The Vicksburg Gators have played three games in the past 10 days. The names on the opponents’ jerseys have read Warren Central, Brandon and Brookhaven, but all the Gators have seen is Ridgeland.

Ever since the brackets for the Division 4-5A tournament were set, the Gators have had a laser-sharp focus on their first-round opponent Ridgeland. Guaranteeing a spot in the Class 5A state tournament is the goal, and the Gators know they can do it by winning Monday night.

“Everything is about Ridgeland. We played Warren Central, but we were really playing Ridgeland. We play Brookhaven on Friday, and we have Ridgeland on Friday. Everything we’re doing this week is focused on Ridgeland,” Vicksburg interim coach Kelvin Carter said last week, before the Gators finished the regular season with a 65-62 loss to Brookhaven. “We very much want to win that one.”

Vicksburg (17-8) and Ridgeland (15-11) play at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Division tournament host Neshoba Central (20-3), the top seed, plays Lanier (4-20) at 6 p.m.

The top three teams in the division tournament advance to the 24-team state tournament, so the first-round winners are guaranteed a spot. The first-round losers will play an elimination game on Friday, while the winners play for the championship the same day.

Vicksburg has beaten Ridgeland twice already this season, 56-48 on Jan. 24 and 60-46 on Feb. 2. Both games were tough, Carter said, and Ridgeland is a very capable opponent despite its 1-5 record in the division. The Titans won two in a row after their last loss to the Gators.

Knowing what they’re up against, as well as the desire to avoid playing an elimination game later in the week — potentially against an excellent Neshoba Central team on its home floor — is behind the past week’s heavy emphasis on Ridgeland.

“We don’t want to be in a consolation game by any means,” Carter said. “It’s the hardest thing in the world to beat a team three times, but we’re very happy with where we are.”

The Gators are heading into the postseason with a lot of momentum. They had an eight-game winning streak snapped last week with a road loss at Brandon — one of the top teams in Class 6A —and have gotten better as the season has progressed.

Early in the year, the Gators relied almost solely on senior forward Kirk Parker to carry the offense. Parker averages 13.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game and is still the team’s main threat, but he’s gotten a lot of help in recent weeks.

Senior Raheem Moore is averaging 9.0 points per game. Guards Joe Thomas and Dentarius Richardson are scoring 8.9 and 7.5 points a game, respectively, and have carried the Gators through some long stretches when Parker was in foul trouble as well as in clutch situations.

Thomas had a stretch of six consecutive games in January in which he scored in double figures. Richardson hit a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds against Neshoba Central on Jan. 27, and then scored seven points in the final minute of a 49-46 victory over Warren Central on Feb. 4.

The emergence of those three, as well as some other contributions from players like Ke’Darrion Parson and Kardell English, have transformed the Gators into a complete and dangerous team that seems capable of a deep playoff run.

“They’re trusting and playing off each other a lot more,” Carter said. “Other guys have stepped up. When (Parker is) out, other guys have stepped up and helped the team, and that’s what it’s about.”
While Vicksburg’s boys’ team is eyeing a state championship, the girls’ team will be happy to salvage a difficult season by just making the tournament.

The Missy Gators (4-18) have lost 10 in a row coming into the division tournament. Several seniors have left the team in recent weeks, allowing for younger ones to gain valuable varsity experience in the latter stages of the season.

Junior Pleasure King (7.1 points per game) is the team’s leading scorer, but sophomore Jayla Sims and freshmen Karmen Davenport and Tiarra Jones have all stepped into prominent roles in the past two weeks. Jones, a forward, is averaging 7.3 rebounds in her first four varsity games.

The combination of a young team with potential and a modest regular-season record has paid dividends for Vicksburg before. The Missy Gators haven’t finished above .500 since the 2009-10 season, but have gotten out of the division tournament round twice in the past three years.

Based on what she’s seen recently, VHS coach Barbara Hartzog believes a similar scenario is possible this season. The Missy Gators will play top-seeded Lanier in the first round of the division tournament, Tuesday at 6 p.m.

“We’ve got two games and have to win at least one of them. We’re very capable if things fall right,” Hartzog said. “We have to leave it on the floor, because if we take it with us it ain’t going to help none.”

DIVISION 4-5A TOURNAMENT
At Neshoba Central
Boys
Monday
7:30 p.m. – Ridgeland vs. Vicksburg
Tuesday
6 p.m. – Lanier vs. Neshoba Central
Friday
5:30 p.m. – Consolation game
8:30 p.m. – Championship game

Girls
Monday
6 p.m. – Ridgeland vs. Neshoba Central
Tuesday
6 p.m. – Vicksburg vs. Lanier
Friday
4 p.m. – Consolation game
7 p.m. – Championship game