Westside, Central set for Region 2-AAA showdown

When Justin Slocum was on the floor for Southwest, Westside faced a tall task.

Slocum, Southwest's senior leader, gave Westside all it could handle. But foul problems kept him on the bench for much of the third quarter, giving Westside a chance to exploit some matchups.

Westside went on a big run after Slocum picked up his fourth foul a little more than three minutes into the third quarter, giving the Seminoles the cushion they needed for a 68-59 victory and a spot in Friday's GHSA Region 2-AAA title game at top-seeded Central.

FOUR WHO MATTERED

Samone Reed: Westside got strong production from its guards Thursday, with Reed leading the way with 18 points.

Gerimie Mitchell: Four players scored in double-figures for Westside, with Mitchell picking up 12.

Slocum: The Southwest senior scored a game-high 22 points despite missing more than four minutes in the third quarter. He fouled out with 2:04 to go in the game.

Nick Hargrove: The Southwest guard kept things from becoming a runaway in the second half, scoring 14 of his 20 points after halftime.

TURNING POINT

Westside went on a 13-2 run after Slocum picked up his fourth foul with 4:50 to go in the third quarter. The Seminoles led by four at the time of the foul.

OBSERVATIONS

Close first half: The teams went back and forth in the first 16 minutes, with neither team pulling away. Westside led by two at the end of the first quarter and claimed a 26-25 lead at the half when Reed hit a 3-pointer with eight seconds to go in the quarter.

Triple-double: Khavon Moore wasn't the big scorer for Westside, but he had some solid numbers: 11 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

ALSO THURSDAY NIGHT

Central trailed No. 4 seed Rutland with six minutes remaining, but the Chargers pulled away late for a 67-58 win. Kentrevious Jones scored 18 and Derrick Evans scored 15 to pace Central (24-2), while Jaikez Mann had 19 for Rutland (10-15).

THEY SAID IT

Westside head coach Josh Grube on the third quarter: "The third quarter was a big one for us. Slocum is a tremendous player, and we knew we had to take advantage of him being off the floor."

Grube on Westside's plan: "We really turned up our pressure defense. Our plan was to pressure their guards, and we executed that pretty well and was able to get that lead."

Reed on Westside's offensive balance: "We knew that (things would happen) if we got everyone going and attacked the basket. Khavon does a really good job of that, and he was feeding our big man, Omar Jones. We got out there and executed."

UP NEXT

Southwest and Rutland meet in the Region 2-AAA third-place game at 6 p.m. on Friday at Central. The title game between Central and Westside -- the third meeting between the teams this season -- is slated for a 7:30 p.m. tip. Westside beat Central 82-63 on Dec. 4, while Central prevailed 75-72 on Jan. 12.

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 10:01 PM with the headline "Westside, Central set for Region 2-AAA showdown ."