Monday night’s 75-59 win by host Dallas County over Southside was intense from start to finish.

The Hornets used strong defense and an opportunistic offense through the final three periods of the game to win the area championship and secure more home games.

The Hornets started slow, but head coach Willie Moore said experience pulled them through.

“Southside dominated us in the first period, but our guys had been here to the area tournament before,” he said. “I told them they knew what we were playing for and they knew what it was like to be close.”

Southside came out on fire, ignited by Sammarkus Jones who finished with 11 points and Rayunta Hall with 10, and ended the first period with a 16-10 lead. The Panthers continued to play their game building a 28-19 lead before the Hornets caught fire.

Dallas County slowly chipped away with big baskets from leading scorer DeAndre McIntyre, who finished with 19 points, and used a 10-3 run late in the half to close the gap to 31-28. Henry Baker, who had 13 points, got hot to help the Hornets gain confidence. Clutch free throws from Justin Moore, who had 12 points, off the bench and a tough inside basket from Jessie Reeves helped the Hornets take a 35-34 lead with 30 seconds left in the half.

By the third period, the Hornets had built a 61-49 lead.

Dallas County never looked back.

They used the same recipe that cooked up success heading down the stretch in the third to pull away for the 75-59 win.

The victory, Moore said, gives his team a tremendous advantage heading into the next round. The Hornets will take the court again Friday at 7 p.m.