An 8-0 run late in the fourth quarter helped Vidalia High School stave off Delta Charter School 59-52 in boys basketball action Monday at the Sicily Island Tournament.

After leading comfortably at the half 30-18, Vidalia had to weather the storm as Delta Charter cranked up its effort in the final two periods.

“We kind of got away from the things that we did that gave us the lead,” Vidalia coach Robert Sanders said. “We got careless with the ball, we left shooters wide open, and they got back in it.”

Demarco Brown led the Vikings (2-8) with a game-high 24 points, while Cedric Daniels added 12 points.

Brown capped off the late spurt with a backdoor layup off a perfect bounce pass from Jarred Turner.

“We held the ball like we were supposed to and got the ball into the right people’s hands,” Sanders said. “But we still don’t protect the ball like we need to. Hats off to Delta Charter; they stayed in there and fought the whole game.”

DCS (7-8) outscored VHS 35-29 in the second half, including a 22-point third-quarter outburst.

“We just weren’t ready to play,” DCS coach Ron Ellis said of the first half. “If you wait until the end, it’s not going to work.”

Dawson Woodruff paced the Storm with 22 points, including three 3-pointers.

Midway through the third, the senior guard knocked down a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to single digits, 40-32. Dontae Brown then connected on 3-point makes on back-to-back possessions to cut the deficit to four, 42-38, with 1:20 remaining in the third.

“We were knocking shots down, but we were not keeping focused defensively,” Ellis said. “We’re not talking, and we’re not switching.”

Vidalia will be back in action at 2 p.m. today when it plays Franklin Parish in the tournament, while Delta Charter will face host Sicily Island at 6 p.m.

“It’ll be a better outcome if we come ready to play,” Ellis said.