Dallas County fended off a feisty Southside bunch to earn a 66-61 win on Tuesday.

“It’s a win, but a loss,” said Dallas County coach Willie Moore. “I know we’ve got to play much better.”

The Hornets (15-4) led in double figures for most of the first half, and took a 38-26 lead into the locker room.

“I talked to them at halftime and told them the game wasn’t over,” said Southside coach Cedric Brown. “We didn’t give up.”

Demarcus Smith responded with a barrage of 3-point shots, hitting four 3-pointers in a 14-5 run to trim the Hornets’ lead to 43-40.

An 8-0 Dallas County run pushed the lead back to nine, but Southside (6-12) responded with a 13-0 run capped by a Wilbert McConico steal and layup to earn the Panthers’ first lead at 58-54.

But as quickly as the Panthers heated up, they cooled off, and Dallas County took advantage. Brandon Holmes scored eight points in a 13-0 Hornet run to close the game.

Holmes led all scorers with 19 points. Henry Baker added 18 and Frank Crews finished with 14. Smith paced Southside with 18 points. Bartavious Hall added 12 and Demarrious Pratt chipped in 11.