photo by Ben Hillyer

Vidalia Viking basketball players D.J. Polk and Torrey Dixon celebrate the Vikings state championship just seconds after the buzzer sounded in the team’s 82-59 victory Friday night in the Cajundome in Lafayette, La.

Vikings plunder Carroll quickly, mercilessly

By Jeff Edwards (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Saturday, March 13, 2010

LAFAYETTE, La. — The Vidalia Vikings have been waiting for this moment ever since they lost in the Class 3A state championship game last season.

And it only took about six minutes for the Vikings to get their revenge and claim the state title.

Vidalia jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first six minutes of the game and continued to roll from there, destroying Carroll 82-59 to win its first state championship in 31 years.

“I really was surprised with how easily we jumped out,” Vidalia coach Robert Sanders said. “But once we jumped out, we were like sharks in the water. We smelled the blood. We stayed on them.”

That they did. After leading 19-10 at the end of the first quarter, the Vikings continued to increase their lead throughout the second quarter.

The only bright spot for Carroll came at the very end of the first half, when Xavier Lee hit a 75-foot heave at the buzzer.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, that only made the score 48-23 at halftime.

Vidalia shot better than 65 percent in the first half and made five of seven 3-pointers in building the 25-point halftime lead.

“The main thing tonight was we just wanted to bring the championship home,” Vidalia senior Gary Stewart said. “The whole time I was just thinking about getting that ring.”

Stewart was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after scoring 17 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in the championship game.

“I was kind of shocked when they called my name,” Stewart said. “Tonight I just had to do it all and leave it all out there.”

In addition to Stewart’s double-double, Torrey Dixon scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Quartrell Thomas scored 18 points.

The second half was more of a coronation of Vidalia’s championship season that saw the team finish with a 32-4 record.

The Vikings led by as many as 31 points in the third quarter as the fans had already started celebrating the team’s championship long before the game ended.

“The community and school waited a long time for this championship,” Sanders said. “The town is empty now, but when we get back, there will be a lot of noise.”

So what was the difference in this year’s team that won the state championship in a blowout and last year’s team that lost the state title by 14 points to Richwood?

Sanders said it was all about maturity and hunger.

“They had been here before, so they were more comfortable,” Sanders said. “They were also hungrier. They tasted how close they got to it last year and this time they were anxious to bring it on home.”