The Southside girls basketball team defeated rival Northside on senior night Thursday, 63-55.

“This was a very emotional game,” said Head Coach Bill Lake. “We’ll miss this group. I have four seniors, and they all play well and contribute major minutes. We’re going to miss them and we wish them well.”

Seniors Takeyra Harris, Rosiland Clark, Breonna Blango and Kyajia Mourning all contributed significantly in their final game in Chocowinity.

Blango and Harris exploited the Panthers’ weak transition game by maintaining a fast-paced offensive tempo throughout the night. Harris would collect 14 first-half points, most of which were gained in transition, while Blango dished to Mourning in the paint for easy buckets.

Up 31-18 at the break, Southside was in full control offensively and defensively.

Enter Northside’s Alex Adams in the second half. The junior floor leader decided the Panthers were not going to give in.

“How many threes did she end up with? I lost count in the second half,” said Lake. “She’s a really good player. We put a box and one on her at the end, which slowed her down a little, but not much.”

On the backs of Adams and senior point guard Cheyenne Franks, the Panthers clawed their way back and shrunk the lead to five heading into the fourth quarter.

The final 10 minutes was a back-and-forth affair, each team answering the other. However, Northside was unable to cut into the lead.

Clark finished with a game-high 23 points, while Blango and Mouring ended with 15 a piece. For the Panthers, Franks finished with 22 points and Adams with 21.

Both of Friday night’s games will be available in Sunday’s section.