Grading Out: Northside picks up lone wins

Published 1:39 pm Monday, January 8, 2018

The weather wasn’t the only thing that was cold in Beaufort County this past week. Northside’s teams were the only ones to pick up early-week wins before the inclement weather wiped out the rest of the week’s scheduled games.

Southside got in its long-awaited home opener on Tuesday. It couldn’t convert the home-crowd energy to wins, though, as the Seahawks and Lady Seahawks were both out-competed by visiting Riverside.

Washington was the only team to hit the road on Tuesday. Neither the Pam Pack nor Lady Pack was successful in a journey out to South Lenoir.

Here are the standouts from a snow-hampered week:

 

RASHOD SMITH, NORTHSIDE

Northside hosted Tarboro in what proved to be a fun matchup for both sides. The Panthers like to play as fast as possible, and Tarboro has a host of athletes that had no problem keeping up.

Sophomore guard Rashod Smith finished with a team-high 19 points to help Northside to a 71-65 win. After being held scoreless in the first quarter, Smith dropped a trio of 3-pointers and 13 points to fuel a 23-point second quarter.

 

ABBY MOORING, NORTHSIDE

Abby Mooring had some pressure taken off of her when point guard Gabby Slade returned to the lineup Tuesday against Tarboro. Mooring had been running the point in Slade’s absence. She performed well, and the experience proved to have helped her game.

Mooring scored 12 points in a 47-37 win over the Lady Vikings. The win marks the Lady Panthers’ second straight in the 1-A Coastal Plains Conference. Northside was set to travel to Southside on Friday, but that game was postponed. A matchup with powerhouse Pamlico County looms.

 

JOHNATHAN CLARK, NORTHSIDE

Johnathan Clark seemed to benefit from the pace of Tuesday’s game against Tarboro. That was especially true in the third quarter. After his running mate Rashod Smith took over the second, Clark scored nine of Northside’s 13 points in the third.

The victory puts Northside back in the win column after falling to Plymouth in the championship game in its tournament. Friday’s trip to Southside was postponed due to weather, so the Panthers will look to make it two in a row if they’re cleared to travel to Jones Senior on Tuesday.

 

DEMETRIUS EBRON, SOUTHSIDE

Southside had its fair share of troubles with Riverside on Tuesday. From the opening tip, it seemed that nothing went according to plan for the Seahawks’ home opener. They gave up the game’s first 17 points en route to an 89-64 loss.

Guard Demetrius Ebron saw some things he liked, though. Coach Sean White tasked Southside with making at least three passes before taking a shot. White said Ebron noticed and benefitted from slowing the game down and waiting for something to open up. The senior will be key to the Seahawks as they try to get on track soon.