Varsity Teams Beat Sabres in Key Region Games

The SJCS Varsity basketball teams defeated visiting Southside Christian in key Region 2-3A games on Friday night.

The girls' victory left them as the last remaining unbeaten team in the region, and the boys' win gave them sole possession of second place.

Varsity Boys

Sam Patterson scored six of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to help the Varsity boys hold off the Sabres and post a 50-44 win.

Will Saunders' 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter gave the Knights a 40-33 lead, but Southside Christian responded with a 7-0 to tie the score at 40-40 with 4:22 remaining.

Patterson scored on a drive to put the Knights back on top for good and then hit two free throws to make it 44-40 at the 2:28 mark.

The Sabres cut the margin in half, and Deux Greene hit 1 of 2 from the line. Saunders made a huge block with 55 seconds left, and when SCS failed to score, Carl Harrison was fouled and made 1 of 2, giving the Knights a 46-42 lead with 36 seconds remaining.

After SCS scored to make it 46-44, Smith Crick got free at the other end and pushed the lead back to 48-44 with 19 seconds left.

When the Sabres came up empty, Patterson sealed the win with a pair of free throws.

Carter Bears had 11 points for the Knights (14-2, 4-1), who led 17-7 after one quarter and 29-21 at halftime. Crick had eight points, and Greene had seven points.

Harrison had five points, Saunders three points and Caleb Hood two points.

Varsity Girls

Evie Adams had 12 points and seven rebounds, and the Knights used a fast start to propel them to a 41-27 victory.

The Knights (12-6, 5-0), who handed the Sabres their first defeat in the region, they stand alone on top after the first round of games.

Emi Reese Hand scored inside to put St. Joe's on top, and Adams hit a layup off of a turnover. Lola Kelly scored inside and then leaped to make a nice grab of a pass from Adams and scored inside again.

Macy Caldwell made two free throws, and the Knights led 10-0 at the 4:18 mark of the first quarter.
 

Southside Christian finally scored, hitting two free throws with 3:20 to go in the period, but Tiffany Helmer dropped in a floater from the left baseline, and the Knights had a 12-2 lead after one quarter.

On a night when points were tough to come by, the early advantage was significant. The Sabres spent the rest of the game chasing the Knights.

Southside Christian was within six points late in the first half, but Kelly scored on a break, Adams hit a pair of free throws and Helmer tossed in an 8-footer from the left baseline and St. Joe's led 23-6 at halftime. The Sabres were never closer than 11 point in the second half.

Kelly finished with nine points, three rebounds and three assists, and Helmer had eight points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Caldwell had six points, five rebounds and four steals, Londyn Woods had four points and Hand had two points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

Junior Varsity Boys

Southside Christian rallied to send the game to overtime and defeated the St. Joe's JV boys 43-40.

The Sabres had erased a seven-point, fourth-quarter deficit and led 32-31 when Barrett Barnhill made a nice pass inside to Julian Cordi for a basket that put the Knights back on top with 1:25 remaining in regulation.

Jay Sanders, who led the Knights with 15 points and 16 rebounds, hit two free throws with 41 seconds left that made it 35-32. Southside Christian converted a 3-point play with 35 seconds to play in the quarter that tied the score at 35-35, and neither team scored again in regulation.

The Sabres hit a 3-pointer early in overtime and never trailed again. Barnhill's 3-pointer pulled the Knights to within 42-40 with six seconds left. SCS made 1 of 2 from the line with 5.1 seconds remaining, and St. Joe's missed a long heave at the buzzer.

Cordi finished with 10 points and four rebounds for the Knights (9-3), and Barnhill had seven points, seven boards and three assists. Zander Estevez had six points, and Miles Norman had two points and five rebounds.