The end finally came for the Vidalia Vikings.

After running through the regular season and playoffs with but one blemish, the Vikings finally ran up against an opponent that was just better.

The Vikings fought hard, but fell 75-61 to Richwood in the LHSAA Class 3A state championship game Saturday night.

A loss is always a painful way to end any season, but the Vikings shouldn’t dwell on just this one game.

They have a whole boatload of great memories to reflect on.

They defeated their rival Ferriday all five times they played them, including four times in about a two-week stretch in December.

They won 28 games in the regular season while losing only one. Add four more wins in the playoffs, and that’s a sparkling 32 wins to just two losses on the season.

The Vikings also played in front of a packed house at their gym as Vidalia students gave the team amazing support the entire year.

That support will continue even after the loss, as the community is proud of the way this team represented them throughout the entire season.

Vidalia was an exciting team to watch, as they liked to get up and down the floor with their transition offense, which was predicated on their pressure defense, which forced numerous turnovers leading to fast breaks.

That formula worked the entire regular season, as the Vikings rolled through with just one loss.

It continued into the playoffs, as Vidalia won its first four playoff games by an average of almost 25 points.

The most exciting of those wins was perhaps their quarterfinal triumph over Port Allen.

In front of probably over 1,000 screaming fans in a hot and sweaty gym, the Vikings put on an offensive display not usually seen in high school basketball.

They rung up 100 points on the No. 7 ranked team in the state — including 35 points in the fourth quarter — and won the game by 38 points.

After that game, the fans flooded the court and the triumphant Viking players and coaches cut down the nets as they celebrated their first Top 28 appearance since 2003.

Vidalia overcame an early deficit to win its semifinal game against Patterson, but couldn’t do the same thing against Richwood, as the Vikings were held to just 61 points.

However, they have a good chance to get back to Lafayette, La., next year, as four of their five starters return, including standouts Torrey Dixon and Gary Stewart.

So don’t fret Viking fans. Celebrate this year’s team for making it to the championship game and look forward to next year’s team, which should bring the same excitement to the gym at Vidalia High School.

Jeff Edwards is the sports editor for The Democrat. He can be contacted at sports@natchezdemocrat.com.