JACKSON – After going scoreless Monday against Bailey, Brittany Willis was back at Warren Central’s gym bright and early Tuesday morning.

Willis could not recall how many jumpers she fired away at, but her work paid off in a big way later in the day in a game against Provine. The junior foward tossed in a game-high 26 points to lift the WC Lady Vikes past Provine 60-55 and into this morning’s Jackson Public School Tournament semifinal with 5A powerhouse Murrah.

Jim Hill and Wingfield will meet in the other tournament semifinal. The championship game is at 6 p.m. All games are at Forest Hill.

&#8220I had a really bad game Monday, so I got up at 7:30, threw on some clothes, and met coach Fuller at the gym. He talked to me a bit and then I shot the ball. I don’t know how many. We have this net, so the ball can come back to you. I also had my older brother with me,” Willis said.

&#8220Yesterday (Monday) Brittany couldn’t throw one in the ocean, but she came to me after we got back and she wanted to work on her shot. I said, ‘No problem, meet me up at the gym at 8 a.m.,”’ said WC coach Donny Fuller.

The workout session had Willis properly focused from the start. She hit four field goals and made all four of her free throw attemtps in the opening quarter to stake WC to an 18-12 lead.

Two more free throws in the second quarter gave the Lady Vikes a 28-21 edge before Provine (5-4) rallied to tie the game at 32 by halftime.

Willis dropped in three more baskets in the third quarter to give her 24 to that point, but by that time, Provine’s outstanding guard Tenesha Brown got hot with a pair of deep 3-pointers with Willis guarding her. That left the two teams tied at 45 going to the fourth.

&#8220She’s really good,” Willis said of Brown who is being looked at by the University of Alabama and Southern Miss.

Fuller gave Willis a break to start the fourth and had Amanda Doyle take on Brown.

&#8220She is so quick and whoever had her was going to have to have help,” Fuller said about Brown. &#8220It was also so hot and humid in here that I was worried that fatigue would hurt us in the fourth quarter, because we’re only playing eight.”

The Forest Hill gym was filling up because the No. 1 ranked Provine boys had the next game.

WC (10-3) stole the momentum from the Lady Rams at the start of the quarter when Sha’Kayla Caples converted a steal into an easy layup. Doyle added a pair of baskets, including a 15-foot jumper, to make it 51-47.

Another basket by Doyle followed by two free throws with 2:01 left, gave Warren Central a 58-53 advantage.

Brown, who had scored two baskets off drives, opted for three long 3-pointers in the final minute. She missed all three.