Two early runs put Selma (8-5) in the driver’s seat, then the Saints kept Keith (3-7) at arm’s length to clinch a 67-49 win on Friday.

“It was a good effort,” said Selma coach Woodie Jackson. “We controlled the ball and got uncontested layups.”

Due to the Alabama High School graduation exam, this was the Saints’ first game since Saturday. The rust showed through in a sluggish first quarter as Selma fought to an 11-10 lead.

But the Saints opened the second quarter with a 14-4 run sparked by the Bears’ cold shooting and two DeAngelo Norris 3-pointers to take control with a 25-14 lead.

A Rodney Ellis 3-pointer cut the Saints’ lead to eight points with 3:23 left in the second quarter. But Justin Ravizee answered with a trey of his own, sparking a 7-0 run to put Selma up 32-17.

Though the Bears were down 15 at the half, their effort did not let up.

“I thought we played hard the whole game,” said Keith coach Tommy Tisdale. “I’m proud of the effort. Things just didn’t fall our way.”

The Saints picked up where they left off in the third quarter. A 9-0 run capped by a Wendell Lewis dunk extended Selma’s lead to 43-19 with 5:35 remaining, and the Saints coasted the rest of the way.

“We’ve seen some progress, but we’ve got a long way to go,” said Jackson.

Ravizee led the Saints with 19 points. Lewis added 16 and Norris had 15.

Ellis, an eighth grader, led all scorers with 22 points. D’wan Lewis added nine for the Bears.