Arayvion Jones was the difference in Keith’s 48-43 victory over Southside on Friday night at the Bears Den.

The junior scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Bears (7-10). Southside had no answer to stop Jones.

Despite the solid performance, Jones said he wasn’t satisfied.

“I’m happy that we won the game, but we played terrible,” Jones said. “We can play better than that.”

Bears coach Clifton Reeves agreed.

“It was a hard-fought game and I’ll take the ugly win, but there’s a lot of things we can do better,” Reeves said. “We played well defensively at times, but we took bad shots and missed16 free throws that allowed Southside to stay in the game.”

Keith had two other double-figure scorers: Victor Milhouse Jr. (13 points) and Kendarius Perry (12 points).

Southside took a 9-8 first quarter lead, only to see Keith rebound and grab a 19-15 halftime advantage.

The Bears appeared headed toward a blowout, leading 25-15 midway in the third quarter, but the Panthers (3-12) hung around.  Keith made just enough plays in the fourth quarter to hold on for the victory.

Southside had a different starting lineup since the Dallas County Schools Basketball Tournament on Dec. 21-22. Three starters quit the team, forcing Panthers coach Lenord Jones to change his starting lineup.

Chris Bonner led the Panthers with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Antonio Davis added 11 points.

“We lost three seniors and I went to the B-team to rebuild,” Jones said. “It’s a rivalry game, but I’m proud of the young players’ efforts. I’ve got something to build on. I’m excited about the young players.”

Southside girls 62, Keith 34: Kylan Brown had 24 points, grabbed 29 rebounds and blocked seven shots to lead the Lady Panthers. Christina Watts added 16 points and six assists.

Brown, a junior, said it was the first time she had almost 30 rebounds.

“It feels good to come down here and get the win,” Brown said. “I’m glad to pitch in and help the team win.”