PINETOWN — For the first time in weeks, both Northside and Southside stepped onto a court confident and consistent enough to walk away with a victory, but when the dust settled, 13 fourth-quarter points from point guard Alex Adams resulted in a 52-44 win for the Panthers on Senior Night.

With the No. 5 seed in the Coastal Plains Conference Tournament up for grabs, both teams entered in the midst of significant losing streaks, but the past clearly was not an issue when two rivals squared off in the regular season finale.

The host Panthers would enjoy one of their best shooting nights of the year, as everyone from Adams to Kelsey Lang to Kendall Alligood would all have productive nights. And despite some sloppy ball handling, resulting in turnovers that Southside point guard Symone Ruffin capitalized on, Northside had a narrow two-point advantage after one quarter.

After six points through the first eight minutes, Ruffin picked off passes in the half court and found seniors Angelica Tisdale and April Olds down court, a structure the Seahawks leaned on to stay in the game. At the half, Northside held a 26-24 lead.

“We came out in the beginning kind of sloppy and that’s something that I addressed in the locker room,” said head coach Michelle Leathers. “On senior night, you have to put everything on the court. Alex came out with a bang, distributed the ball. I’ve never coached a player so unselfish, even though I want her to be a little more selfish sometimes. She reminds me of myself. What can I say?”

Following a first half that featured multiple lead changes, Ruffin continued to hit shots and get her teammates involved out of the break. Outrebounding the host, Southside managed to tie the game at 32 heading into the final quarter.

Then, Northside’s go-to senior went off, sealing the win. Adams drilled a three to start and worked her way to the line, where she converted 8-of-9, while her teammates also hit their free throws. For Southside, Olds’ five points had the Seahawks hanging around, but Adams 13-point performance through the final eight minutes proved too much to match. She finished with 24 points, four assists and four rebounds, while Alligood chipped in with eight points and six rebounds.

With the win, Northside closes the regular season with a 7-12 (4-8 CPC) record, while Southside drops to 4-16 (3-9 CPC), earning the No. 6 seed for next week’s tournament.

“We just have to keep playing as a team, moving the ball. If I can get Quortasia (Clark) to really start playing, the year she had off really affected her. We need more inside because if we had more inside, there wouldn’t be so much pressure on the outside.”