By Mike Goodson/Sports Correspondent
Southside High girls basketball coach Kim Nails summed up her team’s game with Hokes Bluff last Friday (Dec. 21) as a game of runs.
“Each team will have a run,” she said following the Lady Panthers’59-55 victory. “Fortunately, ours was bigger and we were able to hold on to the lead in the final minutes. We played a great first half, and Hokes Bluff played a great second half. We just started missing shots. Hokes Bluff started hitting shots and doing some good things. [Hokes Bluff] Coach [Jason] Shields did a great job, and we knew they would come back.”
The visiting Lady Eagles (9-3) nearly overcame the 17-point fourth-quarter deficit, getting back to within two points late in the game.
Southside led 53-39 heading into the final frame, but Hokes Bluff went on a 16-6 run that narrowed the gap to 57-55 when Elizabeth White scored for the Eagles with 52 remaining. Two free throws by Beth Allen Smith, however, salted the game for Southside with 11 seconds left.
The game started at a frantic pace, with the host Lady Eagles taking a 23-20 lead after the first eight minutes.
The Lady Panthers (7-3) then put together a big second quarter, outscoring Hokes Bluff 19-5 in the second quarter to take a 42-25 halftime lead.
Southside’s Karri Mckissick scored 10 of her team-high 14 points in the first half.
Haley Troup added 11 points for the Lady Panthers, followed by Savannah Thomas and Sydney D’Eath with eight each.
White paced Hokes Bluff with 16 points, followed by Carlie Shields with 13 and Keisha Chapman with 10.