For 16 minutes, Clarkdale hung with Southeast Lauderdale.

Through the first two quarters, the Bulldogs forced turnovers and kept the Tigers from having their way in the paint.

Clarkdale quickly ran out of gas in the second half, however, as Southeast found its groove in taking a 13-point halftime lead and turning it into an 80-40 victory in Region 5-3A action Thursday.

“We were outsized at every position, and we got in there and fought,” Clarkdale head coach Drew Watson said. “This is the first game where we dug down and got in there, and worked hard enough to stay with them. We at least made them work for it.”

Carson Jones scored a game-high 18 points for Clarkdale (7-8, 1-2) and added five steals. Zach Rutledge picked up six points, and Tripp Freeman added five.

Demondre Graham scored a team-high 15 points for Southeast (12-6, 3-0). Eli Walker earned 12 points in the second half and finished 14 and six steals, Joshua Randle had 12 points and eight rebounds and Travis Moore add eight points and nine boards.

“We’ve been pretty successful lately, and I think our guys were out of it mentally because of not understanding that we should take plays one at a time; one possession at a time, one defensive stop at a time,” Tigers head coach Centel Truman said of the first half. “We got out of character trying to do things that we’re not capable of doing.”

The Bulldogs held the Tigers scoreless through the first two minutes until Truman called a timeout with 5:53 left in the first period. Coming out of the stoppage, the Tigers scored eight straight points, but Clarkdale kept in close early by tying the game at 8-apiece,   

After a 14-13 first quarter in favor of Southeast, Roman Hudnall and Randle traded buckets on a 12-0 run to start the second to put the Tigers ahead by 13. A 3-pointer by Graham before the end of the first half made it a 37-25 game at the break.

“I told them that was the proudest I’ve been all season,” Watson said. “I can take that first half, and we can build on that. These are the kind of teams we’ve got in our district, so knowing we can hang with them if we execute things to a T, it gives us something to look forward to.” 

After scoring Southeast’s opening basket, Walker was silent for the rest of the first half, but broke out in the third quarter by hitting two 3-pointers as the Tigers went on a 16-0 run and held Clarkdale without a point for nearly the first seven minutes and extended its lead to 30 heading into the final frame. 

A 10-0 run in the fourth and two late 3s put Southeast up by 40, its second-largest win of the season after beating Raleigh 63-15 Tuesday.

The Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 43-16 in the second half.

“I just reminded our guys that with the things we do well, let’s stay with those things,” Truman said. “Let’s operate with what made us what we are now and made us successful, and having a winning season. Don’t get to the middle of the season and try and change who you are. Embrace your identity and work with that.”

Southeast plays Pontotoc in the Mid-Mississippi Challenge Saturday at Choctaw County High School, while Clarkdale hosts Morton Saturday.

SOUTHEAST GIRLS 65, CLARKDALE 30

Shakira Wilson got the hot hand early and was able to cruise in the second half as the Southeast girls basketball team rolled to a 65-30 win in Region 5-3A action Thursday.

The Lady Tigers out-rebounded the Lady Bulldogs 26-13 in the first half and 39-26 overall and earned 21 steals as they grabbed their fourth-straight victory.

Wilson scored 13 points in the first quarter and made three 3-pointers as her squad took a 24-11 lead into the second, in which the Lady Tigers started with an 11-0 run to grab a 25-point advantage. Clarkdale (6-10, 0-3) was held to three points in the period and fell behind 44-18 at halftime.

“They just kind of came to me,” Wilson said. “Coach said if I was open, take a shot. I was wide open, so that’s what I did.”

Southeast (13-5, 3-0) extended its lead to over 30 in the third quarter and played with its subs for the entirety of the fourth. 

Wilson ended with a game-high 19 points and added seven steals and four rebounds. Kenyata Walker earned a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and chipped in five steals. 

Kam Patrick led the Lady Bulldogs with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Jessica Harrison added eight points and five boards.

“(Walker) is used to playing with girls bigger than her, so the rebounding advantage was very important because she’s supposed to get all those rebounds in a game when she’s the bigger post player,” Southeast head coach Dana Buchanan said. “We expect her to get those when she’s not the bigger post player.”

Buchanan’s bench saw significant time on the floor, including freshmen Monica Riley and Stephanie Pruett, who played with the starters. Riley scored two points and hauled in two rebounds, and Pruett picked up one rebound. 

“They don’t know as much of our offense and defense, but if somebody gets in foul trouble or somebody gets hurt, the bench is always important,” Buchanan said. “So there’s never a negative to everybody else getting minutes.”

Southeast travels to Morton Tuesday, while Clarkdale hosts Morton Saturday.