Westside nets pair of hard-fought wins in sweep of Southwest

It didn't count for region play, and one of the top-rated players didn't even get on the court. But all of that didn't impact the intensity one bit between Westside and Southwest on Tuesday night as a nearly full gym saw the Seminoles soldier on without leading scorer Khavon Moore to hold off the Patriots 60-55. Westside rallied to win the girls contest 42-38.

Westside (6-6) got itself some distance with a big third quarter, holding Southwest (5-6) without a field goal for more than 5 minutes and seven points overall to lead 37-29. That and success at the free-throw line was enough of an edge for the Seminoles to get the win.

Four who mattered

Greg Holloway: With Moore out, the Seminoles needed someone to step up and lead the way. Holloway took the mantle of the opportunity, scoring 25 points as he took advantage of chances to drive the lane and score.

Omar Jones: Prevented the Patriots from keying on just one player, scoring 14 points.

Roderick Teasley: His 17-point effort was a major reason for the Patriots remaining in position to challenge for the lead early on and staying within striking distance until the final minutes. He put forth a strong effort to the game's finish, with eight fourth-quarter points.

Tyrese Evans: The guard helped lead the way for Southwest from the outside, draining a pair of 3-point shots on the way to scoring 10 points.

Turning point

Southwest led 27-24 with 3:35 to go in the third quarter before the Seminoles turned the tables. A 13-2 run marked by layups off of steals from Holloway and Jones helped Westside to a 37-29 lead after three quarters, with the Seminoles defensive effort having produced a spark on the offensive end.

Westside Girls Rally In Win

It may have looked bleak for Westside's girls late in the third quarter, down by 13 points. That didn't seem to faze them, however. The Seminoles rallied to win 42-38, holding the Patriots to just one fourth-quarter field goal.

NiAira Dawson got things going for Westside with a three pointer to end the third, and drained another to start the fourth, pulling the Seminoles to within 7 points at 33-26. Dawson had 21 points and drained four three pointers on Tuesday. Westside kept going from there, getting two quick scores from Naya Graham with a Zyndia Robinson 3-point shot, making it 39-37 with 1:42 to play. Westside (6-8) held on from there, draining enough free throws to prevent a Patriots comeback.

Southwest (7-4) was led by 11 points from Bre'Shanna Daniels that included a trio of three pointers.

They said it

Westside head coach Josh Grube on playing Southwest: "We like to play Southwest every year because they are going to play you hard the entire game. (Southwest head coach Robert) Worthy does an outstanding job getting his kids ready to play. We told our kids before the game that they were going to be in for a dogfight, because the other team, Southwest, is going to play hard the entire game."

Grube on what held the Seminoles back on Tuesday night: "I think some of our mistakes were self-inflicted. We missed 14 free throws and turned the ball over in the first half. But we played a little better in the second half and were able to come out of it with a win."

Westside girls head coach Candice Roberson on what made the difference in the fourth quarter: "We changed our defense, we had been in a 1-2-1 the first three quarters and we kind of changed our defense to going more man and increased the intensity."

What's next

Westside hosts Jackson on Friday and Southwest is at Northeast

This story was originally published January 3, 2018 at 8:45 AM with the headline "Westside nets pair of hard-fought wins in sweep of Southwest."