VIDALIA — Thanks to a strong first quarter on both ends of the court, the Ferriday High School Trojans took care of the LHSAA District 2-2A and Concordia Parish rival Vidalia High School Vikings 77-58 last Friday night at the Vidalia High gym.

Trojans head coach George Barnes said he was pleased with the effort and intensity from the players not only in the first quarter, but throughout the game.

“Being a rivalry game, being a district game, it was a big win for us,” Barnes said. “We’ve been playing pretty good ball, but we haven’t been able to get a win. So hopefully this will help us the rest of the way.”

Ferriday scored 25 points in the first quarter while holding Vidalia to just eight points. The Trojans led by 19 points, 41-22, at halftime before outscoring the Vikings 25-18 in the third quarter for a commanding 66-40 advantage.

Jamarius Johnson, who led all scorers with 28 points, hit some big shots for the Trojans during the opening eight minutes and that was one of the keys to their big first quarter.

“Jamarius came out and hit three 3s and he got going. Everyone else started playing together. We came out in a 2-2-1 press that they were trying to figure out. They had a lot of turnovers. We were able to get a lot of easy buckets coming out of that press,” Barnes said.

Barnes added that even though his team had the lead at halftime, he wanted the players to come out for the second half as if they were trailing so as not to get lax and let the Vikings to come back.

“One of the big keys of being a young team is that we were able to develop their confidence. The rest of the game we played with intensity. We were diving on the floor for loose balls. They kept the intensity the whole game. We hustled for rebounds. We made the extra pass. We did the things you’re supposed to do to be successful.”

Derrick Johnson scored 15 points for Ferriday (6-10, 4-4). Ray J. Ransom led Vidalia (no record given) with 23 points and Curtis Washington had 17 points.

The Trojans next play at home today at 7:30 p.m. when they welcome General Trass High School from Lake Providence, La. for a district game. The Vikings also play at home today at 7:30 p.m. when they take on district newcomer Madison Parish High School for the second meeting between those two teams this season.

Ferriday girls 64, Vidalia 24

VIDALIA — Tierra Spurs scored 24 points and Shekayla Miller had 16 points as the Ferriday High School Lady Trojans cruised to a 64-24 win over the Vidalia High School Lady Vikings last Friday night to remain undefeated in LHSAA District 2-2A.

“We played Vidalia once, so we already knew what we were up against,” Lady Trojans head coach Lisa Abron said. “We executed our press pretty good and came out with a win. We had to stop their guard play. We had to contain the Poole girl (Vidalia freshman guard Nyla Poole), which we did.

“We dominated the boards. Got a lot of easy lay-ups on the other end. That led to the easy win.”

Ferriday led Vidalia 13-6 after one quarter of play before putting the game completely out of reach with a 21-8 over the Lady Vikings in the second quarter for a 34-14 halftime lead. The Lady Trojans continued to add to their lead throughout the second half.

Aaliyah Gray chipped in with 12 points and Pacha Poole added 10 points for Ferriday (17-3, 8-0). Ke’Niya Lutcher led Vidalia with nine points and Kaya Washington had six points while Nyla Poole was held to four points.

The Lady Trojans play host to district foe General Trass High School today at 6 p.m. The Lady Vikings host district opponent Madison Parish High School at 6 p.m. today.