Vicksburg High cancels four basketball games because of COVID-19

Published 8:39 pm Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Vicksburg High’s boys’ basketball team and its varsity cheerleading squad have been put in a timeout because of COVID-19.

Four reported cases of the coronavirus at the school have forced both teams to suspend activities until after the Thanksgiving break, Vicksburg Warren School District spokesperson Christi Kilroy said.

Kilroy said three newly reported cases of COVID-19 have been reported among students this week, and one among staff and teachers. The school district is following Mississippi State Department of Health guidelines for contact tracing and quarantining among other students and staff. Kilroy did not specify whether the basketball and cheerleading teams had members who tested positive, or if they were quarantined because of the contact tracing protocols.

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Vicksburg’s boys’ basketball team canceled its scheduled game against Madison Central on Tuesday, and will also have to cancel three other home games this month. Its first game after Thanksgiving break is scheduled for Dec. 1 at Northwest Rankin.

Vicksburg’s girls’ basketball team is not affected by the quarantine, but coach Troy Stewart said two of its next three games have been canceled for other reasons — including one opponent, Brandon, that is in its own quarantine. The Missy Gators are next scheduled to play Nov. 24, at home against Raymond.

Vicksburg’s MHSAA Class 5A football playoff game against Grenada has not been affected. The game is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. at Grenada.

Six MHSAA playoff games scheduled for Friday, including two in Class 5A, were canceled and declared forfeits because of COVID-19 outbreaks at various schools. Neshoba Central earned a forfeit win over Lafayette, and Pascagoula got a forfeit win over Brookhaven in the Class 5A playoffs.

Neshoba Central will play the winner between Ridgeland and Lake Cormorant in the second round. Pascagoula will face either South Jones or Hattiesburg.

A number of other schools in Mississippi have also been dealing with a renewed spike in cases that have affected their athletics programs. Porter’s Chapel Academy canceled a basketball game against Franklin Academy on Tuesday after a student at the school tested positive for the virus. PCA’s school and daycare were both closed for the week as a precaution. Two basketball games and a soccer game scheduled later this week were also canceled.

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

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