Basketball Recap: C.J. Howard and Chase Dupree Secure Win for Southwest

Southwest hadn't done well against Westside recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Southwest Patriots came out on top against the Westside Seminoles by a score of 69-56. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia basketball rankings (they are ranked 44th, while the Seminoles are ranked 195th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Chase Dupree

Assists (Career)

01/18/25 @ Westside	7
12/28/24 @ Jones County	6
12/06/24 @ Jefferson County	6
12/14/24 @ Houston County	4
12/03/24 vs Washington County	4

Southwest was led to victory by Chase Dupree and C.J. Howard. Dupree went 10 of 19 en route to 25 points and seven assists, while Howard went 9 for 20 on his way to 23 points in addition to seven rebounds and five assists. Those seven assists gave Dupree a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brandon Ashley, who posted seven points along with seven assists and three steals.

They weren't the only one working in the assists department: Southwest was working as a unit and finished the game with 22 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Westside only racked up 12 assists.

Westside's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Brandon Hill, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 14 boards. Another player making a difference was Joshua Harden, who went 7 of 17 en route to 15 points and six rebounds.

Southwest pushed their record up to 15-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.0 points per game. As for Westside, the defeat snapped their winning streak at five games and leaves them with a 10-7 record.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. It'll be Northside v. Southside when Southwest and Northeast meet at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Southwest is facing Northeast at the right time seeing as Northeast is stuck on a four-game losing streak. As for Westside, they will venture away from home to challenge Morgan County at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Morgan County knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Westside likes a good challenge.