Until it gets its full roster back in a couple of weeks, Warren Central’s boys basketball team is mostly trying to hold the line and develop depth against a demanding schedule. It did that again Monday, except for a few decisive minutes. Lanier made six 3-pointers in the first half, including three to ignite an 18-2 run to end the second quarter, as it beat Warren Central 83-62 in the River City Challenge at WC. “We got tired. Numbers caught up with us and we didn’t have legs,” Warren Central coach Keith Williams said. “I knew coming in what Lanier had. When they’re ready to play they’re probably one of the toughest teams in the state. But I’m proud of my guys. We just ran out of gas.” Warren Central (2-4) is missing seven players many of them starters or rotation players who are part of the football team’s run to the MHSAA Class 6A semifinals. D. J. Gibbs and Davon O’Neal, both juniors, did more than their share of the heavy lifting Monday by scoring 28 and 21 points, respectively. They helped the Vikings take a 16-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, but things unraveled midway through the second. Maximus Owens hit two of Lanier’s 3-pointers, plus two other baskets during the big run that turned the Bulldogs’ small deficit into a 38-24 lead at halftime. Warren Central stabilized things in the second half to keep the margin between 12 and 21 points, but never got it back to single digits. Owens finished with 23 points to lead six Lanier (6-0) players in double figures. Derrion Duckworth scored 13 points, Cyon Bilbrew had 12, Chrishard Warner finished with 10, and Coryunte Coleman and Lazabian Banks had 11 each. “We knew they could shoot the ball. They made three 3s and we just couldn’t recover from it. We tried. But we couldn’t,” Williams said. “The effort was there. I was proud of the guys. They didn’t quit. We’re just going to keep working and continue to get better.” Warren Central will have off until Dec. 4 when Pearl visits, and December is filled with games against other outstanding teams like Clinton, Murrah, Raymond and Vicksburg. Williams, though, said the focus is on the Region 2-6A schedule that begins in January. He believes games like Monday’s will pay off then, when everyone is back in the fold and the Vikings’ postseason path is determined. “It’s about getting reps. This is going to help us with what we’re trying to do in January,” Williams said. “A lot of first-year players got invaluable experience so it can’t do nothing but help us. It’s preparing us for the district.”.
https://www.vicksburgpost.com/sports/big-run-propels-lanier-past-warren-central-in-river-city-challenge-93c7bc2d
Big run propels Lanier past Warren Central in River City Challenge
