By Brett Okamoto (contact)

Wed, Jan 7, 2009 (12:30 a.m.)

With playoff spots already in the minds of both teams, the Las Vegas Wildcats rallied from behind to beat the Valley Vikings 68-63 Tuesday night.

After sloppy play that led to 28 turnovers and a 12-point halftime deficit, the Wildcats (8-7, 1-1) responded with high-percentage shooting and a dominating effort on the glass in the second half to pull out their first conference win.

"That's been our downfall all season," Wildcats coach Jason Wilson said. "When we're not turning the ball over we're a pretty good team. It's something we need to fix. But the win feels good. We challenged the guys at halftime and they responded. We're battling for a playoff spot so every game is a playoff game for us."

Senior forward Aahmad Franklin led the Wildcats with a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Junior Tyree Anderson finished with 13 points and senior Tony Eackles Jr. added nine before fouling out in the final quarter.

Las Vegas was finding every way it could to turn the ball over: stepping out of bounds, traveling and passing to the wrong team. It made up for it on the boards, where the team outrebounded the Vikings 35-22 and limited second-chance scoring.

"It was another thing we addressed at halftime," Wilson said. "We said we need to outrebound them the rest of the game. I thought they gave a great effort and really stepped up to that."

One thing that might have helped the Wildcats grab so many rebounds was the way the Vikings (7-10, 1-1) cooled off offensively. After a first half where it seemed anything would go in, Valley struggled to make shots during the second half.

"They just hit more shots than we did in the second half," said Vikings coach Brian Farnsworth. "If we could have stayed as hot as we were in the first half, we would have had no problem. But they made the big shots at the end and we didn't. We needed a couple more."

The Vikings had a chance at the end of the game after Franklin missed a free throw, keeping them within three. The game ended when sophomore point guard Khristian Kirkwood lost the ball to Travon Langston, who then converted an easy layup.

During the last play, all eyes were on Valley guard Johnquez Brooks, who had already knocked down five shots from long range. But when Kirkwood lost the ball, Brooks didn't get a chance for a sixth. He finished with 27 points.

"I have confidence in all my guys, so we were just trying to get a good shot," Farnsworth said. "Obviously Brooks was hot, but Las Vegas did a nice job of overplaying him. He's a great guy to have on your team and tonight is just what we expect out of him. It's what he expects out of himself."

With conference play under way, both teams said they are focused on one of the playoff spots in the tough Northeast League. A win Tuesday night would have been a big lift for either team, and the Wildcats were happy to come away with it.

"It feels good, really good," Franklin said. "All the turnovers were a little frustrating, but we came back out and pulled through."

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com.