Valdosta State guard Christian Hunter (4) drives to the basket against North Alabama on Thursday at the P.E. Complex.

The 24th-ranked Valdosta State Blazers couldn’t have asked for a better start in Gulf South Conference play.

The Blazers (14-2, 1-0 in the GSC) easily handled rival North Alabama (7-10, 0-1) 102-84 on Thursday at the P.E. Complex.

Billy McShepard played his best career game as a Blazer by far, registering his seventh double-double of the season by scoring a career-high 23 points and hauling in 13 rebounds.

Kevin Harris, the GSC’s leading scorer at 20.1 points per game, poured in 22 points, Christian Hunter added 19 and Martrez Scott (13), Josh Sparks (12) and Will Alston (11) also scored in double figures.

The win was VSU’s third straight over UNA and its fourth win in its last five games over the Lions.

“I think any time you get a conference win, you kinda cherish them,” Blazers head coach Mike Helfer said. “The Gulf South is such a tough league whether you’re at home or on the road. I was glad we were able to win.”

The Blazers’ victory was a good start to their tough stretch. Next up they’ll host No. 9 Alabama-Huntsville on Saturday, then they’ll travel to No. 5 Augusta State on Monday.

But first they had to take care of business against the Lions. Helfer insisted that no one on his team would overlook UNA, and they didn’t.

“We did not look past North Alabama,” Helfer said. “They’re a good team. They shoot it exceptionally well. We had to be ready, and our guys knew that.”

The Blazers fell behind 13-4 early, but they responded with an 11-0 run to take a 15-13 lead.

A 3-pointer by Harris, a hook shot by Alston and a three-point play by Sparks gave VSU a 32-23 lead.

McShepard was well on his way to a double-double in the first half, with 10 points and eight boards, but even more impressive was his hustle for loose balls and two blocked shots.

“It was the first conference game,” McShepard said. “Coach wanted us to come out and be aggressive. That’s what I tried to do. I was feeling really confident. I had to come out and play hard. It’s conference time.”

The Blazers came out hot in the second half. UNA got two quick baskets to cut VSU’s lead to four, but Hunter responded with a 3-pointer, then Harris scored eight of the game’s next 12 points, when he hit a step-back three, stole a pass and made a layup and converted an old fashioned 3-point play by making a nifty shot in the lane while being fouled.

Hunter added another three, then he found Sparks on an alley-oop dunk. Harris banged home another 3-pointer, and the Blazers led comfortably by 16.

The Blazers got to the 100-point mark for the third straight game when Scott banged home a three to put VSU up 102-78 with just over two minutes to go.

VSU shot a blistering 63.2 percent in the second half, and scored 58 points.

“I thought, in the second half, we had a much better focus about us at both ends of the floor,” Helfer said. “I think that’s why the game got away from them.”

Now comes one of the most anticipated games of the season in the GSC. The Blazers host Alabama-Huntsville on Saturday at 8 p.m. Last year, both teams shared the GSC East title with 9-1 records. The only loss for each team was on the other team’s home court.

Not only could the game determine the GSC East title, but it promises to be a thrilling, high-scoring game. The Chargers and the Blazers are the two best shooting teams in the conference.

“It’s the best team they’ve had since (head coach Lennie Acuff) has been there,” Helfer said. “They’re very experienced, good players. Good team.”