![Southwest DeKalb's Kelvin Peek III gets inside for a basket in the Panthers 46-32 Region 6-4A boys' win at home over the Stephenson Jaguars on Tuesday night. (Photo by Mark Brock)](https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/athletics/files/2024/01/SWD-4-Kelvin-Peek-III-300x187.jpg)
Southwest DeKalb’s Kelvin Peek III gets inside for a basket in the Panthers 46-32 Region 6-4A boys’ win at home over the Stephenson Jaguars on Tuesday night. (Photo by Mark Brock)
The Southwest DeKalb Panthers kicked off a Region 6-4A home sweep by knocking off the Stephenson Jaguars 46-32 in a rare boy’s opening game at Southwest DeKalb on Tuesday night.
A pair of key runs in the second half propelled the Panthers (6-7, 6-1) the first of which was 9-1 run in the final 2:58 of the third quarter to open a 10-point lead.
Nasir Mergen started the run by passing to Azeez Bello for a layup to make it 31-25 on Kelvin Peek III’s offensive put back followed. Messiah Mergan hit a three pointer that sent the Panthers into the fourth quarter up 36-26. The only point by Stephenson was a free throw by Timothy McRae.
Jerel Smith hit three free throws after being fouled on his three-point attempt to cut the lead to 36-29 with 5:56 remaining in the game.
The Panthers then put together an 8-0 spurt started by Sam Turner’s layup following a steal by Bello with 4:07 to play. Peek followed with a nice spin move for a layup before Taron Essex hit back-to-back baskets on an assist from Peek and an offensive rebound to ush the lead to 44-29 with 1:34 left in the game.
McRae hit a three-pointer for the final points of the game for the Jaguars (2-12, 1-4) with 1:14 to play. The Panthers got a pair of free throws from Devon Long and another from Messiah Mergen to close out the 46-32 win.
Southwest DeKalb had a 10-point (17-7) lead with 5:10 left in the first half behind a three-pointer and free throw by Randall Hanks before the Jaguars got things going their way.
Stephenson finished the half on a 12-4 run fueled by three-pointers from Jerel Smith and McRae (who had another basket) and four points from Christian Thompson to close the gap to 21-19 at the half.
McRae had a game-high 13 points for Stephenson while Peek hit for 12 points to lead the Panthers as the only players in double figures.
![Southwest DeKalb's Jah'Neisha Spiers looks for room under the basket against a Stephenson Lady Jaguars' defender. Spiers led her Lady Panther teammates with 16 points in the 66-27 win. (Photo by Mark Brock)](https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/athletics/files/2024/01/SWD-23-JahNeisha-Spiers-300x226.jpg)
Southwest DeKalb’s Jah’Neisha Spiers looks for room under the basket against a Stephenson Lady Jaguars’ defender. Spiers led her Lady Panther teammates with 16 points in the 66-27 win. (Photo by Mark Brock)
(G) SW DeKalb 66, Stephenson 27
Jah’Neisha Spiers had 12 first-half points to lead the way for the Southwest DeKalb Lady Panthers on the way to the 66-27 Region 6-4A girls’ victory in the nightcap at Southwest DeKalb.
Spiers had eight of the points in the first quarter on a three-point play off an offensive rebound and a three-pointer with 15 seconds left in the period to give the Lady Panthers (11-4, 7-0) a 15-3 lead heading into the second quarter.
She would hit the first four points of the second quarter to make it 193 with 6:59 left in the half.
Wadole Mila hit from just inside the three-point arc to give Stephenson (7-8, 4-3) its first points of the second quarter before Southwest DeKalb went on a 13-0 run.
Six different Lady Panthers scored in the run led by Mariyah Shields with four points on assists from Camile Files to go up 32-7.
Kamryn Larkin hit a pair of free throws for Stephenson to make it 32-9 at the half.
Larkin opened the second half with a steal for a basket which would be Stephenson’s last for the next 4:28 of the game.
Southwest DeKalb put together a 12-0 spurt with Shamaria Arnold scoring the final six points to up the advantage to 44-22 with 2:42 left in the third quarter.
Larkin hit two three-pointers late in the fourth quarter to go with another by Keira Brooks, but it was too little, too late.
Spiers finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds in the game followed by Arnold with 13 points and 7 rebounds for the Lady Panthers. Larkin finished with 12 points to lead Stephenson.