Southern-AA already was slipping away before last night's Class 2A East Region playoff game at South River.
The Seahawks just provided the final push, handing Southern its sixth consecutive loss, 76-58, to advance to tomorrow night's semifinals.
South River (15-8), seeded No. 3, will meet second-seeded Cambridge-South Dorchester at Queen Anne's County High at 7 p.m. tomorrow in the region semifinal. The Bulldogs end the season 7-16, including three losses to the Seahawks.
Seniors Russell Tongue and Corey Davis did the usual damage. Tongue had 26 points and 22 rebounds, and Davis added 21 points, eight rebounds and five steals.
Jason Dine contributed 11 points and nine rebounds. Scott Crandell (17 points), Jeff Crandell (14) and Adam Booth (13) scored in double figures for Southern.
South River didn't enter the playoffs on a roll, either, having lost four of its last seven games. Broadneck had beaten the NTC Seahawks by 17 points Friday night.
"Everybody just thought it was about time we do something," Tongue said. "This was probably the best game we've played as a whole, all four quarters."
South River made three three-pointers in the first 4:10 and led, 14-1. Tongue also had a steal and a one-handed jam.
What followed were some missed layups by the Seahawks and a 12-4 run by the Bulldogs. When Scott Crandell followed his own miss to begin the second quarter, Southern had cut the lead to 18-15.
It didn't get any closer. South River went 15 of 32 from the field in the half, committed only three turnovers and built a 37-25 lead. Tongue had another dunk, this time two-handed, off a rebound and outlet pass from Howie Edelstein. Davis made his third three-pointer.
Southern proved to be a stubborn foe, however. It fell behind by 15 in the third quarter, then fought back to within nine with 4:57 left in the game. South River, being more deliberate on offense in the last quarter, worked the ball around the perimeter until Dine and Davis each hit from beyond the arc. Davis also made a jumper from shorter range, Tongue made a steal and layup, and both coaches began clearing their benches.
"I was very concerned that we peaked after the Annapolis game," said South River coach Ken Dunn. "That was a big win for us and we haven't gotten it back into a team-type of concept. Tonight, we were very fortunate to get out to a big lead.
"Give Southern credit, they never backed off. We're senior-ladened and they're junior- and sophomore-ladened, so that was the difference -- experience."
Southern's disadvantage in that area became more pronounced when coach Tom Albright benched senior forward Rico Gross, who chose not to play in last Tuesday's loss to Broadneck and then missed a practice.
"I really felt like we could beat them," Albright said. "But Corey and Russell just say, 'Hey, we're going to take over.' And they do. They're seniors and they've been around. They know what they have to do."