Just like the first game between Keith and Selma, the second matchup came down to just a play or two in the fourth quarter. Once again, it was the Saints who made those plays.

Jerryonne Patterson made two late baskets to give Selma some breathing room as the Saints (5-1) held on for a 56-47 win over Keith (2-5). Keith had cut the Selma lead to 45-43 with 3:26 left, but Patterson drove to the basket for a layup and then stole the ball for a second layup to put Selma up six.

Ivan Williams added a layup on Selma’s next possession and the Bears didn’t get closer than six the rest of the way.

“He hasn’t tapped his potential,” said Selma coach Ronald Lane of Patterson. “The mental part, the cerebral part of the game is starting to come to him now, and it’s starting to slow down and he’s starting to realize what our expectations are for him. He’s still got a way to go, but he stepped up when it was time to play money basketball.”

The game was back and forth most of the way. Jeffery Huff Jr. hit a jump shot as time expired in the first half to give Selma a 28-23 lead at the break. Led by Jimmie Powell, Keith fought back to take the lead in the third quarter. Powell finished the night with 22 points, which led all scorers.

Huff made a shot and was fouled to put Selma back up 34-33 in the third and the Saints didn’t relinquish the lead again.

The Saints began the fourth quarter on a 8-3 run but Keith answered. Arayvion Jones made back to back layups to pull Keith within two, but Lane called timeout to set up a play for Patterson, who essentially iced the game with the next two shots.

Keith was playing for the second night in a row after a hard fought win over Montgomery Academy on Thursday night. Bears’ coach Tommy Tisdale said there’s a lot for his team to build off of and he’s excited about where the team is heading. Tisdale said Patterson, a ninth grader, played tremendous defense at the top of the paint.

“I love my team,” Tisdale said. “They were giving me everything they had. They were on loose balls, they were on the floor.”

Huff Jr. had 19 points for Selma and Patterson finished the game with 9.

Selma will host Robert E. Tuesday, while Keith will play at R.C. Hatch in the Bears’ first area game of the year.

Lane said the next challenge is reinforcing to his team that a 5-1 start doesn’t mean much.

“We told them we really haven’t done anything yet,” Lane said. “You don’t win championships in November and December. We’ve got to keep grinding it out and I think the game, the way you had to be mentally tough and execute was exactly the medicine we needed to get us mentally back where we needed to be.”