The Vicksburg Missy Gators have been running hot and cold this season, alternating some quality wins with some frustrating losses.

They’re on the right side of things for the moment, and wouldn’t mind staying that way with a big game coming up next.

Destiny Sims had 18 points and five steals, and Yakia Burns added 14 points and five steals as the Missy Gators rallied from an early deficit to beat Northwest Rankin 51-48 on Tuesday night.

“Any win is a good win. There were a lot of things in that fourth quarter we need to go work on and tighten up. I’m happy that we got a win against a formidable opponent,” Vicksburg coach Troy Stewart said.

It was the fourth game in a row where the Missy Gators (4-4) have alternated wins and losses. They also started the season with back-to-back victories followed by a three-game losing streak.
They’ll head across town on Saturday to face a red-hot Warren Central team that has beaten them six of the last seven times they’ve played, and that has won seven of its first nine games this season.

“We lost one and then won this one, so I don’t know what to expect against Warren Central. One minute we’re playing great, one minute we’re playing like normal people. When it comes to focus, I think the girls are focused. We’re trying to play in a hurry rather than fast,” Stewart said.

Vicksburg trailed Northwest Rankin (4-5) by eight points entering the second quarter on Tuesday, and then got hot. Sims scored nine points in the second quarter and the Missy Gators outscored the Cougars 20-5 to take the lead for good.

They never quite pulled away, though. Their biggest lead was 12 points early in the third quarter, and the margin hovered between four and nine for most of the second half.

Some missed free throws late in the game even gave Northwest Rankin a chance to tie it. Taylor Dupree scored with 8.4 seconds left to cut it to 50-48. Tiarra Jones split two free throws on the other end for Vicksburg with two seconds left, missing the second one, and Northwest Rankin grabbed the rebound.

The ball sailed out of bounds on a long outlet pass, however, and the Missy Gators escaped with the victory.

Dupree scored a game-high 22 points for Northwest Rankin, half of them in the first quarter. Serenity Trigg added nine points and Mariah Matthews seven.

Jones finished with eight points and six rebounds for Vicksburg, which shot 13-for-63 overall from the floor (21 percent) and 1-for-11 from 3-point range. It made up the difference by going 24-for-38 at the free throw line.

“Northwest Rankin made adjustments that we needed to counter, and we didn’t counter them the right way. We made some small adjustments, got in the right places, did the right things, and just couldn’t put the ball in the hole. We just never could get in a groove and pull off,” Stewart said.

(G) Warren Central 71, Wingfield 27
Alaila Bracey scored 18 points, Aniya Sanders added 16, and Warren Central (7-2) made short work of Wingfield (0-7) to continue its early-season surge.

Sanders scored 14 points in the first half as the Lady Vikes jumped out to a 44-12 halftime lead. Bracey took over from there, scoring eight points in the third quarter as they continued to pad the margin.

Zy’kerri Segrest also scored 13 points for Warren Central, Jamiya Sanders finished with 13, and Ashlea Rainey had seven.

Jamia Brinson led Wingfield with 11 points. The Falcons posted their highest point total of the season.

Warren Central hosts Jim Hill Thursday at 6 p.m.

(G) St. Aloysius 54, Tallulah Academy 19
Kendyl Rice scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in the first half, Elizabeth Theriot had 13 of her 15 points in the second, and St. Aloysius (1-5) notched its first win of the season by routing Tallulah Academy.

Taylor Chewning and Olivia Waring added eight points apiece for the Lady Flashes, who held Tallulah to two points in the first quarter and led 28-11 at halftime.

Faith Kivett led Tallulah with six points and Maddie Collins scored five.

Tuesday’s game was the last for St. Al at home in 2019. Its next five are on the road, and it will not play at home again until facing Simpson Academy on Jan. 2.