Four teams in search of holiday cheer will try to find it this week in Mendenhall.

Vicksburg and Warren Central’s boys and girls teams all open play today in the Mendenhall Holiday Tournament.

For Vicksburg boys coach Dellie C. Robinson, the tournament is a chance to gain momentum heading into the second half of the season. It’s also a chance for the Gators to find their footing in front of a hostile crowd.

VHS is 6-6 overall. It’s 6-1 at home and on neutral courts, but 0-5 on the road. They’ll open the tournament this afternoon against Port Gibson (11-2), then play Magee at noon on Wednesday and Thursday night against Mendenhall.

“With such a young team, we hope to be a much better team in January. But, to get there, it means you have to go through the storm,” Robinson said. “We were able to go back and work on some fundamentals after the Brandon game.”

Vicksburg’s girls team is also trying to regain some lost momentum. It enters today’s tournament opener against Magee having lost three of its last four games. The Missy Gators (4-8) will also play Florence on Wednesday and Mendenhall on Thursday.

Coach Barbara Hartzog said her team must be focused and motivated to end its current slump.

“We’ve got three games and if we can win them, we can get back close to .500,” Hartzog said. “But if we don’t come ready to play, it’s not going to matter.”

Like his crosstown colleagues, first-year Warren Central boys coach Chareck Cable sees the Mendenhall Tournament as a way to get better. The Vikings — who face Mendenhall, Port Gibson and Florence in the tournament — are 6-7 overall.

“We should get a better idea where we are,” Cable said. “I think we gained some confidence when we beat Canton at the Ridgeland Classic. Some things I’ve been trying to get through to them finally made some sense.”

Warren Central’s girls open the tournament at 6 tonight against Magee, then face Port Gibson at 3 p.m. Wednesday and Magee at 1:30 Thursday.

Porters Chapel Academy will also be in action this week, at the Brookhaven Academy Invitational. They’ll begin a three-game run tonight at 5:15 against either Trinity or Riverdale, who played each other this morning.

A meeting with Trinity would be PCA’s third of the season. The Eagles (10-1) split the first two games with the Saints, losing in Natchez before winning 62-45 at home on Dec. 17.

Holiday tournament schedules

Mendenhall Tournament

BOYS

Today

Vicksburg vs. Port Gibson, 3 p.m.

Warren Central vs. Magee, 6 p.m.

Wednesday

Vicksburg vs. Magee, Noon

Warren Central vs. Port Gibson, 3 p.m.

Thursday

Warren Central vs. Florence, 3 p.m.

Vicksburg vs. Mendenhall, 7:30 p.m.

GIRLS

Today

Vicksburg vs. Magee, 4:30 p.m.

Warren Central vs. Mendenhall, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday

Vicksburg vs. Florence, 1:30 p.m.

Warren Central vs. Port Gibson, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday

Warren Central vs. Magee, 1:30 p.m.

Vicksburg vs. Mendenhall, 6 p.m.

———

Brookhaven Academy Invitational

BOYS

Today

Trinity vs. Riverdale, 9:45 a.m.

East Rankin vs. Parklane, 12:15 p.m.

Bowling Green vs. Silliman, 2:45 p.m.

PCA vs. Trinity-Riverdale winner, 5:15 p.m.

Brookhaven Academy vs. Oak Forest, 7:45 p.m.

Wednesday

Porters Chapel-Trinity/Riverdale loser vs. East Rankin-Parklane loser, 12:15 p.m.

Brookhaven Academy-Oak Forest loser vs. Bowling Green-Silliman loser, 2:45 p.m.

Porters Chapel-Trinity/Riverdale winner vs. East Rankin-Parklane winner, 5:15 p.m.

Brookhaven Academy-Oak Forest winner vs. Bowling Green-Silliman winner, 7:45 p.m.

Thursday

Fifth-place game, 2:45 p.m.

Consolation game, 5:15 p.m.

Championship game, 7:45 p.m.