Anson defeated Parkwood in the tournament semi-finals Thursday, 48-46. It was Anson's fourth victory over Parkwood this season.
"We knew it was going to be tough because they were going to come prepared and maybe with a little revenge on their minds," Sides said in an e-mail.
The team played poorly in the first half and trailed by five at halftime.
"Give Parkwood credit, they were very aggressive and came out in an aggressive, trapping zone that gave us problems," Sides said.
The Bearcats started the second half with a 7-0 run and once they took the lead, never looked back.
Terrance Polk had 14 points and 14 rebounds. Chris Christian led the rally, scoring 15 of his 17 points in the second half.
The team stifled Parkwood's Maurice Leak, holding him to just five points. Leak has averaged just over 18 points per game.
"Even though we did not play as well as we would have liked, I am proud of the fact that we found a way to win," he said.
Anson was defeated by Marvin Ridge in the conference tournament championship Friday, 63-58.
This was Anson's first loss to the team after three meetings. All of the final scores were within five points. The two teams had battled for the top spot in the regular season, which Anson claimed from Marvin Ridge Feb. 5 50-46.
"We actually played very well early, opening up a 21-9 lead midway through the second quarter but we did not finish the half well," he said. The Mavericks went on a run to close the gap to 26-25.
Marvin Ridge's T.J. Tolbert made the difference in the second half. He scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half. Anson had made it a goal to limit Tolbert's offensive opportunities.
"This was the first time in about 10 games where I really thought we did not do a good job following the scouting report and executing the game plan," Sides said. "We obviously didn't do that and it cost us."
Garry Mcknight, Jonathan Hough and Christian each had 13 points. Polk added 11 points.
"Even though we lost in the tournament championship, our guys have no reason to hang their heads," he said. Sides hopes the loss will force the team to focus again.
The Bearcats' 10 game winning streak came to an end with the defeat.
After the conference tournament, the All-Conference teams were announced. Christian, Polk and Mcknight made the cut.
In the first round of the state tournament, Anson hosted South Rowan High School Monday. The Bearcats won, 64-43.
The score does not tell the whole story though. Until the fourth quarter, the game swung back and forth but Anson never fell behind.
After jumping out to a 12-0 lead in the first quarter, the Raiders countered with a 7-0 run. At the end of the first, the Bearcats led 14-7.
South Rowan struggled to close the gap in the second quarter, coming within one point in the first two minutes but Anson regained some breathing room. At halftime, the Bearcats led 28-23.
The Raiders soon made another bid to take the lead, tying the game roughly halfway through the third quarter. This was the closest they would come to the lead.
The Bearcats took control of the game in the fourth quarter, scoring 24 points as they capitalized on free throws and numerous fast breaks.
Sides acknowledged the team was "definitely sweating" during parts of the game. He had emphasized defense to the team and this aspect of the Bearcats' game got better as the night wore on.
The Bearcats held the Raiders' best scorer, John Davis, to just six points. He averages 17 points per game. Sides praised Matthew McLeod, who defended Davis.
"Matt really bought into his role," he said.
Sides said the difference between the first and fourth quarters, when Anson held the Raiders to just 14 total points, and the rest of the game, was simple.
"We were able to get stops," he said.
The Bearcats will face Central Cabarrus Wednesday night at home. Central Cabarrus has a similar record to Anson (18-8 vs. 18-9 for the Bearcats) and finished second in the South Piedmont conference.
The Bearcats lost to Central Cabarrus Nov. 30, 64-51. However, Anson was without Christian and Hough, who were still playing football.
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