As I was standing on the stage at Vidalia High School’s incredibly steamy bandbox of a gym watching the Vikings, my mind flashed back a few years.

Jan. 19, 2005, to be exact.

I was the sports editor for the Mississippi State campus newspaper at the time and traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to cover the Bulldog basketball team against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

That night, I had a courtside seat to one of the worst beatings in the history of the Mississippi State basketball program.

Mississippi State had come into Coleman Coliseum the year before and overcome an 18-point deficit to beat Alabama in overtime and clinch the overall SEC championship.

That loss left a bitter taste in Alabama’s mouth, and the next year the team — and the fans — were ready.

It started before the game, when the student section broke out dollar bill signs, implying that Mississippi State bought and paid for All-America transfer Lawrence Roberts.

It continued during the game as the crowd vigorously cheered the Crimson Tide and lustily booed and jeered the Bulldogs.

They had chants, they had signs, they had an old lady dancing in the aisle.

It was the most obnoxious crowd I have ever witnessed. And it paid off.

Mississippi State was completely off its game the entire night, and when the carnage was done, Alabama had taken a 98-49 victory — the second-worst loss in the 95-year history of the MSU basketball program.

Vidalia’s crowd had the same effect. The tiny gym was packed to the rafters with loud and proud Viking fans who were ready to see their team head to the Cajundome in Lafayette, La.

There were no dollar bill signs, but there were signs aplenty being waved by the fans, and there were also obnoxious chants directed at Port Allen.

My personal favorite: “You’re going home, we’re going to the dome!”

And while Alabama had an old lady dancing in the isle, Vidalia had a couple of students get out on the court at halftime and dance with the VHS dance team.

Vidalia’s crowd helped the Vikings dominate the game and run away with a huge victory.

“The crowd kept us going on and gave us a boost of energy,” Vidalia junior Gary Stewart said. “Whenever we got tired, they kept us going.”

Vidalia coach Robert Sanders said the crowd was “amazing”.

Basketball may be the sport where the crowd can make the biggest difference in a game, especially in a gym where the crowd is right up on top of the court.

Vidalia High fans should be proud of themselves for displaying such school pride and helping their team win such an important game, all while keeping it clean and not disrespecting their opponent.