By REED DESALVO

The Natchez Democrat

vidalia — Vidalia High School had to utilize a 22-12 second half advantage to overcome a sluggish first half on Jan. 15 to beat Buckeye High School 49-36.

The Vikings needed no such spurt Monday night.

Vidalia dominated action from start to finish, leading by as many as 25 in the third quarter, en route to easing past Buckeye 67-52 on senior night in District 3-3A boys basketball action.

“I thought we did a pretty good job overall,” Vidalia coach Robert Sanders said. “There are still weaknesses that we have, especially on our interior defense. We allowed too many points in the paint and too many second-chance baskets.”

The Vikings (14-11, 9-2) were led offensively by senior Malik Jefferson, who poured in a game-high 19 points.

“It was fun being out there,” Jefferson said. “We were out there having fun with all the seniors and the rest of my teammates. It was wild — family and friends were here (Monday).”

Jefferson started alongside fellow seniors Julius Wilson, Desmond Blindon and Curtis McNulty, who all helped Vidalia jump out to a 15-10 first-quarter lead.

“It’s very special; all four started tonight, which they haven’t been doing,” Sanders said. “They all got significant minutes.”

Vidalia then extended its advantage to 33-20 by halftime, as it took advantage of its athleticism in hounding Buckeye into a number of forced turnovers.

“We had to use our athleticism,” Sanders said. “Over there (on Jan. 15) it was a pretty close game until the middle of the fourth quarter.”

DeMarco Brown tallied 18 points and pulled down six rebounds for the Vikings. Julius Wilson recorded 11 points, six assists and six rebounds, while Bindon chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds.

“Everybody played their part and did well,” Jefferson said. “Everybody handled their business (Monday).

Vidalia extended its winning streak to six games and has now recorded wins in eight of its last nine contests.

The Vikings will look continue their recent hot streak at Peabody High School Friday night, in hopes of better positioning themselves in playoff seeding.

“We need to win two out of the last three,” Sanders said. “We should be improved significantly in the power rankings. We were 31 last week, and with three wins since then, we should be moving up.”