Signs of progress: Southside nearly picks up home sweep in last game before break

Published 9:24 pm Sunday, December 22, 2024

By Jason O. Boyd

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CHOCOWINITY, N.C. — Given another minute or two and Southside’s boys basketball team might have been able to pull off a doubleheader sweep of Princeton.

Instead, the Seahawks fell just short in last Thursday’s final game before the Christmas break. Southside’s boys fell 60-56 despite a fourth-quarter rally where they trailed by 12 points with just over six minutes left. Southside’s girls won their second straight with a 51-37 victory as three players reached double figures in scoring.

Southside’s boys (1-6) came into the game with an 84-74 win over North East Carolina Prep a week earlier. After exams, the Seahawks saw Thursday as a chance to build some momentum heading into the break. It almost happened as Southside led 27-21 on a jumper by Josh Armstrong with 4:49 left in the third quarter.

However, Princeton scored 14 straight in about two minutes — pressing the Seahawks at halfcourt, forcing turnovers and scoring fast-break points — for a 34-27 lead. Minutes later and the Bulldogs were up 46-34.

Southside started doing the same thing to Princeton and began a rapid comeback. A 10-2 run capped by two free throws by Zy’mire Burgess cut Princeton’s lead to 54-52 with 1:25 left. Zymere Wiggins made a layup with 58 seconds left to cut the margin to 56-54 but the Seahawks couldn’t get closer.

“First I thought once we set up a press, we tried to pick up wherever we can pick up and steal balls and make some layups and get some easy baskets to try to tie the game up,” Southside boys coach Otis Harrell said. “What really hurt us was free throws and second-chance points. They had a lot of second-chance points and stuff like that.”

Harrell is optimistic despite the loss, his team is heading in the right direction after a tough start to the season.

“I think we made a good comeback,” Harrell said. “I wish we had just, if we probably had like maybe two more minutes left on the clock, that would have been our ball game. But I can’t be mad with them, we play hard, I mean, play very hard.”

Southside’s girls (4-3) have won three of their last four going into the break. Despite having just nine players, Seahawks coach Milton Ruffin was able to rotate players, build a lead and hold off any momentum the Bulldogs tried to put together.

“Yeah, that’s our common goal there, is try to make sure everybody can contribute,” Ruffin said. “One person can’t do it, and all the way we can be successful, everybody has to do their part.”

Princeton tied the game at 11-all late in the first quarter, prompting Ruffin to call a timeout. Southside responded with a 15-4 run for a double-digit lead late in the first half. After the Bulldogs cut the margin to single-digits again in the third quarter, I’Kiriyah Minor had six points, including a 3-pointer, to help the Seahawks build a double-digit lead again that never wavered.

“Well, our whole thing is, like I’m saying, everybody has to do their part and to trust in each other,” Ruffin said. “Just making sure we trust and play for each other. Not taking any plays off and work hard on the defense. We have a small team, but we put all that together, I think we can be successful.”

Lily McLean had 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists while Indiah Moore had 12 points and four rebounds and Minor had 10 points, four rebounds and two steals.

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