[12/30/04]RAYMOND By the end of the first quarter Wednesday night, the Vicksburg Gators had a double-digit lead against Ridgeland. In the second quarter, they hit four 3-pointers and stretched the lead to as many as 21 points.

It wasn’t until the second half, however, that the Gators really found their comfort zone and that’s when things got interesting.

Sederick Williams hit two free throws with two seconds to play in overtime to give Vicksburg a 57-55 win over Ridgeland and the boys’ championship of the Raymond Tournament.

The victory came after the Gators squandered a 16-point halftime lead, and marked the 10th time in 13 outings that the game has been decided by seven points or less.

“We understand now how to play these close ballgames,” VHS coach Dellie C. Robinson said. “We lost some and we’re going to win some, and that’s going to help us coming down the stretch in January and February.”

It was also the fourth time this season Williams has won or sealed a game with free throws in the final 10 seconds. After missing a 3-pointer at the end of regulation, Williams passed up an outside shot in the closing seconds of overtime and drove to the basket.

He drew a foul as he went for a layup, then hit the first free throw to put VHS ahead 56-55. After a Ridgeland timeout, he hit the second and a last-ditch heave by the Titans’ Jessie Benford was short.

“I’m used to it by now,” Williams said of the winning free throws. “If I miss it, I miss it, but I’m sure I’m going to hit it.”

Williams led VHS (11-8) with 18 points, and Johnny Markham scored 11. Brandon Harper grabbed nine rebounds before fouling out in overtime. Karlin Givens had a game-high 24 points for Ridgeland (13-5).

Vicksburg dominated the first half, holding Ridgeland to 26 percent shooting while hitting nearly as many shots (13) as the Titans took (19). The Gators led 31-10 after Williams’ 3-pointer midway through the second quarter, and took a 36-20 lead into halftime.

The second half was a different story.

Ridgeland’s Bobby Grace hit a pair of 3-pointers to key a 10-2 run at the start of the third quarter that cut the deficit to single digits.

As the Gators’ shooting went cold they hit just one of their first eight shots in the third quarter, and were 1-for-8 from 3-point range in the fourth Ridgeland crept within five points on several occasions. Each time, Vicksburg did just enough to keep the Titans at arm’s length.

“It was really frustrating,” Titans coach Roderick Davidson said. “Our defense worked hard, and we’d come so close to stopping them.”

Finally, Ridgeland broke through. A basket by Kenyonna Davis and a layup by Givens tied the game at 48-48 with 3 minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The Titans rebounded a VHS miss on the next trip up the floor, but Morris Carroll airballed a 3-pointer that would have put them ahead.

VHS grabbed the airball with about 1:30 to play and held for the last shot. It got two, but missed both. Williams missed a 3-pointer, and Fred Thomas was off-target with a jumper off the rebound.

Overtime was a back-and-forth affair. Williams hit a 3-pointer after Ridgeland jumped to a 51-48 lead, and the teams traded free throws until Givens tied it at 55 on a layup with 18 seconds to play.

With the game knotted, Vicksburg held for the last shot again. This time, Williams came through.

“With the game on the line, we want the ball in Sed’s hands,” Robinson said. “We spread the floor right there at the end and let Sed go one-on-one and hope he can get to the free throw line.”

(G) VHS 49, Ridgeland 47

The Vicksburg Missy Gators are heading into 2005 on a roll.

Cre’Tarsha Taylor scored 15 points, Rachel Jenkins had 14, and Kristin Ellis had 10 points and nine rebounds as VHS (11-8) held off Ridgeland for the girls’ championship of the Raymond Tournament.

It was the sixth win in seven games for the Missy Gators, who have turned things around after a five-game losing streak early in the year.

“I’m proud of this bunch. Right now they’re doing everything I’ve asked them to do, and it’s starting to pay off,” VHS coach Mike Coleman said. “I promise, it feels a lot better to win and it keeps the kids’ spirits up. It makes it a lot easier to practice, too. It feels like it’s worthwhile.”

Neither team led by more than nine points at any time Wednesday, but VHS seemed to be in control early in the fourth quarter.

The Missy Gators held Ridgeland (13-5) without a field goal for nearly seven minutes, and used an 8-1 run early in the period to take a 46-37 lead. Ridgeland’s Myesha Johnson finally broke the Lady Titans’ drought with a layup with 2 minutes to play, and started a furious last-ditch rally.

Another layup by Johnson and a 3-pointer by Amber Powe cut it to 47-44, and VHS missed a layup and three free throws in the final minute that could have iced the game.

The Missy Gators’ miscues gave Ridgeland the ball and a chance to tie with under 20 seconds to play. Shannon Brooks airballed a 3-pointer with 15 seconds to go, however, and Jenkins hit a layup at the other end to make it 49-44. Brooks did hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it was meaningless.