CHOCOWINITY — A productive fourth quarter from the Southside guards ended any chance a winless Jones Senior had at pulling off the upset Wednesday night, as the Seahawks came away with the 71-62 victory.

Southside entered having won its last three games, the offense cresting 80 points in each of the victories. But head coach Sean White saw the Trojans as a “team with nothing to lose,” having just powered through a grueling out-of-conference campaign.

In the first quarter, Southside spread the floor and converted from behind the arch, but rebounds came at a premium, as Dewanye Bryant and Josh Ward outrebounded the entire Seahawks team early on.

After a defensive stalemate in the first quarter, both offenses eventually came alive in the second, as Southside’s Rashaun Moore, the team’s leading scorer, challenged the Trojan bigs and found teammates in transition. Donshae Miller and Tyriek Gaskins struggled from the field early on, but cleaning things up was center Donshae Tatum, who notched seven rebounds in the first half.

The Seahawks led 30-26 at the half, as both teams would make significant adjustments through the final 16 minutes.

“They’re quick, just like last year,” White said. “They were breaking our presses, so we didn’t stay in them long. We went to a 1-3-1 zone trap … that didn’t work. We kept changing things and finally, we went back to our regular 2-1-2 zone, which is how we got the lead early in the first half. That’s how we got the lead in the second half again. It’s our bread and butter.”

In the third quarter, Jones Senior attempted to beat the Southside defense with the long pass. For a brief period, it worked and the Seahawks struggled to keep pace. Eventually, however, the guards adjusted and managed to get back in transition, forcing the Trojans to settle for perimeter shots.

“In the second half, it really did get better, especially towards the end of the fourth quarter there,” White said. “We were starting to move more and our defense began to anticipate passes.”

Southside was outscored in the third, but once Jones Senior’s three-point shooting was halted, the Miller and Moore began to catch fire and the Seahawks pulled away.

Moore finished with a game-high 16 points, while Miller notched 14 points, seven assists and four rebounds. For Jones Senior, Zackary Brooks led his team with 14 points.

Southside will seek its fifth-straight win on Friday when the team travels to Lejeune.

“Jones was winless, but they’re not a bad team. Lejeune is the same way,” White said. “Both games we played them last year were single-digit wins for us. They’re kind of like a medium grade East Carteret. They don’t have a lot of size, but they have guys who can hit shots, especially at home.”