For the past few games, Warren Central’s role players have made key contributions. On Saturday afternoon, its two stars reminded everyone of how easily they can carry the load.

Sha’Kayla Caples had 31 points and 13 rebounds, and point guard Karnina Bunch had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists as WC clubbed Vicksburg 82-47.

DeDe Eatmon added 10 points, Ricille Davis had eight, and Bailey Anderton grabbed eight rebounds for WC (17-1). But it was the play of Caples and Bunch that propelled them to the win. Caples had a double-double by the midway point of the second quarter, and she and Bunch combined for 26 points in the first half alone.

“You expect them to step up in a game like this. It’s the last opportunity they’re going to have to play against Vicksburg,” WC coach Donny Fuller said. “They were playing for bragging rights for the rest of their life.”

For Vicksburg (6-9), it was a lost afternoon. Kamiko Martin scored a team-high 14 points, but the Missy Gators never led. They shot just 24.6 percent from the field, were outrebounded 49-19, and quickly saw the deficit balloon to the mid-20s after trailing by just 14 at halftime.

Perhaps the most excitement of the whole game came when a fight in the stands spilled onto the court halfway through the third quarter, momentarily stopping the action.

“Apparently we forgot we had a game today. It wasn’t just one of us. We fought against ourselves,” Vicksburg coach Barbara Hartzog said. “We didn’t do anything well. We don’t need to be mad, we ought to be disappointed. We could have given them a better game.”

Caples and Bunch made sure this wouldn’t be close from the get-go.

Bunch hit two 3-pointers, and Caples had six points and seven rebounds in the first quarter. WC opened the game with a 7-0 run, and led 19-6 before a Vicksburg run closed the gap to seven heading into the second quarter. Caples scored nine points in the second, though, and 10 more in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the third, as the Lady Vikes steadily pulled away.

WC hit 19 of 28 shots from the field in the first half.

Vicksburg boys beat WC, 66-31

Kelsey Howard and Jeremy Squire each scored 12 points, and Denzell Erves had 11 points and seven blocked shots as Vicksburg pounded Warren Central (3-12) for the second time this season.

The Gators never trailed, racing to a 10-2 lead in the opening minutes of the game and a 28-point advantage by halftime. WC never got closer than 25 points in the second half, despite some sloppy play by Vicksburg (11-4). VHS scored 26 points in the second half, just three more than it had in the first quarter.

“I thought we played exceptionally well in the first half. The second half, we took the press off and just went through the motions,” Vicksburg coach Dellie C. Robinson said. “We got some guys some playing time who don’t normally get in there. It’s just a good win against an archrival.”

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Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com.