PINETOWN — Northside started the season 3-1, only losing the backend of a home-and-home series with Washington. The early success had a lot to do with freshman point guard Rashod Smith. He scored in double figures in two of those games, and led the Panthers in assists in all four.

Despite his age, Smith’s ball handling and ability to run the floor gave Northside something it needed after the graduation of Ikeem Green.

A 71-47 beatdown of Manteo on Dec. 13 was the last game Smith played before being sidelined for over a month with a broken arm. The Panthers went a modest 5-4 without him.

They picked up a 59-58 win over Bear Grass in their first 1-A Coastal Plains Conference game, but slipped up after that. Northside ran into the league’s top teams in East Carteret, Pamlico County and Jones Senior, losing to all three.

The Panthers survived without him, but a dominant win over Southside in his return showed just how much they missed him. He racked up 14 assists and four steals in a 68-49 win.

“It’s so different with him because he sees the floor so well,” coach Mike Proctor said. “He sees the floor as well as any player I’ve ever had as a freshman. He’s going to get the ball for at least a go. We’ve been missing that because really, truly, we’ve got a lot of football player and athletes, but they’re not basketball-savvy like Rashod is.”

That raw skill is oftentimes contagious to the rest of the players on the court.

“A good pass leads to a good pass, and turnovers lead to turnovers,” Proctor said. “With Rashod, we get more good passes. He’s so unselfish with the ball.”

Smith played two games in two days in his return. Northside now embarks on a four-game road swing that starts at Lejeune on Wednesday. The Panthers will also travel to conference foes in Bear Grass and East Carteret.

Northside currently sits in fourth place in a top-heavy league. Pamlico County mans first with a 5-0 record, and the Trojans and Mariners are tied for second with 4-1 records.

The games against Lejeune and Bear Grass, which have one league win between them, give the Panthers a chance to grab a hold of their No. 4 spot. They should be able to accomplish that and more. Smith has now had time to settle in, and Northside should only get better.

“We weren’t talking on defense and we didn’t move the ball quickly,” Smith said of the way things ran in his absence. “… I need to work on my shooting and my quickness.”

Proctor added, “We’ve all got to step it up, not just (Smith). We’ve had a couple of guys that did play well in the post, but there were a couple of guys that didn’t. If we’re going to be really good, they’ve all got to play good.”

A game against East Carteret bookends that four-game road trip. It also marks the start of another three-game stretch against the conference’s top-three teams. If Northside can fire on all cylinders and pick up at least a win against Mariners, Trojans or Hurricanes, the Panthers could fight for a top-three spot.

It will be tough, but it’s certainly within reach now that Smith is back.