Julius Wilson needed neither a pen nor a cell phone to send me a direct message Tuesday night.

But then again, if Wilson had a pen on the floor, I have no doubts he would have run up to my table in the Vidalia Vikings’ game against the Natchez Bulldogs and written a not-so-subtle note on my pad.

Before the Vikings and Bulldogs tipped off Tuesday night, I suggested in my column two days before that Natchez High’s Daryl Jones might be the most impressive player in the area. That’s not to say Jones made me look foolish after the fact. Jones exhibited everything I wrote about in the 67-63 comeback win against the Vikings, making some nice dishes and using his ball handling to keep possession for Natchez down the stretch. With that said, I’m not so sure I can state he was more impressive than Wilson. My evanescent proclamation last Sunday withered every time Wilson broke a press, made a layup or pulled up and played some sweet string music. I know what you’re thinking, and yes it’s true — though I can be stubborn at times, I’m not completely obstinate. Therefore, Wilson made me think twice about my statements by providing the best performance I’ve seen from any player all year.

For weeks now, I’ve been waiting on one boy’s basketball player to really elevate himself above the pack, to really make that strong push for the 2014-15 All-Metro Player of the Year. Players like Jones, Wilson, ACCS’ Brandon Brooks and Wilkinson County’s Travion Jones have all impressed, but none of them have exactly taken the award and ran away with it.

Wilson made a nice first step in doing that Tuesday night.

Out of the gates, Wilson took the tip and started aggressively attacking the rim, something he was ever so hesitant about doing in the early goings of the season. Earlier this year, I had a conversation with him, asking him why he was so reluctant to take the ball to the goal with his athleticism, and he said he lacked that eye of the tiger, but that it was going to appear soon. Well, Wilson was playing to the beat of Survivor’s classic against Natchez, scoring seven points in the opening period and going into the half with 10 points. The start of the second is when he really turned heads at Mary Jean Irving Memorial Gym, though. Wilson came out of the half, drilling two 3-pointers and finishing off an and-one opportunity. He was feeling it as he pumped his fist, but I came to find out from head coach Robert Sanders after the game, Wilson was doing all of this under the weather.

“He had some stomach issues, but you saw him, he fought until the end,” said Sanders after the game.

Of course, Wilson’s Vikings came up short, allowing Natchez to come back from a 14-point deficit, a feat that was both thrilling and enjoyable to watch. But Wilson made his mark, so much so that Nook Logan, a Natchez High graduate and former Major League Baseball player, was asking me about “No. 25.”

This might be the first ripple a player has made on a big stage in trying to state a claim of best in the area, but we’re far away from crowning any player as such. Whose going end up taking that honor in the area is anybody’s guess at this point. One thing I do know is that Wilson might be driving the bus after his performance against the Bulldogs, but not too far behind him is Brooks and Jones, who are putting together quite a resume.

With a race this tight, every game counts, and quite frankly, it makes my job a lot more fun.