Red Carpet Basketball Classic is a gallery for local, regional teams

Published 10:28 am Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Watching basketball all day will never get boring for me. It’s art in motion with countless masterpieces being painted by the brushes of just as many genius artists.

A number of events serve as festivals or galleries for the art of basketball to be displayed.

In March, the NCAA tournament with its excitement and frustration captures the attention of casual and rabid fans. The NBA finals showcase the best talent in the world, leaving its fans heartbroken or elated with the outcome.

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But I was introduced to a new gallery on the campus of Warren Central High School that had me awing at its existence.

The Red Carpet Basketball Classic was about seven hours of high school basketball, with any seldom or dull moments.

Porters Chapel Academy’s teams, I must say, were the big winners of the Red Carpet Classic. The girls snapped a 42-game losing streak, which lasted all of two years and the boys won by 50 points. While PCA is usually an easy game for most teams, the schools deserved a win and its players deserve to know what winning feels like. The coaches work hard in practice and the players work harder to bring the practice material to the court.

Vicksburg lost in a tough bout against Northwest Rankin and had its losing streak extended to six. The Gators continue to struggle with shooting and coach Dellie C. Robinson said you can’t win if you can’t score. Opponents have found a way to eliminate the presence and scoring option of Kirk Parker, forcing the team to take jumpers.

The Lady Cougars wanted to redeemed themselves evening up the season series to 1-1. Similar to what they boys did against Vicksburg, Northwest Rankin was able to hold Karry Callahan to single-digit points at nine and 12 rebounds. It was the second time all season the Missy Gators failed to reach the 30-point mark.

As the host of the tournament, Warren Central defended its home court to bring the night to a close. Provine put up a good fight against the Lady Vikes and Amber Gaston saved the win affecting a fast break layup as time expired off the clock. The Lady Vikes always cover their teammates back and coach Jackie Martin-Glass has a team of players who can step in and not just five reliable starters.

It was only right for the Vikings to dismantle O’Bannon the way they did and show the city and each other how good of a team it can be when things go right. Once the Vikings got off to a 15-0 start in the first quarter it dominated the rest of the way.

The Red Carpet Basketball Classic can grow into a destination tournament as it was efficiently executed with no altercations and good sportsmanship.

Alex Swatson is a sports writer for The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at alex.swatson@vicksburgpost.com