Prior to beginning their late February playoff push, the Southern Durham boys’ basketball team is focused on winning the championship title in the Northern Lakes Athletic Conference.

The Spartans have excelled in the initial ten examinations on their journey, which featured a 76-48 victory over Louisburg on Monday evening.

Early in the game, Jackson Keith, Javier Ortiz, and K.J. Hughes each contributed five points to the offense during the first period.

Southern extended its 18-5 lead in the first quarter to a 37-18 advantage by halftime, aided by five three-pointers in the first half.

Camden Fletcher left the bench and quickly scored two three-pointers in the second quarter, giving a push to the Spartan’s offense.

Louisburg was able to make a comeback in the third period.

In the third quarter, the Warriors scored 21 points to Southern’s 17, with Josh Smith taking the spotlight. The second-year player made two of his four three-point shots and contributed 12 of his team-leading 20 points during this period.

Luke Sheldon, a sophomore, reduced the gap to 54-39 with a pull-up jump shot just before the quarter ended.

In the last eight minutes of the game, Southern Durham showed their best performance and were able to secure a 22-9 victory in the quarter.

Keith scored a total of 15 points by making two dunks in the third quarter and two more baskets near the rim. In the last few minutes, Camren Daniels also made two three-pointers, while Ortiz made his second three-point play of the game amidst heavy traffic.

The victory improves Southern Durham’s record to 15-4 overall and 10-0 in conference play. Three of the Spartans’ four losses have come by four points or less.

They will return home on Tuesday night to start a four-game home series to end the regular season. The game against Granville Central will begin at 7:30 PM.

Louisburg concluded a four-game homestand this week, playing against Vance County on Tuesday and Carrboro on Friday.

The Warriors currently hold a record of 10 wins and 7 losses, with a conference record of 5 wins and 5 losses in NLAC games.

Southern Durham Scoring:

• Keith, 15
• Page, 13
• Hughes, 11
• Ortiz, 9
• McKee, 8
• Fletcher, 8
• Daniels, 8
• Bowling, 4

Louisburg Scoring:

• Smith, 20
• Sheldon, 8
• Kearney, 5
• Alexander, 5
• Edgerton, 4
• Crudup, 3
• Riley, 3

Source: highschoolot.com