The Quitman boys basketball led by as much as 30 points in the early stages of the third quarter, but had to hold off a second-half push by host Southeast to secure this year’s Sam Dale Tournament championship Saturday with a 73-54 victory.

Aided by 15 first-half points from Chris Keys, a day after scoring 47 against Kemper County, the Panthers took a 21-11 lead after the first quarter before going on a 19-0 run in the second that was capped off with a dunk by Keys to lead 42-13. Kesean Johnson hit a jumper at the buzzer before the half to give his team a 29-point lead over the Tigers at the break.

After Justin Vaughn completed a 3-point play to give Quitman its largest lead of the contest, Southeast strung together 19 straight points from five different players, including a 3-pointer by Roman Hudnall to cut its deficit to 15 with three minutes left in the third period.

“They made us take some shots that we were uncomfortable with taking. My halftime speech was, they have to speed us up, so let’s play under control and let’s play slow. Let them run more, and let us play at a pace. They sped us up, and we played like them, and that worked in their favor.”

A steal and wide open slam by Keys contributed to six points in a row for the Panthers to stretch their advantage back out to 21 before leading 59-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

A bucket and two free throws from Joshua Randle made it a 14-point game, but that was as close as the Tigers got as the Panthers outscored their opponent 14-7 in the final 5:41 to seal the win.

“Quitman hit us in the mouth, and that’s what a program does when it’s used to winning and winning championships,” Southeast head coach Centel Truman said. “My guys responded in the second half by playing ball following the scouting report. I’m hoping this is a learning thing for us going forward.”

Keys managed only three points in the second half and finished with 18, and added 10 rebounds and seven assists. Shawn Willis and substitute Zakerrion Brown each scored 12 points, and La’Marius James chipped in nine with five steals. 

“In the second half, he was a big distributor, and he took pride in that” Coleman said. “He put guys in position to score points because he draws so much attention.”

Randle ended with a game-high 20 points, Travis Moore added 14 and nine rebounds and Travis Rutley earned eight points and eight boards.

Quitman travels to Mendenhall Friday for its first Region 5-4A matchup while Southeast hosts Forest Jan. 7 in Region 5-3A action.