PINETOWN — Northside and Terra Ceia main evented the first day of the Northside Christmas Tournament and delivered an instant classic. The two sides fought for four quarters, matching one another tit for tat, and the hosting Panthers escaped with the 65-64 win to end the Knights’ perfect start to the season.

The atmosphere was electric, and rightfully so. The schools are a stone’s throw from one another. The fans manned opposite sides of the gymnasium. There were dueling eruptions for each big play and lead change.

The significant size differential between the two schools was not apparent on the court. The Knights and Panthers were about evenly matched in every facet.

The fourth quarter opened with the two sides tied at 45 apiece. Ikeem Greene and Bryson Radcliffe led the Panthers on a 14-6 run that put them ahead 59-51 about midway through the period.

The ever-resilient Knights clawed their way back into it. Chase Furlough’s layup kicked off a run that would only be interrupted by a fade away jumper by Jacob Boyd. Tyler Hendrix capped it off with a layup that put Terra Ceia ahead, 62-61, in the waning minutes of the game.

Greene responded with a short jumper followed by a pair of free throws that gave Northside a 65-62 lead as the final minute elapsed. The Knights needed a trey to tie the game and force overtime, but the Panthers trapped Austin Woolard as he stepped up to the arc. Furlough got a hold of the ball and laid it in as the last few seconds elapsed, but it wasn’t enough.

“We played them last year. We knew Hendrix and Furlough are tough inside,” said Northside coach Michael Proctor. “They battle, they fight. We have not been as strong or as physical as they have. That was a point for us, to be as tough inside. I knew they could shoot well. They did shoot OK, but they didn’t shoot as well.

“We really defend pretty well. We put a lot of pride in our defense. I felt like they would be tough inside and shoot well and they did. We just hung on and got the win.”

The Knights entered Friday scoring better than 80 points per game. Their run-and-gun style is perfectly complemented by their spectacular team chemistry. But they knew that their clash with Northside would be unlike any of their other dozen games of the season.

“I just told them to be encouraged by the way they played,” said Terra Ceia coach Roger Klaassen. “We just stood toe-to-toe with a public school. … We’ve just got to keep building. We play these games to learn to play them better. I hope that’s what they have found out — that we can play with these guys — and to keep stepping their game up and not be satisfied with where we’re at. We’ve got to get better.”

Even so, the beginning of the game looked like prototypic Terra Ceia. The visitors scored the game’s first eight points. Northside broke through almost two minutes in and seemed to find its groove. Jabari Ashe’s sharpshooting helped erase the deficit. He sank a pair of 3-pointers to give his side the lead after the first eight minutes.

Messiah Barnes nearly turned it around when he made a half-court buzzer beater, but he got it off just a split second too late. Northside led 16-15 at the end of the first.

Furlough opened the second with a layup to reclaim the lead for Terra Ceia. Northside’s twin duo took the momentum right back, though. Atia Shamseldin brought the home fans to their feet with a dunk and Isam Shamseldin hit a 3 to help put the Panthers ahead, 25-17.

The Knights remained pesky, refusing to allow Northside to build a significant lead. Barnes knocked down a 3 to put them in front, 34-33, in the third period. Furlough and Hendrix each took trips to the charity stripe late in the quarter. It gave Terra Ceia 45-39 lead, which felt sizeable at the time.

Greene converted on 3-of-4 free-throw attempts and Ashe made another shot from beyond the arc to tie the game, 45-45, heading into the fourth. One more basket or free throw could have changed the outcome. In the end, it was Northside that was able to pull through for the victory.

Even in loss, Terra Ceia showed exactly what it is capable of.

“We just showed them we can play,” Klaassen said. “I hope they use this as a confidence builder going forward. This is a different level and a different ball game than we usually play. You’ve got to be able to step to the challenge, which I thought they did.”

Northside, on the other hand, came out on top in a battle that went nonstop from whistle to whistle. It gives the Panthers, who hang their hat on their defense, a ton to build on throughout the rest of the Christmas Tournament.

“We’ve got to keep rolling on defense and get tougher,” Proctor said. “Our post can get tougher. Our post can also not — what we call it — cross our face so easily. We’ve got to do a better job redirecting them and not letting them get right in front of us. Our post has got a lot of work, but they’re young.”

Ashe led Northside with 17 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. Hendrix, even on an off shooting night, led the way for Terra Ceia. He had a double-double with 24 points and 21 rebounds.