CHOCOWINITY — Jones Senior’s 22-12 lead at the end of the first quarter didn’t feel insurmountable to Southside. That sentiment didn’t last long, though. Trojan sharpshooter Zach Brooks followed up his 21-point showing against Washington on Wednesday with 22 in Thursday’s 77-33 win over Southside.

Brooks torched the Seahawks from behind the arc in the second quarter. All of his points came in the first half, and he scored 15 of them on five-straight made 3-pointers in the second. Zyrek Jones, Malik Brooks and Josh Ward each made layups after Zach Brooks’ last triple to give Jones Senior a 56-27 lead going into halftime.

“I had my regular playlist I listen to,” Brooks said of his pregame ritual. “We had a big game (Wednesday). I said I felt like I did (Wednesday), but I guess I felt better.”

Jones Senior coach Tod Morgan added, “We share the ball well. Guys do buy into the team. We’ve got five or six guys who can get hot and get in double figures and lead us in scoring.”

Southside didn’t muster much from there. The clock started running after Janari Hill’s transition basket gave the Trojans a 40-point lead in the third. The Seahawks went the entire period without a field goal. They would have gone the whole half without any buckets if not for layups from Elijah Moore and Brandon Sullivan.

Both Southside and Jones Senior were playing for the second time in as many days. The Trojans didn’t seem any worse for the wear as they outpaced what is supposed to be a speedy Seahawks group. Coach Sean White still believes his team has speed it can rely on, but that it hasn’t completely transitioned from football season.

“We’ve got a long way to go. I think we’ve still got our football legs under us,” he said. “We’ve only had five or six practices. … We’ve got to get better on defense. That’s obvious. When they drive, our help defense has to be there.”

Jones Senior scored the game’s first eight points before John Bryant got Southside back in the game. He drilled consecutive 3s to cut the Trojan’s lead down to 8-6. The Seahawks couldn’t maintain that proximity, though, as Jones Senior jumped out in transition often to build a 10-point lead before Brooks erupted in the second.

“That really hurt us,” White said. “We did switch our defense up. They were getting through our man, so we went back to zone. … We’ve got to get better on defense.”

Things will continue to be tough for Southside, which is still looking for its first win. Exams are coming up, which will cut into practice time. Inclement weather also threatens the prospect of getting work in before Tuesday’s trip to Bear Grass.