STREAK BROKEN: Northside wins first Crosstown Showdown since 2021 with 63-60 win in Demon Den

WARNER ROBINS — Before Saturday’s finale of the 2026 Crosstown Showdown, there were members of the Northside Eagles who’d never beaten Warner Robins at any level.

That’s not just varsity — that includes ninth grade and junior varsity teams.

Their Jan. 10 loss at the buzzer was the closest any of them had come to tasting victory. The flavor was bitter, with hints of almost and a strong tang of disappointment.

But as the Demons’ (10-11) game-tying attempt fell short and the buzzer sounded on Saturday an overwhelming aroma of triumph (and maybe a little sweat) filled the Northside (12-8) bench.

Orange jerseys flooded the floor and Elijah Patmon waved goodbye to the Warner Robins crowd. The Eagles managed to get through the post-game handshakes, but after that the celebration carried into the locker room.

“I have four seniors, two of them in the program with me for two years, and they’ve never beaten [Warner Robins] at any level,” Northside head coach Buck Harris said. “Ninth grade to JV to varsity. This was their first win, so it means a lot. We can hang our hat on that, it’s a building block.”

Just remaining competitive in this rivalry is a big step for the Eagles. They’re 11-32 against the Demons in the MaxPreps era, and before this win they only had three since 2014.

Kingston Allen, Caden Lowe and Gavin Milton are the first freshmen to win since 2021.

“They can say, ‘We know what we gotta do,’” Harris said. “Because they’ve been in a hostile environment, they played in a big game…I got ultimate trust in all three of them…The future’s bright at Northside, but we got to keep working.”

Warner Robins went up 12-4 early, and Northside responded with an identical run to end the first quarter knotted at 16. The score remained even at 20 in the opening minutes of the second, and that was where the Eagles set themselves up for the rest of the game.

For the next several minutes they outscored the Demons 9-4 to go up 29-24. In the grand scheme of things this seems like a small run, but it helped keep Northside in front until the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

Holding a lead and coming out with the win is something the Eagles have struggled with this season. The last game against Warner Robins and a couple of region contests have been lost because of it. But things were different this time.

“We were in unfamiliar territory for about two or three games,” Harris said. “[Against] Warner Robins we led a majority of the game, [against] Veterans we blew an 18-, 20-point lead and then Houston County for the first half, we led that game. That’s unfamiliar territory for these guys because they’ve never been in that situation. You learn. You learn more from your losses than your wins.”

“We definitely watched some film and understood what we did,” He continued. “It’s a game of possessions, each possession matters. So whether you miss a blockout, whether you miss a free throw, whether you miss a layup, it’s gonna matter down the line. I can’t be more proud of my guys for coming in here in this atmosphere and getting it done.”

Elijah Patmon deserves his share of praise for the victory. Warner Robins didn’t have an answer for him and he dominated the glass all game. He had a game-high 17 points, and impressively did not foul out in a game where there were multiple.

Mother Nature is due a bit of thanks, too.

“First of all, thank God for the ice storm. Because if it wouldn’t have been a storm he would’ve been at Texas A&M this weekend, and who knows how this game would have ended,” Harris said. “Elijah gives us exactly what we need. He gives us toughness, he gives us somebody who can score on the block, and he wants to be out there. He’s a great teammate and he’s really unselfish. I’m glad to have this year.”

UP NEXT

Northside continues their four-game road stretch on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at Northside-Columbus at 7:30 p.m.

Warner Robins will get back to region play on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at home against Perry at 7:30 p.m.