VICKSBURG &045; Both the Warren Central boys and the girls picked up huge Division 6-5A wins on Friday night against visiting Natchez.

For coach Jesse Johnson’s Vikings, the 52-48 victory was especially sweet.

Last month at Natchez, the Bulldogs hammered the Vikings. This time, the Vikings played more physical and kept the quicker Bulldogs in line.

&uot;I really feel that all four of the teams in our division are evenly matched,&uot; said Johnson, whose team improved to 9-8 overall and 1-2 in the division. &uot;It’s just a matter of who can get up for the competition.&uot;

For Natchez, the loss was its first in division play after two wins. The Bulldogs are now 11-6 on the season.

The contest was close throughout and came down to free-throw shooting at the end. WC hit its last three in the final 36.9 seconds and that proved to be difference.

Trailing 49-48, Natchez had a chance to tie the game, but Rodney Gray missed a pair of free throws. On the second miss, Chico Hunter came up with the loose ball and drew a foul.

Hunter was hurt on the play and was unable to take his free throws. Jula Pugh came off the bench and made the back-end of the two-shot foul for a 50-48 lead with 36.9 seconds left.

Natchez missed on a pair of 3-point attempts and WC’s Tiger Robinson hit a pair of free throws to seal the game.

Johnson lamented the Vikings’ ragged looking play at times. They had a six-point lead early in the fourth quarter but could not stretch out the lead.

&uot;That’s been our method this year,&uot; Johnson said. &uot;We just can’t seem to maintain our composure. We lose our focus in running our offense.&uot;

WC girls 68, Natchez 59

The Lady Vikes solidified their lead in division play with a 68-59 win over Natchez.

WC now sit alone atop the Division 6-5A standings with a 3-0 record and 13-4 overall. Natchez fell to 7-8, 1-2.

&uot;That was big for us because we’re now 3-0 in the division,&uot; WC coach Donny Fuller said. &uot;Natchez is so quick and athletic, but our girls really wanted it so bad tonight.

&uot;My biggest problem was trying to get them to slow down.&uot;