VIDALIA — For two and a half quarters, the Vidalia boys didn’t seem like themselves.

But the sleeping giant woke up midway through the third quarter, and Vidalia cruised to an 80-48 win against Jena High School Friday.

Jena kept it close until Vidalia (6-8) decided to play smart, team basketball. The Vikings poured on 55 second-half points to pull away against the visiting Giants.

Vidalia’s full-court press seemed too overwhelming for the 1-12 Giants, who could not take advantage of the early turnovers and missed shots of the Vikings. The Vikings looked sloppy in the first half, seeming as if they were trying to play fancy basketball instead of trying to put up points.

“We missed too many layups and free throws (in the first half),” Vidalia head coach Robert Sanders said.

Vidalia left their full-court press early in the game and barely led 25-24 at the break.

“We pulled out of the full-court press because our starters were getting tired,” Sanders said.

But thanks to the great defensive play that began late in the third period, Vidalia took an 11-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, a lead that was never threatened.

From there, the Vikings’ aggressive defensive game plan went into full effect as they managed multiple steals that transitioned into easy fast break layups. The offense no longer seemed fancy, but efficient.

Throughout the second half, Vidalia also passed the ball well, resulting in points.. In the first half, passes sailed out of bounds or were intercepted by Giant defenders.

The Vikings aggressive defense held the Giants to just 13 points in the fourth period, while outscoring them by 21. The 34-point fourth quarter nearly doubled the Viking’s offensive effort that seemed to be stagnant throughout the entire first half.

“Our backs were against the wall. The game was close. We concentrated on our shots,” Coach Sanders said.

Seniors D.J. Polk and Terrence Thompson led the Vikings in scoring with 28 and 20 points, respectively.