Missy Gators successful in Saturday doubleheader
Published 8:45 pm Saturday, January 19, 2019
After the Vicksburg Missy Gators had dispatched South Delta in the Red Carpet Basketball Classic, coach Troy Stewart hustled his team to center court for the trophy presentation and then out the door and to the bus idling in front of the gym.
Stewart wasn’t trying to be rude. The Missy Gators simply had other places to be.
Vicksburg crushed South Delta 67-11 in the Red Carpet Classic at Warren Central. Immediately afterward they hopped on the bus to go to Jackson to play Jim Hill in the MLK Classic. The second game was scheduled to start about 90 minutes after the first one ended and the Missy Gators won that one as well, 53-42. The two victories ran their winning streak to six.
Luckily for the Missy Gators (16-6), the contest with South Delta (0-15) was hardly a game at all. South Delta did not make a shot from the field until Sha’Kaylon Watson hit a 3-pointer with two minutes left in the third quarter.
Vicksburg led 48-2 at halftime, and the second half was played with a running clock.
Stewart did not dress out most of his starters to rest them for the second half of the Saturday doubleheader, which gave the reserves and junior varsity players a chance to shine.
Nature Hall made six 3-pointers, all in the first half, and finished with 22 points.
Destini Sims, one of the few regulars who did play, scored all 17 of her points in the first half and Jayda Henderson scored 11 points.
(B) Vicksburg 78, South Delta 47
Cameron Butler made four 3-pointers in the first quarter to get Vicksburg off to a fast start, Leonard Sims scored a career-high 28 points, and the Gators blew out South Delta in the Red Carpet Classic.
Butler finished with 16 points, Peytin Jackson added 10 and Keshawn Brown scored nine as the Gators rested several starters following a difficult Region 4-5A game at Callaway on Friday night.
Vicksburg lost 75-58 to Callaway, but had no problem beating South Delta.
Butler’s four 3-pointers were among six the Gators (11-8) hit in the first quarter. Seven players scored at least one point in the second quarter as the lead increased to 41-21 at halftime, and the Gators also finished with a flourish.
Sims, a senior, hit three 3-pointers and scored 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter. He had never scored in double figures in 23 previous varsity games, and his 28 points matched the total number he had scored this season.
(G) Columbus 78, Warren Central 40
After a thrilling victory on Friday night, the Warren Central Lady Vikes ran out of gas on Saturday afternoon.
Hannah White scored 12 of her 20 points in the third quarter, Keayra Hughes had all 10 of her points in the fourth quarter, and Columbus (17-2) rolled past Warren Central (7-11) in the Red Carpet Classic.
Zykerri Segrest scored nine points for Warren Central, and Aniya Sanders scored 20 to follow up a memorable performance the night before in a 73-71 overtime win at Jim Hill.
Sanders finished with 41 points and 18 rebounds, and hit a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer that sent the game to overtime. Freshman guard Alaila Bracey added 19 points against Jim Hill.
Warren Central hosts Murrah Tuesday at 6 p.m.