By Rex Kirts
A big traveling crowd proved there's still magic in South's basketball program, and the 2010-11 team showed some sparkle in the season debut Saturday at New Albany.
The Panthers started slow, and didn't shoot well for the game-long stats, but after the first quarter they shut New Albany down on the way to a 65-39 victory.
New Albany led 18-16 at the first quarter but scored only two points the second quarter and 21 total for the last three quarters.
South's defense created offense, especially off-the-bench defensive havoc created by junior Michael Bower. Spencer Turner started hot from 3-point range and Dee Davis joined him in 3-point mastery in the third quarter to lead the Panthers offensively. Davis finished with 19 points and Turner 18.
The game was a marked improvement over last week's scrimmage at North. The biggest difference was simply more spirited activity on defense and more purposeful movement of people and the ball on offense.
THE PANTHERS won the boards, too, 32-18, not because of a big size advantage but simple scrappiness. Turner, Bower and Desmond Marks led the way with seven rebounds apiece.
Shooting will need to come up. It was .373 from the field and . 631 at the free throw line.
Feeling their way, the Panthers started the game very deliberate on offense. They maintained control and got better shots as the game progressed, but they also began to run the floor and ripped New Albany pretty good in transition.
"We got off slow with our shooting and had five or six shots blocked inside," coach J.R. Holmes said. "At the half I told the guys to settle down."
The defense picked up in the second quarter when the Panthers stopped penetration. In the third quarter the offense got rolling when Davis, who was 2-for-10 the first half, bombed in three 3s.
"This is a good feeling," Davis said of winning the opener, on the road, in front of a large crowd, against a traditionally good program. "The guys played hard and as a team."
The defensive effort in the second quarter was the result of better communication, Davis said. In the third quarter, the offense executed better. "We did the stuff we worked on in practice," he said.
GETTING SCORING from others helped take the pressure off him, David added.
Holmes liked the play from his reserves.
"Michael Bower and Alex Forney were just great off the bench," Holmes said. "Bower did this all summer long - he really goes after it.
"This was a great game for us, on the road and playing a team of that caliber."
Holmes has said the sdchedule is the toughest he's ever had. The opposition continues strong next weekend at home when the Panthers host Bedford North Lawrence on Friday and Evansville Harrison on Saturday.
