Southport's momentum had been building since losing to Lawrence North on January 20th. The game against Lawrence North was just four days after losing to Pike in a four overtime thriller in the Marion County Tournament. Southport received a confidence boost when it beat Evansville Reitz in the regular season finale. The Cardinals looked like a top contender for the 4A state title. Justin Thomas and the Pike Red Devils had a different idea. Pike has Southport's number. The seniors at Southport are now 0-5 against Pike in their career.

Southport took the lead early in the game and sustained it through most of the first half before Pike junior guard Justin Thomas stepped up in a big way. He finished with 21 points including the deciding basket.  Thomas played confidently on the offensive end from the second quarter on especially with his outside shot. Thomas had made seven three-pointers all season prior to Saturday's game. He knocked down three in this game alone. That was a major boost to Pike's offense.

The third quarter was back and forth. Southport had a balanced attack in the period while Thoams and Tahjai Teague did most of the damage for Pike. The game had fewer possessions than expected. It was just 35-34 after three quarters of play.

Southport held the lead most of the fourth quarter. It was a two possession lead for much of the final period. The game swung in Pike's direction at the 2:23 mark in the fourth. Southport was leading 44-41 at that point. Pike forced a couple turnovers and converted quickly to score six points in 45 seconds of game time. Thomas and sophomore Justin Roberts keyed the run with their defense. "I knew both of our seasons were on the line and I didn't want to go home on the bus moping," said Justin Thomas.

Pike stretch its lead to four points before Malik Bennett hit a three-pointer at the 45 second mark. Southport decided to trap trying to force a turnover on the next possession.  Thomas looked to have slipped while avoiding a trap, but a four was called on Southport sending Thomas to the free-throw line. Thomas missed the frontend of the one and one bonus giving Southport a chance to win with any basket.

Pike's defense forced Bennett to take a contested three-pointer which missed but Southport was able to get the rebound and a good look at a putback basket for the win. That attempt also was off the mark. It looked as if Southport was going to get another offensive rebound but the clock expired during the scramble.

The Red Devils showed poise despite being down late. There was never a lack of confidence by Pike. "We was very confident because we knew us winning sectionals four years in a row wasn't a fluke. So we knew we were going to win regardless," said Justin Roberts. That mindset definitely helped Pike overcome the deficit with time running out.

The victory over Southport was important, but the theme afterwards was looking at the bigger picture. "It means a lot (beating Southport) but we can't get satisified. We have to stay hungry because there are some teams that will be coming for our heads," said Justin Thomas.

Pike will face Richmond in the Southport Regional Saturday. The winner of that game will face the winner between Brownsburg and Lawrence North.