Westside girls rout Pike County 67-26 for seventh straight win

The Hawaiian theme certainly seemed out of place, considering the weather in Macon the past few weeks.

But there was Westside head girls basketball coach Candice Roberson, her staff and a collection of fans, attired in threads more colorful than usual — with a lei or five in the stands, too.

It turned out that the clothes fit the night, because Westside pretty much had the hoops version of a relaxing evening on a beach. The Seminoles had no trouble in any form or fashion and were in control early en route to a 67-26 hammering of Pike County in a GHSA Region 2-2A game.

“We planned well,” Roberson said. “(We) were a little more focused on this game. Didn’t have to take that long trip there, we were home, we were able to make sure they ate and stayed hydrated and stuff.

“But we were just a little bit more focused than we were going to Pike.”

The top-10 Seminoles won their seventh straight to improve to 18-4 overall and 7-1 in region play. The Pirates dropped to 9-11 and 3-5.

Tuesday’s game bore no resemblance to the first meeting, a 47-40 Westside win Jan. 16.

“We couldn’t get our motor going,” Roberson said of that encounter. “They played close with us the entire game. They actually led the last part of the game. Then, with maybe three minutes left, we kind of turned up the intensity a little bit.”

This time, it took the Pirates three minutes just to get their first shot off, and a lot longer than that for the first points.

The Seminoles racked up their sixth win by at least 30 points and third by 40 or more. The standard remains a 48-point win, 69-21 over Jackson on Jan. 23.

Westside’s losses have come to Class A-Division I Washington County (60-54 in the season opener), city rival Central (65-45), Class 5A Tri-Cities (64-46) and region rival Callaway (35-30).

Westside certainly wasn’t looking ahead to a showdown with Central a day later.

“This group, they’ve only beaten Central one time,” Roberson said.

Senior guard Taylor Talton and sophomore wing Domoniuq Billue each had 24 for Westside, each only a bucket from Pike County’s total. Talton had five of Westside’s six 3-pointers while Billue had the other.

The Pirates were held to their second-fewest points of the season, by three points.

“Our defense is what breeds our offense,” Roberson said. “When we’re going defensively, that’s going to bring the offense.”

Unofficially, Pike County had more turnovers (27) than points, a number new to Roberson after the game, one in which she finished with no loss of her voice.

“I always tell them the best teams are the ones that communicate,” she said. “I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to just shut up.’”

Pike County had 10 turnovers and was down by a dozen by the time it finally scored. It took more than four minutes before the Pirates’ second bucket, which pulled them within 17-5 with 5:15 left in the second quarter.

The visitors found enough of a groove for a 21-11 deficit only for the Seminoles to finish strong, with a 6-0 run from senior Zylea Dinkins and Billue in the final 1:30 of the half for a 27-11 lead at intermission.

By that point, Pike County had coughed it up 16 times. The Pirates couldn’t muster buckets on consecutive possessions until a little more than three minutes remained in the third quarter.

All that did was make it a 43-21 game, and fire up Westside, which ended the third quarter with a 13-0 burst in the final two minutes.

K.K. Foster managed 17 points for Pike County, thanks to four 3-pointers.

Roberson’s team is all but a lock to get the top seed for the region tournament for the first time since she succeeded Deb Baber 14 years ago.

The Seminoles are a mix of seniors, sophomores and freshmen. They boast quickness, size and — lately — a boost on defense and in communication.

“We’re getting there,” she said. “The pieces are coming together. People are understanding their role and people are understanding each other’s role.”