Report by Chris Vines
The Brookland Bearcats came to Southside Friday night (9-1) in 4A-3 conference play, looking for a win and a shot at league-leading Blytheville(11-0) next week for the number-one seed, they left with neither, losing to the Southerners, 62-43, and losing their shot at a conference title.
The Southerners came out on fire going three-for-three from beyond the arc and led 12-4 at the end of the first quarter, and never looked back.
Trevor Longo had 12 points at halftime and the Southerners added three to their lead in the second quarter and leading 29-18 at the break.
The Southerners came out of halftime shooting as well as they did in the opening half, stretching their lead to 20 points before ending the quarter with a 43-26, before making free throws in the final quarter to seal the win and look forward to a matchup with Valley View next week to decide the 3-4 seeds in the district tournament.
“That was our most complete game of the season, from start to finish, we played really well against a very good team,” said Coach Brad McGhee.
Devan Halford led all players with 24 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Trevor Longo added 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Jake Painter had eight points, while Jonathan Shane and Blayne Bufford added six each. Shane led the team with seven rebounds and three steals.
