CHOCOWINITY — A second half surge powered Southside to a 73-56 victory over Columbia in the Seahawks home opener on Tuesday.
Down 32-31 at halftime, and 42-41 with a little over a minute left in the third, Southside clamped down on defense to ignite a 10-0 run that put it ahead 51-42 going into the fourth.
Columbia made one last push, getting as close as 53-50 with five minutes left in the game, but the trio of Donshae Miller, Rashawn Moore and Aaron Jones refused to let the Wildcats get any closer.
The three guards combined for 19 fourth-quarter points to help the Seahawks close out the game on a 20-6 run.
“I think we played a whole lot better in the second half,” Southside coach Sean White said. “We limited our turnovers, and press-wise, we stole the ball and capitalized in the second half and I think that made a big difference.”
Miller finished with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Moore racked up 17 points and Jones tallied eight points, eight assists and four steals.
Forward Donshae Tatum also had a big night, grabbing a team-high 14 rebounds while scoring 10 points.
The key for Southside was that its undersized roster was able to gang rebound throughout the night, especially on the offensive glass.
“It’s an added plus when we have (the guards) getting rebounds,” White said.
Behind Tatum’s six first-quarter points, the Seahawks clung to a 15-13 lead at the end of the first, but fell behind 32-31 at the end of the second.
Southside trailed by a point with a little over a minute left in the half, but a Moore three-pointer, followed by Miller three-point play and a Miller three pointer off a steal put the Seahawks ahead going into the fourth.
Columbia, who received 12-point efforts from Quinton Reynolds and Ray Collins, put together an 8-2 run at the start of the fourth to get within three points of the Seahawks.
However, Southside tighten up its press and was able to run away with the game.
“Spreading the floor and going back to our full-court zone press really helped,” White said.
The press stymied the Wildcats, as Southside swarmed all over their ball handlers, and in turn was rewarded with quick buckets.
A Moore triple with three minutes to go followed by a fastbreak bucket by Miller off a Jones steal and pass put the Seahawks up 62-54 and from there Southside rolled into the Thanksgiving break with a 73-56 victory.

Columbia    13    19    10    12    —    56
Southside    15    16    20    22    —    73

Wildcats (56)
Quinton Reynolds 12, Basknight 8, Ray Collins 12, Gibbs 6, Spencer 2, Martinez 6, Keion Holloway 10.

Seahawks (73)
Rashawn Moore 17, Aaron Jones 11, Gaskins 2, Donshae Tatum 10, Boyd 2, Donshae Miller 19, Whitley 1.