PINETOWN — It wasn’t until midway through the third quarter that Northside was able to string together multiple baskets. Riverside’s defense pressured the Lady Panthers into turnovers, which neutralized their offense and produced easy opportunities for the Lady Knights.

Prentiss Thomas followed a Ve’Era Holloway layup with consecutive short jumpers. It gave Northside six quick points, but it still trailed by nearly 20 points en route to a 52-32 loss.

“They were a long team. We had a hard time getting the ball around the 3-point line,” coach Michelle Leathers said. “We couldn’t knock our shots down until around the fourth quarter when Brooklyn (Hudnell) hit a 3. We had open shots, but we just couldn’t knock them down.

“Last time, they pressed us. We got a little better with the press break, but that length they had.”

That was Leathers’ outlook on the game against a Riverside club undefeated in 1-A Coastal Plains action. Loss notwithstanding, Northside showed improvements since a 67-25 loss in Williamston on Dec. 8.

“I’m seeing good ball movement and we’re taking open shots,” she said. “We’ve been more aggressive. Brooklyn is going to the basket. There were a lot of good things.”

Riverside built a 6-0 lead in the first while keeping Northside off the board until the 2:37 mark of the opening period. The Lady Panthers finally scored when Hudnell knocked down a close jump shot. Thomas dished to fellow sophomore Ke’Shayla Arthur for an open shot on the baseline.

Gabby Slade got Northside going from 3-point range when she drained an open look with 2:50 left in the first half. Abby Mooring and Hudnell would add triples of their own in the second half.

“That’s something I’ve been trying to get the girls to do. I want them to take open shots,” Leathers said. “If you don’t take those shots on the outside, teams like Riverside are going to pack in. They’re going to have the inside covered.”

The Lady Panthers put together another run in the fourth quarter. They did so thanks to back-to-back 3s and some work at the free-throw line, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap.