[2/24/05] The scene at the Vicksburg High gym three weeks ago played out something like this:

Passes would fly into the stands with reckless abandon as players tried in vain to convert dipsy-dos and behind-the-back passes.

Leads that seemed insurmountable suddenly became achievable. Vicksburg blew more double-digit leads this year than can ever be remembered.

Players took 3-point shots from anywhere between the actual 3-point line and Edwards.

A frustrated coach Dellie C. Robinson shook his head repeatedly wondering what was happening to his ballclub.

That was then.

The Gators of today are playing something like this:

Mediocre mid-season players are now the team’s leaders. Defensive pressure has forced turnovers, which Vicksburg converts into points. The errant passes that at one time flew into the crowd now find their mark.

In three weeks, the Gators have transformed themselves from a team with a losing record and hopes for the future to a team that will scare the gym shorts off any opponent they face.

If all this sounds familiar, it happened two years ago as well.

The Gators were a team then that stayed beneath every radar. They were a team that never saw their name in the state rankings. They were a team no one worried about.

Then they won a state satellite playoff game at home. VHS followed that with a South State victory, which propelled them into the state tournament.

Three wins later, the Gators were celebrating the first state basketball championship the school had seen in more than 20 years.

On the Gulf Coast Friday night, Vicksburg will have its opportunity to shock the state basketball world again. The Gators will certainly be underdogs – by far they have the worst record (17-16) of all four particpants.

If Vicksburg wins one of two games, it will earn a berth in the state tournament in Jackson. It is possible that the Gators could enter the Class 5A state tournament – the top six teams in the largest classification – with an 18-17 record.

Teams with 17 losses usually don’t play for state championships, and the Gators’ return to Jackson is by no means a foregone conclusion. A matchup with second-ranked Biloxi in the first round will be the toughest test of the season.

But then again, this Vicksburg team was not supposed to beat Natchez in the first round of the Division 6-5A Tournament. This team was not supposed to win a division title, or a satellite game.

This is a different team now.

And no team in their right minds wants to play them.