The Vandegrift Vipers improved to 6­-2 in district play Tuesday with a dominating performance against East View, which has now fallen to 1­-7 in district play.

Senior point guard Drayton Whiteside was the leading scorer for the Vipers with 15 points, and Justin Florence followed closely behind with 11.

The key factor for the Vipers was the impressive performance from their big men. Senior center Reeve Durrill, Paxton Segina and Cole Newman played exceptional defense, drawing fouls and scoring in the paint.

“The posts were a big part in winning tonight, as Paxton, Kyle (Walsh), Cole and I all were getting the boards easily,” Durrill said. “Hopefully the play from the big guys can help us win many more games.”

Because the game was so lopsided, the bench played a large role in this game, and even outscored the starters 34­-32.

“The bench did great in the second half,” Vandegrift coach Cliff Ellis said. “We got some great effort from guys that don’t always see a tremendous amount of minutes, and they executed when we needed them to step up.”

The momentum from the bench and the crowd sealed the win in the third quarter as the Vipers went up by double-­digits.

“The entire bench was extra wet today,” Walsh said. “After the bench heated up, it was impossible to catch us.”

While this was not the toughest test for the Vipers, it was a very important win.

“With Leander losing and us winning, we picked up a half game on Vista, and we are now sitting alone in second place.” Ellis said. “Going into the Leander, Vista Ridge and Cedar Park games, this was an important win and helps us solidify that second spot.”

The Vipers travel to Leander to take on the Lions on Friday, January 29. That game will determine the second place team in the district, as Vandegrift is 6-­2 in district and Leander is 5­-3. To avenge the early-­season loss to the Lions, Vandegrift will need another strong night from its posts and bench.