Westside girls pull away to beat Southwest

A big first-half effort put Westside in control Tuesday night against Southwest. Another scoring spurt allowed the Seminoles to put the game away. A 50-32 victory for the Seminoles in a game played at their home gymnasium moved them on to Wednesday's quarterfinals of the GHSA Region 2-AAA Tournament, where they will face Jackson. The winner of quarterfinal game will earn berths in the Class AAA Tournament.

After trailing by five points through the game's first four minutes, Westside (14-11) kicked things up a notch with defensive pressure, and it wore down the Patriots (6-19) on both ends of the floor as they went more than 10 minutes without scoring a basket. By then, Westside was ahead 20-7 which ended up being an insurmountable lead.

FOUR WHO MATTERED

Jamesia Holliman: With the Seminoles getting it done on the defensive end, Westside had a chance to take control when it had possession of the ball. Holliman was at the heart of that effort, scoring 11 points.

Acacia Ricks: Thanks to Westside being able to move the ball down low, she had a solid night, scoring 10 points. Ricks did most of her damage in the low post, getting leverage to execute turnaround jump shots on multiple occasions.

Ke'Asia Harvey: With Westside forcing turnovers, Harvey took advantage with her athleticism, helping to convert steals into scores. She scored five of her 10 points in the second quarter, four of them coming on layups.

Shamerica Clowers: The Patriots pulled to within five points in the second half, and Clowers, who scored nine, was a major reason why. A single free throw followed by a 3-pointer cut the Westside lead to 26-21 with 3:45 to go in the third quarter.

TURNING POINT

Southwest's early 7-2 lead didn't last long thanks to some intense defensive pressure. Westside went to a fullcourt press, and it worked for the Seminoles. The Patriots either turned the ball over on the own end of the court or were thrown off balance on offense from having to work to advance the ball and consequently missed shots.

OBSERVATIONS

Team effort: Westside showed off its balance when it began its first-half rally. The first five of the first seven baskets on the run that moved them into the lead came from five different players -- Nakayia Greene, Ricks, Holliman, Ke'Asia Harvey and NiAira Dawson.

Putting it away: After Southwest trimmed the Seminoles lead to 26-21 in the third quarter, Westside sealed the game in the way in which it took control early -- with another big scoring stretch. The Patriots were held to seven fourth-quarter points and Westside began the fourth with a 7-0 run bookended by a pair of inside scores from Timesha Rouse.

ALSO TUESDAY

Rutland's girls advanced to Wednesday's quarterfinals, as well, riding the wave of holding Spencer to three points in the first quarter to win 54-42. BreAsia Davis led the Hurricanes with 20 points and Breanca Davis has 12.

THEY SAID IT

Westside head coach Candice Roberson on the defensive pressure: "That was crucial, their turnovers actually helped us with our offense. Our offense got a little stagnant from the beginning, so the press kind of helped us get that lead and keep it."

Roberson on Westside's post play: "We have a lot of young guards. They are learning that if they look down low, it can help us."

Southwest head coach Willie Goolsby: "We weren't patient enough. We knew they were going to press, and we should have made them pay, but we didn't. We're in a rebuilding situation, we're just getting ready for the future. We've been there and done that before. It's frustrating, but I put things in perspective."

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 10:54 PM with the headline "Westside girls pull away to beat Southwest ."