Photo: Glencoe High’s Colton Stone (right) attempts a jump shot as Southside High’s Blake Habyan defends during the Panthers’ 51-37 win in boys basketball last Tuesday (Dec. 4). (Gary Wells)
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
Southside High boys head basketball coach Chad Holderfield attributed his team’s 51-37 victory over Glencoe last Tuesday (Dec. 4) to a second-half surge of intensity.
Leading by seven points at halftime, the Panthers outscored the visiting Yellow Jackets 14 to 7 in the third quarter, and Glencoe never got within single digits the rest of the way.
“I really felt like our energy level on defense picked up in the second half,” said Holderfield. “It’s funny how it works, but when you start hustling, shots start to go in.”
Blake Habyan led the Panthers with 14 points, followed by Brock Habyan with 12. Tommy Simmons added seven points, while Colton Morrison and Parker Crask each chipped in six.
Blake Habyan made his presence felt early and often, as he knocked down eight of his points in the first quarter to help the hosts take a 16-7 lead after one quarter.
The Yellow Jackets stormed back in the second period, however, as Colton Stone’s jump shot at with two minutes left tied the game. Southside responded with six straight points, capped by Brock Habyan’s steal and slam dunk. Blake Habyan scored a pair of baskets over the final minute to push the Panther lead to 26-19 at intermission.
“We weren’t playing bad in the first half, we were just unenergetic and lacked some passion,” said Holderfield. “Our offensive execution was better in the second half in that we were a lot cleaner in running our plays and getting better shots. That helped us get rebounds on a consistent basis, which then led to more second and third-shot possessions.”
Southside took a 40-26 advantage into the fourth quarter, and the Yellow Jackets never threatened down the stretch.
Lang and Cam Harris each scored nine points for Glencoe, while Wells finished with seven.
“We have a lot of length on the team, so we don’t worry too much about matchups,” said Holderfield. “So if our guys are committed to staying connected and working together, things are a lot easier.