By By BRIAN HAINES
Sports Writer
PANTEGO — Fans of high-scoring, offensive basketball games may have been disappointed by Thursday’s matchup between Terra Ceia and Northside, but what the contest lacked in points it made up for in grit.
In one of those odd occurrences, the boys and the girls games were both low scoring affairs, and each ended with Northside as the victor.
Between the boys and the girls teams, the Panthers tallied 80 points, while the Knights were held to 60.
Despite the lack of fireworks the boys’ contest was a thriller and ended with Northside holding on to win 46-37.
The Panthers were out in front for a majority of the game, but a late run by the Knights cut their deficit to 36-35 after Thadeus Van Essendelft went 2-2 from the free throw line with 3:31 left in the game.
That would be as close as Terra Ceia would get though, as the Panthers closed out the game with on a 10-2 run.
“It was just sloppy, we couldn’t score and (Terra Ceia) couldn’t score and it was just a sloppy game all the way around,” Northside coach Mike Procter said. “But I think both teams played really hard. I can’t say we didn’t put out a great effort because we did, we are just having a hard time putting the ball in the hoop right now.”
Isaiah McCullor led the Panthers (2-5, Four Rivers Conference) with a game-high 16 points, five of which came in the fourth. Procter said the steady play of point guard Dumount Harvey was equally influential. Both Harvey and McCullor stepped up to help fend off the Knights’ late rally.
“That was scary because we weren’t scoring and they had all the momentum,” Procter said. “But I think down the stretch that Dumount really showed some leadership and tried to get other people involved. I think he played a really, really good last three minutes of that game.”
Terra Ceia combined for only 11 points in the first two quarters, but out-scored Northside 26-16 in the second half.
Knights’ coach Roger Klaasen said he just encouraged his team to stick to the basics.
“I told them at halftime that we just had to stay fundamentally sound,” Klaasen said. “I told them to just be patient on offense and wait for the quality shot. We hit a couple of late threes to get close … But we just made a couple of mistakes and missed some shots.”
The loss for the first of the season for Terra Ceia (Tar Heel Independent Conference) and drops its record to 6-1.
Panthers grind out victory
It was far from pretty but the Northside girls will take a win anyway they can get one, and Thursday night’s 34-23 win over Terra Ceia now gives them six on the year.
Northside (6-1, Four Rivers Conference) tallied only nine wins throughout the entire 2008-09 season, but are now two-thirds away from that number and it’s still two weeks away from Christmas.
Tis the season for progress, and right now Panthers’ coach Michelle Leathers likes what she sees from her team.
“We are just staying exited and staying positive and we are just trying to grow,” Leathers said.
While the improvement is a happy sight for Leathers, she was not as pleased with what she saw early in the game on Thursday as both the Panthers and the Knights committed several turnovers.
“It was really frustrating because we got to do a better job of taking care of the basketball,” Leathers said. “But in the second half we did a better job protecting the basketball and putting pressure on (the Knights).”
Leathers emptied her bench throughout the game and had 11 players score points. Elizabeth Harris led the Panthers with six points.
The frustration was more intense on the other side of the court as Terra Ceia (4-3, Tar Heel Independent Conference) managed only 10 points in the first half and was held scoreless in the third before posting 13 fourth-quarter points.
Katie Jackson led all scorers with 12. Terra Ceia center Paige Roberson was out with a concussion.
“They put a lot of pressure on us and we just could not get good shots,” Knights’ coach Ken Leys said. “We are still trying to find a way to play without Paige and get rebounds. Our girls played hard, but we just couldn’t make a shot.”
Both teams will be back on the hardwood today as Terra Ceia plays at Hobgood and Northside hosts Columbia.
Girls game
Northside 10 7 10 7 — 34
Terra Ceia 4 6 0 13 — 23
Panthers (34)
Davis 4, Harris 6, Alligood 4, Lucas 3, Woolard 2, Bonney 5, Gaynor 3, Paniagua 3, Slade 4, Paul 2.
Knights (34)
Katie Jackson 12, McDonald 1, Jefferson 4, Boyd 2, Welti 3.
Boys game
Northside 9 11 7 9 — 46
Terra Ceia 4 6 13 13 — 37
Panthers (46)
Calvin Cox 7, Coller 2, Isaiah McCullor 16, Harvey 6, Woolard 8, Cahoon 3.
Knights (37)
Kiam Boerema 11, Latham 7, Van Essendeflt 7, Lilley 6, Butcher 3, Chesson 2.