulled ahead to a 46-16 lead.

“I’d heard they couldn’t handle the ball real good, so we came out with some pressure defense and kind of took care of business in the first half,” VHS coach Mike Coleman said. “I thought the effort was extremely good.”

The Missy Gators led 7-6 early on as Jefferson County matched them shot for shot, but they finished the quarter with a 22-6 advantage.

“In the beginning we weren’t focused,” Vicksburg senior Tiffany Hubbard said. “I know I wasn’t focused, but we got things put together for a victory.”

The Missy Gators shot a blistering 57 percent (21-of-37) in the first half while holding Jefferson County to 31 percent (8-of-26) from the field.

Hubbard scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds in three quarters as Vicksburg rested its starters down the stretch. Kristin Ellis contributed 10 points and six rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting.

(B) Provine 75, Port Gibson 42

Derrick Thomas scored all of his 13 points in the first half and Ernesto Green added 15 of his own to lead Provine past Port Gibson.

The defending Class 4A champions jumped out to a 20-8 lead after the first quarter and increased it to a 51-20 halftime advantage before resting its players in the second half.

Carlos Barnes and Ryan Hedrick each scored 11 points in the losing effort.

(G) Provine 74, Port Gibson 49

Port Gibson’s girls team didn’t fare much better in another game decided by halftime with Provine leading 52-26.

Provine had four players in double figures, led by Jessica Houston’s 19 points 17 of which came in the first half. Sandra Harper added 16 points for the Lady Rams.

Marineka Neal led Port Gibson with 11 points.