PLYMOUTH — Northside’s girls knew they had a tough hill to climb Tuesday evening at Plymouth. The Lady Vikings are the second-seeded team out of the east. They finished the regular season with just one loss and a perfect 18-0 leger in the 1-A Coastal Ten Conference.

They did so on the back of 6-foot-4 junior center Brittany Franklin, who Northside coach Michelle Leathers likened to former Panther phenom Edrice “Bam” Adebayo. Her dominance inside helped carry Plymouth to a 68-45 win that effectively ended Northside’s season.

“She reminded me of ‘Bam Bam’ a little bit! She’s like a girl ‘Bam Bam,’” Leathers said.

Plymouth’s ability to dictate the flow of a game was evident right off the bat. The Lady Vikings put on the pressure right away. They were able to earn two buckets before the Lady Panthers could get the ball across half court.

“That’s our bread and butter. If we can create turnovers, it’s really good,” Plymouth coach Lamont Gilliam said. “It’s our game. We just try to pound it inside to (Franklin). She’s 6-foot-4 and we try to get it to her.”

Leathers added, “I knew they were going to pressure. That’s their game — they love to run and gun. We practiced on it, but they were just quicker than we were.”

Northside found itself in a 10-2 hole less than two and a half minutes in. Plymouth’s Tyrah Currey put in a layup in transition that prompted Leathers to call a timeout. The girls settled in a little bit before Marsaedees Carter knocked down a 3-pointer to cap off another quick burst of offense from the Lady Vikings.

Leathers called another timeout, now trailing 21-5 with 3:16 to go in the first quarter.

“(I told them) to calm down. They were hyped up,” Leathers said. “I would be hyped up, too. They’re 18-0 (in conference). We needed to stay focused and calm down. We could have broken their press. We just got too hyped. I don’t think they were scared, but their quickness, I think you can get intimidated when you’re young like that.”

The pressure continued to overwhelm the traveling Lady Panthers. Already trailing by 14 after just eight minutes, they were held scoreless for the first 3:30 of the second quarter. Plymouth, meanwhile, built a 35-10 lead.

Quortasia Clark ended Northside’s drought by getting to the hoop for her first basket of the contest. She and Rachel Lang made up a strong frontcourt for an offense that prefers to work from the inside out. However, they were largely kept at bay by Franklin’s presence.

Northside’s guards like to penetrate and get high-percentage looks inside as well, but Plymouth’s aggressive trapping kept them distant from the hoop and forced some ill-advised plays.

Plymouth owned a 42-17 lead at halftime. Northside outscored its hosts 16-10 in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Vikings still cruised to the 23-point win.

Not a single player in a black-and-white Lady Panther jersey gave up on the game. Every girl played each possession until the final whistle. That attitude is one of many things Leathers is proud of about the entire season. The girls have faced adversity time and time again and never once backed down.

“I feel like we worked as hard as we could work,” she said. “I’ve turned some softball and volleyball players into basketball players. I’ve been doing that since I’ve been at Northside. I wouldn’t take back anything.

“Overall, I’m proud of them. We came together as a team and we’ve always been a family.”

This squad graduates five seniors: Clark, Kendall Alligood, Sarah Rhem, Destiny Jones and Mariah Stanley. While this was an unfortunate way for their high school careers to come to a close, the players returning next season will benefit from having experienced one of the best teams in a playoff setting.

“It’s a good experience always coming (to Plymouth),” Leathers said. “I miss being in this conference because they always get you prepared for the state. I respect their coach. He’s a good coach. That’s what makes the difference. I’m glad we got to play against him.”

Leathers, who sees herself almost like a mother to her players, now looks forward to seeing how some of her athletes perform in their spring sports.