Northside wanted to make a statement with the Grizzlies getting to play at home in their first two 7A-Central ballgames.
They're halfway there.
The Grizzlies started strong in their conference opener as they shot 60 percent from the field and held Bryant to seven fourth-quarter points as Northside prevailed, 65-51, at Kaundart-Grizzly Fieldhouse on Friday.
"We've had a few good practices; these last few days, we've had some great practices," Northside assistant coach Greg Scott said. "I thought we came in well-prepared and we had a game plan and our kids followed the game plan and (came through) and got a huge win."
Another point of emphasis for Scott — still filling in for coach Eric Burnett — and the Grizzlies was not to rely too much on senior point guard Isaiah Joe. While Joe still led the team in scoring with 18 points, he didn't have to carry the load.
One player who helped out was senior forward Kentrell Jacobs. Jacobs finished with 16 points and he made 4-of-5 shots from 3-point range, going 6-of-8 from the field for the game.
"I was feeling it, like I knew I was going to have a good game. ... I came out and I was hot," Jacobs said. "We try to help out as much as we can to help Isaiah and help this team get the win.
"I think we played good as a team, we moved the ball around, knocked down shots and played good defense to get the win."
Another player who came up big in Friday's win was 6-foot-9 sophomore post Jaylin Williams. With the Grizzlies (10-5, 1-0) up by four at halftime (34-30), they went to Williams inside to start the second half and he obliged, scoring three straight baskets to push the lead up to 10 points.
"I felt like we had a size advantage coming into this game, and our point of emphasis was attack inside first. ... We got that ball to Jaylin and he went to work, he went to work and he finished," Scott said. "We just wanted to establish that inside presence all game, and I thought our guys followed the game plan and I thought they did a good job."
Northside was still up 10 late in the third quarter after a dunk from junior Anthony Travis before Bryant (9-5, 0-1) closed to within six points (50-44) entering the fourth quarter.
But Northside began that quarter with back-to-back 3's from Joe and Jacobs to regain momentum.
The Grizzlies continued to wear down the Hornets, extending the lead. They went up by 17 points with 2:11 left, 63-46, when Joe came up with a steal and raced all the way down the court for a finishing slam dunk.
Northside's defense also held Bryant, which made 5-of-7 3-pointers in the first half, to 3-of-12 shots from beyond the arc in the second half.
"I think they only scored seven points (in the fourth quarter), so that was our strategy right there, we kind of wanted to wear them down and then offensively, have them shoot in the second half instead of penetrating," Scott said.
Also in double figures for Northside was Javion Releford with 12 points. Joe made 6-of-10 shots from the field and 4-of-5 shots from the foul line.
The Grizzlies are home again Tuesday to face Little Rock Central. Scott has taken over for Burnett, who is taking a leave of absence for an undisclosed personal family matter, which was also confirmed by Fort Smith Public Schools athletics director Dr. Darren McKinney on Friday.
Northside 58, Bryant 39
GIRLS — An 8-2 run to end the first quarter helped get the Northside Lady Bears going in their 7A-Central opener Friday.
Northside built an 18-12 lead and then held Bryant (4-8, 0-1) to nine points over the next two quarters to pick up the win.
The Lady Bears (13-1, 1-0) trailed early and were tied at 10-all before Jersey Wolfenbarger's 3 put Northside ahead to stay. Sara Bershers later nailed a long-distance 3 late in the first quarter which pushed Northside's lead to six, 18-12.
Senior Brenna Cooksey came off the bench and gave Northside instant offense in the second quarter with a layup off a steal and later hitting a 3. Then freshman Tracey Bershers hit a pair of 3's right before halftime as Northside's lead grew to 16 points, 36-20.
Bershers connected on another 3 to begin the second half to make it 39-21, Lady Bears. Northside later went up by as many as 23 points, 48-25, on senior guard Cierah Carey's 3 early in the final quarter.
Tracey Bershers finished with 12 points, including her three 3's. Sara Bershers added 11 points as well.