When matched against the best, Warren Central tends to do pretty well in the fight; at least recently.

Last season the Vikings forced an undefeated Brookhaven team into overtime and Monday was no different.

Warren Central fell to Crystal Springs 43-41 in overtime during its summer league game at home. Crystal Springs finished last season losing eight games and lost to Velma Jackson in the quarterfinals of the 2016 MHSAA Boys 3A Championship.

The Vikings were in an all-too-familiar position with a double-digit deficit to end the first half. They had a slight 39-36 lead in the final minute of regulation but Crystal Springs hit a three-pointer from the right corner to send it into overtime.

“At the end you have to make a free throw or two,” Warren Central coach Bruce Robinson said about his team twice missing the front end of a one-and-one free-throw attempts. “We gave up two offensive rebounds for them to be able to get that basket that tied it up.”

The overtime experience will help Warren Central in future battles on the court.

“We felt like we should’ve not rushed the ball up,” Robinson said. “It’s two minutes so you can hold that ball. You can get the last shot or they’re going to foul you. That’s something we just have to understand and grow from.”

Robinson rolled out a “specialty unit” of Jalen Allen, Shaun Walton, Walt Hopson, Chris Early and Raleigh Floyd.

Collectively, three seniors and two juniors make up a unit that Robinson said was cohesive and played with rhythm.

The Vikings are still learning how to close out games and win, except Robinson said the mental toughness and maturity is lacking at this point of a very infant season.

“We try to develop a little talent and play some guys but at the end of the day, you have four, five or six guys you can trust and spots. I think they’ll be able to get the job done,” Robinson said.

Within the first three minutes of the running-clock half, Robinson shouted and reminded his team to move the ball, which led to finding the open man for easy points on the paint or perimeter.

Allen served as the primary ball handler and helped keep ball movement fluid throughout.

“When Crystal Springs got their lead we didn’t have very good ball movement. You have to move the ball and you have to move people. I think Jalen Allen did a good job as a point guard with getting the ball where it needed to be,” Robinson said.

June has been a rough time for the Vikings. Robinson has only been with the team on a handful of occasions due to family emergencies. He’s been at two practices and about three games.

But he said Monday’s game was the best his team has looked all season.

“It’s been a challenging summer and we just have to keep up,” he said.