Plagued by turnovers and trailing for most of the evening, the Vikings, seeking their second consecutive state AAA boys championship and third state crown in four years, were stopped by West Laurens, 67-61.
For West Laurens, it was the Raiders' first title in 23 years.
The Vikings started slowly, trailing 17-11 after the first quarter; 37-25 at the half; and, 50-40 after three quarters.
East Hall stormed back in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Raiders by four points in the final stanza, but the clock struck midnight on their championship dreams as the Vikings ran out of time.
East Hall twice pulled within six points late in the third quarter, but the Raiders responded for a 10-point cushion as the quarter came to a close. In the final period,the Vikings went on an 8-0 run, but West Laurens responded to hold on for the win.
The Vikings had to contend with an effective 1-3-1 zone defense from West Laurens, resulting in 17 Viking turnovers in the first half. East Hall's high-octane offense, which came into the FInal Four averaging 88 points per game, had problems throughout the night as the Raiders limited the Viking's transition game and their outside shooters,who have carried the Vikes to victory in the past, never seemed to find their grove from beyond the 3-point arc.
Marquez Jackson led East Hall in scoring with 12 points.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/3/162921