Basketball: No jetlag for Vikings in win over Banks; Lady Leopards win <b> (VIDEO) </b>

GAINESVILLE -- Five games in eight days spread over both ends of the United States.<br /> <br /> You figure jetlag would kick in at some point.<br /> <br /> Not so for the East Hall boys basketball team. The Vikings shook off any effects of last week's cross-country jaunt to Alaska with an important 79-68 win over Region 7-AAA rival Banks County on Tuesday night.<br /> <br /> The two teams were separated by just one game in the Region 7-AAA standings with first place on the line. Now, East Hall (16-4, 8-0 Region 7-AAA) owns a two-game lead over the Leopards (17-4, 6-2) with four games left in the region schedule and a sweep in the season series (East Hall also beat the Leopards 80-74 in Homer last month).<br /> <br /> The performance even had the normally-demanding East Hall coach Joe Dix impressed.<br /> <br /> "From my standpoint, that was very satisfying," Dix said. "We had 15-20 hours on a plane and then three tough games in Alaska and only one day to rest for a huge game like this. The kids did a great job."<br /> <br /> It was a battle of center standouts between East Hall's Kyvon Davenport and Banks County's Austin Venable. And neither disappointed.<br /> <br /> Davenport recorded a double-double with 35 points and 15 rebounds and added five blocks and three assists for good measure. Venable finished with 20 points and three blocks.<br /> <br /> The game also saw Davenport reach the 1,000-point club for East Hall, ironically on a 3-pointer in the second quarter.<br /> <br /> "Where he is from where he started is just a remarkable turnaround in just three years," Dix said. "He was cut as a ninth-grader and really wasn't very good. But he dedicated himself to get better and he has every year. I don't know what his ceiling is but it gets higher all the time."<br /> <br /> Davenport was almost shocked that he joined an exclusive club for the Vikings.<br /> <br /> "Never thought I would get to this point," he said. "I wasn't very good early on. But I just kept working to get better and it's worked out.I just want to keep helping our team get better and get wins."<br /> <br /> Yet the Vikings defense, flashing occasional signs of those suffocating defenses of their championship seasons, was the difference. East Hall only forced 14 Banks County turnovers, but a stretch of four minutes in the fourth quarter produced five, including two in a six second span, to give East Hall a 72-62 lead with 2:24 left in the game.<br /> <br /> "I thought we showed a lot more energy on defense than we have in some earlier games," Dix said. "If we can get that kind of consistent effort I like where we are."<br /> <br /> East Hall led just 64-59 before the Vikings trademark full-court press began to pay dividends. After Devin Watson swiped a pass and converted a layup, Triston Cooper stole the Leopards' ensuing inbounds pass for another layup and a big lead.<br /> <br /> Banks County could not get closer than eight the rest of the way.<br /> <br /> "That was a big stretch for us and those two plays I thought kind of gave us the cushion we needed," Dix said.<br /> <br /> Cooper finished with 21 points, including four 3-pointers, and Jacques Hopkins added 10 points for East Hall. Another key was the Vikings finished 5-for-16 on 3-pointers, while Banks County missed all seven of its 3-point attempts.<br /> <br /> Zez Steeple had 18 points and dished out five assists for Banks County. Kahmal Wiley had 16 points and Zac Orr 12 points for the Leopards.<br /> <br /> The two teams traded the lead five times in the first four minutes as Venable and Davenport went head-to-head. Davenport scored the Vikings' first seven points while Venable, behind three assists from Steeple, had eight of the Leopards' first 12 points.<br /> <br /> Banks County led by as many as 16-11 late in the first quarter after a 6-0 run and took a 19-15 lead into the second quarter. But East Hall stormed back.<br /> <br /> The Vikings exploded for a 16-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Davenport -- his 1,000th career point -- for a 31-21 lead with 4:18 left in the half. Banks County would answer.<br /> <br /> The Leopards used a 13-6 run to close out the half, sparked by nine points from Steeple, to trail just 39-36.<br /> <br /> Banks County opened the third quarter with an 11-2 run, capped by a Venable dunk for 47-41 lead with 4:34 left. But the Vikings answered right back with a 9-0 spurt to reclaim the lead 50-47.<br /> <br /> <b>BANKS COUNTY GIRLS 55,<br /> EAST HALL 47</b><br /> <br /> The Lady Leopards made a move to solidify second place in Region 7-AAA with a big road win. They swept East Hall in the season series with four region games left.<br /> <br /> Banks County (18-3, 6-2 Region 7-AAA) used a stiffling defensive effort at key times and held East Hall (10-8, 4-4) to just 4-of-22 shooting from 3-point range for the game.<br /> <br /> The Lady Vikings were riding a three-game region win streak heading into the game but could not get much going offensively. They had two droughts of more than five minutes in the game and Banks County took advantage.<br /> <br /> Lady Leopards coach Jerry King, whose team was coming off a stunning loss to Fannin County Saturday night, breathed a sigh of relief afterwards.<br /> <br /> "This is always a tough place to get a win so we're happy to get one," King said. "I thought our defensive effort was much better tonight. We got good production from our press and that was a big key."<br /> <br /> Banks County forced 19 East Hall turnovers, most coming in the second half, including four straight during a 13-0 run in the third and fourth quarters for a 41-31 lead. Allison Smith capped the decisive run with a 3-pointer with 6:13 left.<br /> <br /> The Lady Vikings never got closer than five points the rest of the way. Shelby Parson hit four consecutive free throws in the final 27 seconds to help seal the win for Banks County.<br /> <br /> In the first quarter, Banks County started strong while the Lady Vikings finished strong. The Lady Leopards ran out to a 7-2 lead in the first four minutes as East Hall missed its first six shots, including 0-for-4 on 3-pointers.<br /> <br /> But, a long 3-pointer by freshman Carly Winters finally got things going for the Lady Vikings, who held Banks County scoreless over the final 4:15 of the quarter while closing the period with a 10-0 run for a 12-7 lead.<br /> <br /> The second quarter was a reversal. East Hall pushed its lead to 14-7 on a pair of free throws 30 seconds into the second quarter but would get just one field goal and one more free throw over the final 7:02 of the half.<br /> <br /> The Lady Leopards outscored East Hall 11-3 in that span. The Lady Vikings missed their final four 3-point attempts and five free throws in the period to trail 18-17 at the half.<br /> <br /> Smith paced Banks County with 16 points. Kaitlyn Duncan added 15 points and four assists, and Parson finished with seven points, all in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer for a 50-40 lead with 1:59 left.<br /> <br /> Winters led East Hall with 13 points. Winters was 3-for-7 on 3-pointers while the rest of the Lady Vikings were just 1-for-15 on 3-pointers.<br /> <br /> Jenny Edwards finished with nine points and Ashlyn Ellison had eight points and five assists for the Lady Vikings.

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