It seems that whenever Northside and Southside meet, regardless of the venue, the fans are in always in for a competitive game. Friday night’s battle for Beaufort County was no different.

Northside had to fight until the last 1.4 seconds to pull out a hard-earned victory against the Seahawks, 67-65.

“I think it shows that we can come back from adversity. It shows that we can come back and win a ballgame,” said Northside Head Coach Michael Proctor. “It was a great game; it’s always a great game with this bunch. Every time we lineup bunch it’s a close game. It was a fun game, but it’s more fun because we came out on top.”

Both teams exhibited relentless defensive pressure through the first half. Southside’s Donshae Miller had to create opportunities single-handedly, as Northside’s defensive press stifled the rest of the Seahawks offense. Open or with a hand in his face, Miller was lights out, knocking down long-range three-pointers and taking on the Panthers’ bigs in the paint.

Early on, Miller went shot-for-shot with one of the best players in the state, Northside’s dominant paint presence Edrice “Bam-Bam” Adebayo.

“They are elite players. They’re two of the best players in our conference,” said Proctor. “Donshae can just create by himself and make shots from anywhere. He is just a really good offensive player. Bam is Bam. We come to expect that out of him every night. If he doesn’t get 20-20 every game something is wrong.”

The Panthers entered halftime confidently with a 39-30 lead. However, the Seahawks would exit the locker room possessed and on a mission to pull the upset.

After a 6-0 run to start the half, Southside’s Isaiah Moore went up and animatedly stuffed an Adebayo dunk. Adebayo drew the foul, but the visiting crowd’s reaction and Moore’s intensity shifted the momentum in Southside’s favor. The Seahawks offense came alive and began the second half with a commanding 23-4 run. Adebayo and the Panthers fought back and shrunk the Seahawks’ lead to six points at the end of the third quarter.

Tired from the relentless press, both teams began the fourth quarter with sloppy passing and rampant turnovers, but over the course of the last five minutes, every player on the court gave it their all.

With 1:16 left on the clock, Northside led 61-60. After stalling, Adebayo fought off three Seahawks defenders and hit a contested layup with just seven seconds remaining. The gymnasium erupted into chaotic applause as “Bam” pumped his fist.

However, the taunts of the Northside came too soon. A quick inbounds and an unlikely three pointer from Miller just outside the Panthers midcourt logo cut the lead to 66-65 with less than two seconds remaining.

After a quick foul and a missed free throw, the ball found its way into Miller’s hands again, as he chucked up a desperation 50-footer. It dropped. But, the shot would be half a second too late. Northside survived.

Miller ended with a game-high 37 points, while Adebayo finished with 31. Northside’s Antonio Woods also ended with a quiet 21 points.

Northside will get its biggest challenge of the season when they take on the best team in the group on Wednesday, 17-0 East Carteret.

“That’s going to be tough, but we just have to keep working hard and get rid of some of our turnovers. We’ll see what happens Wednesday.”

Southside also matches up against East Carteret on Monday.