Southside overcame a sluggish start and uncharacteristically weak shooting from leading scorer Nikki Williams to earn a 66-57 win over Greensboro on Friday.

“I’m happy to get a ‘W’,” said Southside coach Wanda Tyler. “Greensboro did a real good job and showed a lot of poise. They played hard the entire game.”

Just when it looked like the Panthers iced the game with an 8-0 run and led 15 halfway through the fourth quarter, the Raiders stormed back. Cadeidra Williams and Shalondra Dudley knocked down 3-pointers to spark a 10-0 run to cut the score to 58-53 with 2:18 remaining.

But Southside got off the mat to answer with a 6-0 run capped by a steal and two layups by Keyria Miles to push the Panthers’ lead to 64-53 with 1:03 remaining to put the game away.

Neither team took firm control in the first half. The first quarter ended in a 16-16 tie, and the Panthers (11-2) only led by six points at the break.

But they opened the third quarter with an 11-2 run to seize control and a 39-24 lead.

“At halftime, we changed the defense all around,” said Tyler. “We changed from a half-court press to a full-court press and a half-court 1-3-1 zone.”

But Greensboro (6-3) responded with a 13-3 run to trim the lead to 42-37 on an Ashten Tinker layup at the 1:53 mark of the third quarter.

Regina Bartholomew and Shaniqua Williams led the Panthers with 15 points each. Keyria Miles finished with 12.

Dudley led the Raiders with 20 points. SaDedra Ryans and Brittney Grice contributed 10 apiece.