There were no nerves when Jazmine Walker let fly her 3-point shot with 11 seconds left against Madison Central Tuesday night. Walker’s shot found the bottom of the net to give Vicksburg a thrilling 58-56 victory.

The two-point win marks the second time in three games the Missy Gators have pulled out a nail-biting decision. Last week against Natchez, Donyeah Mayfield made a free throw with no time left to garner a 68-67 victory.

“Not really,” was Walker’s answer about the status of her nerves when she let loose from the deep right corner. “I just knew, we needed that shot.”

The Missy Gators (2-1) then got a miss from Madison’s Keishara Rouser with five seconds left to hold on for the win.

Vicksburg trailed 56-55 with 22 seconds left when they forced a bad pass off an inbound. The turnover allowed Vicksburg a shot at taking the lead, which Walker delivered.

“Jazmine was a senior leader tonight,” VHS coach Barbara Hartzog said. “She stepped up and took over when she was ready.”

Hartzog said the Missy Gators’ defensive ploy on the turnover was another key.

“We doubled down on the inbound girl and I guess she wasn’t expecting it and made a bad pass,” Hartzog said.

Walker said the Missy Gators’ ability to apply pressure is the key reason why the team is winning the close games they regularly lost last year. Nine of the team’s 17 losses last year came in the final minute.

“Our defense is better this year,” Walker said.

“That’s true. Last year, we just lost these types of games,” Hartzog added.

Vicksburg trailed by 12 at 32-20 midway through the third quarter but back-to-back3-pointers from Kamiko Martin started a rally. They got to within two at 39-37 by quarter’s end and then Mayfield gave VHS its first lead at 43-41 early in the fourth quarter. The game went back and forth from that point.

Martin and Alexus Stirgus finished with 17 points each. Mayfield had 14. Walker’s trey was her lone basket of the game.

Telicia Gayden led Madison (1-3) with 21 points and Nicolette Walker had 13.

(B) MC 56, VHS 43

No Mychal Ammons and a poor shooting fourth quarter doomed the Gators (2-1) against a solid Madison Central club.

The Jaguars (2-2), whose two losses have come against Class 5A runner-up Greenville-Weston and Class 4A power Lanier, made their first 16 free throws. MC did not miss until the 1:41 mark when Sterling Hopkins clanked a pair. The Jaguars finished 17 of 20 for the game.

Ammons, the sophomore forward, is out until the Dec. 2 Region 3-4A opener at Ridgeland with a high ankle sprain. Ammons was injured in the first quarter in the finals of the Vicksburg-Warren Tournament. He will miss Saturday’s game with Warren Central and then the Gators will have two weeks off before the region opener.

The Gators missed their last nine shots of the game after pulling within a point at 36-35 with two minutes left in the third quarter. VHS was just 13-of-46 from the floor in the contest.

Maurice Williams led Vicksburg with 15 points while Kelsey Howard had 10 and Dominique Brown added 10 points and five assists.

Madison Central got 16 points from Jeremy Adams and 13 second-half points from Sam Walker to grab the win.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com.