By By KEVIN TRAVIS
Sports Editor
CHOCOWINITY — When the fourth quarter started, it appeared Williamston had the victory all sewn up. The undefeated Tigers led by 20 points and, seemingly, had all the momentum.
However, Southside never quit, rallying from the huge deficit and actually taking a one-point lead with one minute, 40 seconds to play. The Seahawks ran out of gas in the final moments, and the Tigers were able to hit a couple key shots down the stretch in a thrilling 72-69 victory in Friday’s Four Rivers Conference girls clash.
“We finally calmed it down on offense,” Williamston first-year coach Hughes Barber said about the final 90 seconds of play. “It always helps to have somebody (Katie Paschal) that you can give the ball to and she can draw a foul. We were finally able to control the ball in the last minute.”
The loss spoiled a solid night by Southside’s Katisha Hyman, who erupted for 33 points, and Chante Painter, who had 21 points.
Tamisha Cradle hit a pair of free throws with 1:40 to play to give Southside (10-2, 4-2) a 68-67 lead. That, along with a 20-2 run to start the fourth quarter, helped erase that 20-point deficit.
Paschal, who finished with a game-high 35 points to go with six steals and three assists, hit a pair of free throws with 1:32 to play to give Williamston (11-0, 6-0) a 69-68 advantage. The senior, who went over the 2,500-point mark in her career, then hit a driving layup with a minute remaining for a 71-68 lead.
Quaneika Thomas split a pair of free throws to pull the Seahawks within one a short time later.
With a chance to give her team a bigger lead, Williamston’s Shakera Norfleet went to the line with 4.4 seconds left. She missed the front end of a one-and-one, but the ball went off a Southside player.
Cassie Harrell was immediately fouled and the Tiger split two free throws to give the Tigers a 72-69 advantage. Thomas’ halfcourt heave at the buzzer missed its mark, as the Tigers were able to escape with the win.
“I told them (the fourth quarter) was the time to go,” Southside coach Bill Lake said. “We play in spurts. Our team can go real high intensity for a short period of time. I told them we had to do that for a whole quarter.
“They tried their hearts out. We just started to run out of gas at the end.”
The Tigers, who got 14 points and six rebounds from Charnell Jones, used a 13-1 run at the end of the first half to take a 42-30 halftime lead. That lead ballooned to 63-43 after three.
Hyman’s long-distance shooting and Painter’s inside presence helped Southside rally, but several key Seahawks fouled out down the stretch.
“That was huge,” Lake said. “It’s a shame that situation developed.”
Barber said he was happy his team learned a lesson while still being able to pull out a win.
“Give credit to Southside because they played great defense,” Barber said. “They stepped it up and played a great game. It was a mixture of them playing good defense, us getting careless with the ball and turning it over and then all the fouls. We fouled way too much tonight.”
The Tigers play host to Northside on Monday, visit North Pitt on Wednesday and play host to Roanoke on Friday.
Southside returns to action Wednesday at home against Roanoke. The Seahawks play at Northside on Friday.
TIGER BOYS ROLL
Williamston got out to an 18-6 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, racing to a 73-58 win over Southside.
Williamston coach Bobby Williams said getting out to the early cushion helped.
“The big lead early on was huge,” Williams said. “I think we have a little bit of depth and that helped.”
The Tigers (8-4, 4-2) had 13 players reach the scoring column. Ranalle Lanie and Javon Beach had 12 points apiece and K.J. Brown added 11.
“Getting that many in the scoring column is big,” Williams said. “That gives them an idea to come to practice and work.”
The Seahawks (5-8, 2-4), which got 14 points from Willie Ruffin and 13 from Jordan Benston, seemed out of sync early.
“We didn’t play well defensively and that’s what I’m most frustrated with,” Southside coach Dwayne White said. “We missed some easy shots and sometimes there’s nothing you can do about that, but defensively we should be better.”
JV BOYS
The Southside boys took a 60-44 win in junior varsity action. Rokeem Miller led the way with 25 points.
GIRLS
Williamston 17 25 21 9 — 72
Southside 20 10 13 26 — 69
Williamston (72)
Katie Paschal 35, Charnell Jones 14, Norfleet 6, Morris 4, Harrell 3, Brown 2, McCray 2, Moore 2, Wynne 2, Davis 2.
Southside (69)
Katisha Hyman 33, Chante’ Painter 21, Cradle 5, Jones 4, Thomas 3, Ruffin 2, Avery 1.
BOYS
Williamston 18 14 28 13 — 73
Southside 6 12 19 21 — 58
Williamston (73)
Ranalle Lanier 12, Javon Beach 12, K.J. Brown 11, Anderson 7, Griffin 6, Moody 6, L. Speller 4, Coffield 4, Bond 3, James 3, McGhee 2, D. Speller 2, Pointe 1.
Southside (58)
Willie Ruffin 14, Jordan Benston 13, Curtis Myers 10, Selby 7, Murray 6, Aaron 4, Blount 2, Jordan 2.