FROM STAFF REPORTS

The Pelham boys basketball team built an 18-point lead after three quarters Friday night and then held off a late charge by Hueytown as the Panthers won their fourth road game of the season, 61-54.

Pelham improved its record to 7-2 as Qadash Williams led the way with 16 points and 10 rebounds.  After trailing 11-10 after one quarter, the Panthers took a 30-19 lead into the locker room at halftime after outscoring the Gophers by a 20-8 margin in the second period.

Already playing with a thin bench (Kenny Meadows missed his second straight game with a stomach virus), head coach Joel Floyd saw four his players pick up their second fouls in the second quarter.

But the Panthers survived the foul trouble and came out on fire in the third quarter, surging to a 23-point lead.  Hueytown trimmed the margin to 49-31 after three and kept their momentum going in the final period, cutting the lead to five points. Pelham was able to convert critical free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

Pelham’s Willie Simpson and Justin Brooks each added 11 points with Simpson hitting 5-of-6 field goals.  The Panthers connected on better than 50 percent of their shots for the second straight game, hitting 23-of-43 field goals (53.5 percent).

Bernard Nunn, who played at Pelham last season, led Hueytown with 12 points while David Evans adding 11.