Southside split its two basketball games against Keith Friday on Senior Night at the Panthers Arena.

The Lady Panthers cruised to an easy 57-29 victory, while the boys’ squad fell 71-53 in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Southside nearly overcame a 20 point first-half deficit and tied the game at 37-37 with three minutes left in the third quarter. Taye Spears had six of his team-high 17 points during that stretch.

“At that point, I thought we were going to pull out the victory,” Panthers coach Lenord Jones said.

Keith, however, closed the third quarter with a 10-2 run and took a 47-39 lead into the game’s final eight minutes. Ja’Quarius Simmons came off the bench and scored five of his eight points during the run.

“We always preach, ‘be ready when your name gets called,’ Bears coach Clifton Reeves said. “Simmons and Anthony Lumpkin both stepped up. Defense was the key to us making that run and pulling away.”

The game-changing run ended any hopes of a Panthers comeback. Southside never threatened again and was outscored 24-14 in the fourth quarter.

“We had too many turnovers in that stretch,” Jones said. “Keith continued to come at us. Our young players aren’t used to that.”

Reeves said he was proud of the Bears for overcoming adversity on the road as Southside honored seniors William Wright and DeAndre Johnson.

“We knew Southside would be hyped to start the game,” Reeves said. “We knew Southside would play hard. Nobody wants to lose to the same team three times in the season.”

Kendarius Perry and Lumpkin each led the Bears with 15 points. Perry, who scored without hitting his trademark three-pointers, also had six steals. Arayvion Jones added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Southside girls 57, Keith 29: Christina Watts scored 19 points and made six assists as the Lady Panthers cruised to an easy win. Kiara Harrell added 13 points. Kylan Brown finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

The Lady Panthers honored their four seniors: Watts, Harrell, Destiny Davis and Cenesha Cleveland.

Southside jumped out to a 16-9 first quarter and never looked back. In the second quarter, Southside outscored Keith 21-8 in the second quarter, leading 37-17 at halftime.  The Lady Panthers took a 55-20 lead into the fourth quarter and played reserves for the final eight minutes.

“It was our last regular season game and we wanted to finish with a win,” Watts said. “We wanted to help up and lead our younger players.”

Next week, Keith boys will host the Area 4, Class 1A tournament, the Lady Bears travel to Linden. Southside boys and girls will play in the Area 6, Class 3A tournament at Prattville Christian Academy.