PINETOWN —  Northside treated its future Coastal Plains Conference mates to a rude welcome on Friday as the Panthers overcame a nine-point halftime deficit thanks to some sizzling perimeter shooting to top Jones Senior 57-47.
Before Northside got red-hot from downtown its defense clamped down on the Trojans holding them to five third-quarter points to trim the deficit to 38-34 heading into the fourth.
With star G/F Antonio Woods on the sideline with four fouls, the Panthers rode the back of 6-8 freshman phenom Edrice Adebayo, who scored game-high 22 points, before guards Caleb Sherman and Ryan Arthur shot daggers through the hearts of Jones Senior during a pivotal 18-4 run.
“It was a good win. We were down nine at halftime and we just kept fighting back,” Northside coach Mike Procter said. “We just kept working hard and pulled out a win. The guys are playing really, really hard.”
The Panthers finally caught up to the Trojans when an Adebayo layup fell through the net to knot the game at 38 all early in the fourth.
From there, the Panthers poured it on as Arthur buried a wide open three, which was followed shortly after by consecutive threes by Sherman and Arthur, with the last one sending the crowd into a frenzy as Northside took a 54-42 lead.
“The shooters made some shots,” Proctor said. “We didn’t make them in the first half so they were just leaving us wide open and really collapsing on Bam (Adebayo). In the second he just kept passing the ball out and the guys made the shots.”
Sherman scored six points in the fourth and finished with 12 points, while Arthur scored all six of his points in the last quarter. Woods would finish the game with 10 points despite seeing limited action late in the game.
The win ups the Panthers record to 7-0 on the year and gives them some momentum heading into their mega-matchup with Four Rivers Conference rival Plymouth, who finished second in the state last season.

Jones        14    19    5    9    —    47
Northside    9    15    10    13    —    57
Trojans (47)
White 9, Cobb 4, Fog 7, K.D. McCall 11, Eric Dudley 11, William 5.
Panthers (57)
Caleb Sherman 11, Antonio Woods 10, Edrice Adebayo 22, Slade 2, Jones 2, Washington 2, Arthur 9.

Northside 60, Jones Senior 35
PINETOWN — Northside sophomore Alex Adams was red-hot from beyond the arc, while senior center Jordan Woolard dominated inside the paint to lead the Panthers to a 60-35 victory over Jones Senior on Friday.
Adams buried three after three to score a game-high 17 points, while Woolard did the dirty work down low and accumulated 14 points.
“(Adams) had a good game, and lately I’ve been getting on her to shoot more,” Northside coach Michelle Leathers said. “She’s been knocking down shots, but she’s just a sophomore. She’s been filling some big shoes right now.”
Northside (6-1) was able to take a big lead early and hold on to it as it turned in a stellar team defensive effort.
The Panthers put pressure on the Trojans early as guards Adams and Cheyenne Franks harassed the Jones Senior ball handlers.
“We’ve been working on our defense for years and tonight they came out and played some defense,” Leathers said. “We just need to stay focused and continue to play our game.”
Northside held a 17-8 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 31-13 after a Woolard bucket with one minute left in the first half.
The Panthers would coast the rest of the way as they took a 52-25 lead into the fourth.

Girls’ game
Jones    7    8    10    10    —    35
Northside    17    18    17    8    —    60
Trojans (35)
Ashley 10, Frontena Bringe 16, Gatling 4, Brooks 2, Tyson 3.

Jordan Woolard 14, Franks 7, Alex Adams 17, Slade 4, Lang 3, B. Alligood 4, Whitney 4, Stanley 2, Paul 2, Burgos 2.