PINETOWN — A hot start, fueled by sharp shooting from Omarion Blount and an effective press creating turnovers, saw Washington establish a 17-point lead over Southside after a quarter of play and go on to win, 84-63, in the Northside Christmas Tournament’s consolation game Thursday night, snapping a five-game losing streak for the Pam Pack.

“Got the monkey off of our back, definitely,” Washington head coach Lane Raper said. “So, definitely wanted to go into the break with a victory. It was good to beat another county team. You know, we came out and pushed the ball, got a good lead. That’s what we’ve got to do this year, keep the pace up. We’re not a slow team; we’re a quick team.”

After finishing Wednesday’s loss to Washington County by hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute, Blount picked up right where he left off when he took to the court against Southside (3-4 1A Coastal Plains Conference). The sophomore poured in 14 points in the opening quarter, while hitting a pair of 3-pointers, to help Washington (3-7, 0-3 2A Eastern Carolina Conference) build a 28-11 lead by the end of the first period. Blount finished as the game’s leading scorer with 27 points and four field goals from behind the arc.

Raper lauded Blount’s hot start to the game, saying his perimeter shooting opens things up for the rest of the team.

“It was huge,” Raper said. “He is our best outside shooter, and when he’s a little off we can’t do anything down low. For him to establish the outside early, that helped us out inside.”

Through Jeremee Bryant, Jamauri Bryant and Justin Powell, the Pam Pack controlled the boards on both ends, often getting second and third chances at scoring due to the trio grabbing offensive rebounds. Along with tracking down rebounds, Jeremee Bryant scored 17 points, while Powell chipped in with nine.

The Seahawks began to cope better with Washington’s press in the second quarter, scoring 19 points to go into the halftime break trailing the Pam Pack, 51-30. Jalen Kirkman finished as Southside’s leading scorer with 16 points, while Aeron Wright contributed with 11 and Kevin White chipped in with 10 points.

Southside head coach Sean White said he told his team at halftime to do a better job of trapping on defense, and his players responded. The Seahawks opened the third by going on a 12-4 run, led by Kirkman, Wright and Kevin White. That prompted a timeout by Raper, and the Pam Pack emerged from the stoppage by reestablishing its lead and seeing the game out.

Southside took a hard loss against Northside to open the tournament, but the Seahawks’ answer to begin the third quarter on Thursday left coach White with a positive outlook.

“As far as how we played tonight, I feel 100 percent better going into the Christmas break before we start conference against Jones on the 4th,” White said.

Both teams are off for Christmas break with Southside returning Jan. 4 to host Jones Senior. The late Donshae Miller, a former Seahawk great, will be honored at halftime. Washington returns to the court on Jan. 7, when the Pam Pack will host North Pitt.