Twice this season, Warren Central faced Northwest Rankin and came up short. As the playoff rematch approaches, it’s hardly shaken the Lady Vikes’ confidence.

“They didn’t beat us. We beat ourselves. We definitely have a shot,” WC coach Dana McGivney said. “It’s a team we can beat, if we play a complete game.”

WC (7-15) hosts Northwest Rankin (15-9) in a first-round Class 6A playoff series Tuesday at Lucy Young Field. Northwest took both regular-season games, 8-0 and 6-2, but McGivney said one bad inning proved costly both times. In the 5-2 loss on Sept. 23, the Lady Cougars scored five runs with two outs in the third inning and went on to win.

Erase those mistakes, she said, and the Lady Vikes can win the best-of-three playoff series.

“That’s what’s killed us all year is one bad inning. If we play a full ballgame, we win the ballgame,” McGivney said.

McGivney added that a pair of bad days for her team proved especially costly. The second loss came as part of a seven-game losing streak that didn’t end until this week. Warren Central will enter the playoffs on a small two-game winning streak after beating Provine and Brookhaven in its last two regular-season games.