Another night, another strong performance by the high-scoring Southwest Bears.
The Bears improved to 3-1 Monday night with an emphatic 89-72 home win over the Northwest Rangers.
It was the second time the two teams squared off this season after Southwest topped the Rangers 91-88 at Northwest in the season-opener for both teams earlier this month.
“It’s a really good team we beat, and we were able to do a good job,” coach Casey Carter said. “But it’s the fourth game of the year. I told the guys ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint.’ We need to continue to strive to get better.”
Like their first meeting, which featured more than 60 combined fouls and more than 90 combined free throws, Monday night’s game between the Bears and the Ragners was a physical battle.
Though there were significantly fewer whistles in Monday’s rematch, both teams aimed to maintain a quick pace on offense without forfeiting any intensity in the paint.
As a result, versatile freshman forward and Tylertown native Xavion Dillon played his best game of the year for the Bears, recording his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Dillon did everything for Southwest — from dribbling the ball down the floor to posting up inside, from blocking shots in the paint to disrupting shooters on the perimeter. The 6-foot-7 forward said he has an inside-out game and can remain effective in any style of play.
“After losing the last game (Nov. 11 against Mississippi Delta) I knew I had to come back and give us some energy and help the team wi n this game,” Dillon said. “I’ll do whatever I have to do: scoring, rebounding, assisting, blocking, shooting, whatever I need to do for us to win.”
Dillon and sophomore forward Twymond Howard (9 points, 16 rebounds) helped the Bears earn a 59-41 advantage on the boards, and the two forwards were responsible for four of the Bears’ seven blocks inside. The Bears outscored Northwest 50-28 in the paint.
Southwest’s domination inside was the deciding factor in an otherwise sloppy game. The Bears committed 18 turnovers out of its fast-paced offense, many of which occurred in transition and led to easy opportunities for the Rangers at the other end of the floor.
Unfortunately for Northwest, it was unable to capitalize on Southwest’s mistakes. The Rangers shot a putrid 30 percent from the field and just 7-29 from three-point range. And because the Rangers had little success rebounding their own misses, it became an impossible task to keep up with the Bears on the scoreboard.
“It was a sloppy game on both ends,” Carter said. “You think about, with a convincing win, what it could have been if you take care of the ball. So that’s the good part about it, you see what can be.”
Carter said his team was focused on playing better half-court defense Monday night, adding he was very pleased with how his team defended the Rangers.
Southwest added 16 points off turnovers and 20 second-chance points in the victory, pushing the tempo whenever possible. Point guards Chris Jones and Jaylen Moore led the Bears in scoring with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Guard Deione Weeks and Corey Williams also scored in double-figures for Southwest.
The win over Northwest was “bittersweet” for Carter, who was Northwest head coach Bubba Skelton’s assistant at Jones County before taking the head coaching job at Southwest.
“We’re really good friends, we talk every day,” Carter said of his relationship with Skelton. “You feel good about your guys because you put in that work but at the same time you’ve got a friend who is not as happy as you are.
“So it’s bittersweet but ultimately I’d rather feel bittersweet happy than not happy at all.”
Monday’s game was a part of the annual Southwest/Coca-Cola Classic, hosted by the Bears and featuring Northwest, Northeast Mississippi and Southern-Shreveport. The Bears will return to action Tuesday night as part of Day 2 of the Classic. Northwest and Northeast will play in the first game before the Bears take on Southern-Shreveport.
Tuesday’s game is slated to tip at 7:15 p.m.
