The Lowndes Vikings used a big third quarter to take care of business against their region 1-7A rival Camden County Wildcats on Friday, beating them 78-61 at home. 

The Vikings improve to 11-2 behind a perfect 9 of 9 shooting night from senior guard Aaron Williams. 

The Vikings started on the right foot, with Williams and senior center JC Riley scoring seven points apiece for the Vikings in the first quarter to help build an 18-10 lead.

Then the Wildcats went on a long second quarter run fueled by senior forward Iman Davis. Davis pulled up and hit multiple contested jumpers in the first four minutes of the quarter to help the Wildcats take their first lead of the game at 22-24.

Williams retook the lead with a corner three, but Davis answered again hitting another dribble jumper with a hand in his face to make it 25-26 with 2:30 left before halftime.

But after that Williams got a steal, hit a shot, and Vikings started to get into a rhythm defensively. With Williams leading the way the Vikings held the Wildcats scoreless to close the quarter, using a 9-0 run to go into halftime up eight. 

“The mindset was to take advantage of the game in the third quarter… I told ‘em, ‘you’re up 8 but it should be 18 or 20.’” Vikings head coach Reshon Benjamin told his team at halftime. 

His Vikings did just that and used that third quarter to blow the game open, outscoring the Wildcats 20-12 and going into the fourth up 17 points, just like Benjamin said. 

Benjamin also pointed out that his team’s runs in the second and third quarters started on the defensive end. 

“I feel like we did a good job with our defensive intensity for a good stretch of the second and third quarter combined,” Benjamin said. “We get a lot of good, easy baskets after we play good defense in the full court press.”

That pretty much sums up the third quarter. After the Vikings got into their full court press with the two senior guards Aaron and JJ Williams at the front, all of the Vikings were flying up and down the court, tipping passes and turning them into layups. 

Everyone ate in that quarter for the Vikings as well, with five of the six Vikings who played in the third scoring at least four points.

While the third quarter run was a group scoring effort, it’s not a question who led that effort.

“It’s the way the guards take ownership of playing defense up top… A lot of what they do on defense makes it easy on everybody else – makes it fun for everybody else too, being able to get easy shots on the other end. They’re humongous for us.” Benjamin says.

“One will be on-ball and run into the other one, and then one gets steal and the other will be laying it up on the other end.” 

The two guards also combined for 37 points, setting the tone for the Vikings on both ends of the floor on Friday.

Aaron led all scorers, not missing a shot while pouring in 22 points, many off a steal or pass from JJ, who finished with six steals and six assists. Vice versa, many of JJ’s 15 points came in transition off a steal or pass from Aaron.

Davis led all Wildcats with 15, and the only other Wildcat in double figures was Thomas Mott with 12. Overall, the Vikings held the Wildcats to only 42% from the floor and forced a lot of turnovers the Wildcats couldn’t overcome. 

The Vikings next game is Tuesday, Jan. 18 against the Suwannee Bulldogs in Live Oak, Fl. with tipoff at 7:30.

 

Vikettes 53

Camden Girls 30

The Lowndes Vikettes were able to overcome foul trouble from multiple players to win the home region opener against Camden County Lady Wildcats 53-30 at home.

Luckily the Vikettes were intense and active in their press on Friday night, forcing numerous turnovers from the Lady Wildcats.

“We ran the press, we got steals, and we converted,” Vikettes head coach Antonia Tookes said of her girl’s performance. “When we get a turnover, we usually get layups, and layups are what we want.”

Their press worked well all game, but it was in the third quarter that they started clicking, when a narrow 15-18 Vikettes lead turned into 23-41 by the quarter’s final buzzer.

The Vikettes offense also exploded that quarter, outscoring their opponents 23-8 in the third. 

The ball was moving well, as six different Vikettes scored in the third quarter. Junior forward Amyah Espanol led the way with seven of her nine total points.

Many of those baskets, like Tookes said, came after forcing a turnover. Freshmen guard Kaci Demps made a lot of that happen with her pressure at the front of the press, but that also resulted in Demps racking up a lot of fouls in a game featuring nearly as many whistles as points.

Demps eventually fouled out, as did starting center, junior Otaifo Esenbhalu, but the game was over by then. 

Esenbhalu was equally important to the success of the Vikettes press and therefore to the whole team. Along with senior forward/center Kamya Williams, the two did the grunt work of the press on the back line for the Vikettes.

“Otaifo stepped up for us big time. Both of my post players, her and Kamya Williams. They were big, talking, rebounding, and boxing out,” Tookes said. 

This was an important win for the Vikettes to bounce back in region play after falling at Tift last weekend, Jan. 7.

The Vikettes resume region play next Friday, jan. 21 when they travel to Colquitt County to play the 7-7 Lady Packers.

Before that though, the Vikettes will take a trip to Thomasville on Jan. 19 for a rematch of last Wednesdays 34-50 home victory against the Lady Bulldogs, with the start scheduled for 6 p.m.