CHOCOWINITY — Southside hung on to beat Northside, 57-55, at home on Friday. The Lady Seahawks endured five lead changes in the fourth quarter to move into the middle of the pack in the 1-A Coastal Plains Conference standings.

Freshman Shantel Cannon’s free throw marked the final lead change of the game, giving the hosts a 53-52 lead with 2:14 to play. Jada Jones put in a layup through contact, converted the 3-point play and bookended Southside’s late spurt with another foul shot. It gave the Lady Seahawks a 57-52 edge — the largest for either team in the period — with under a minute to go.

“It was an intense game. Both teams played hard,” said Southside coach Milton Ruffin. “I had a lot of players foul out, but I had some girls step up. … It was a rivalry game. Both teams played with a lot of heart there.”

Both squads may have struggled a bit at the free-throw line down the stretch, but the Lady Seahawks were able to get there early and often. They got in the bonus with 3:30 left in the first.

“That was very important, but I wish we could have made more,” Ruffin said. “I think if we made our free throws, the game wouldn’t have been as close as it was. It was an aggressive game. I liked that game, and I think the kids playing the game liked that.”

Southside owned a 14-7 advantage nearing the end of the first. Brooklyn Hudnell poured in four quick points on a free throw and a late trey to make it a one-possession game.

The Lady Panthers and Lady Seahawks continued to trade blows in the second. Northside’s lead never surpassed six points as the visitors continuously chipped away. Abby Mooring knocked down a pair of baskets to tie things up at 28 apiece, but Cannon nailed a 3 to send Southside into the intermission up 31-28.

“I told them to just stay focused. They get flustered sometimes,” Northside coach Michelle Leathers said. “Just focus on the game and what they need to do, focus on their free throws.”

Northside worked its way inside and got to the charity stripe to put together an 11-0 run in the third. Rachel Lang kicked it off with an and-1 layup at the halfway mark of the period. Michaela Dixon got a bucket late, but the Lady Seahawks found themselves trailing, 41-38, going into the fourth.

A lot of the fourth-quarter work was done at the line. As close as things were, the game boiled down to whichever team would take its freebies, and Southside was able to escape with its fourth win of the year.

The road ahead is tough for both Northside and Southside. Even though it was the Lady Seahawks that emerged with the win on Friday, both teams should have some momentum moving forward.