Playing in their first game since the Thanksgiving break, the Bears started fast and it proved to be beneficial in the end as they pulled out a 78-61 win at home Tuesday over LA Knights Post Grad Academy.
 
"It was big, our starters came out with a good energy and intensity, and they played well and made some shots," Southwest head coach Corey Schmidt said. "I was really happy with our start."
 
The Bears (5-4) had three players stand out early on, on the offensive end. After Tylik Weeks got things going with a couple of baskets in the first minute of play, Fazl Oshodi got into the act with a couple of makes of his own including a 3-pointer. Then it was Jaylen Haliburton's turn as he poured in six points over a 2:00 span helping Southwest race out to a 17-4 advantage.
 
The Knights narrowed the gap a bit, but Southwest pulled away once again not long afterward as makes from Weeks, LeVionne Lindsey and Oshodi helped fuel the Bears.
 
But once again, Louisiana kept pace and reduced the Bear lead to 33-25 but the single-digit deficit was short-lived as Oshodi splashed-in a 3-pointer making the lead 11 with 3:28 to go in the first half.
 
Southwest rode out that momentum for the remainder of the half, taking a 45-29 advantage into the locker room.
 
Another strong start to the half for Southwest helped add cushion to the lead. But the Knights rallied once again, taking advantage of Bear struggles. Southwest watched its 18-point advantage dip to as little as eight with 6:00 to go.
 
But the Bears found their footing once again as a 6-0 run put Southwest on the right track. From there on out, the Bears found their groove and finished strong led by Weeks and Lindsey on the offensive end.
 
Weeks led the Bears with 22 points, while Oshodi tallied 17, Lindsey 12 and Haliburton 10. After the game, Oshodi said that it felt great getting back in a rhythm after the holiday break.

"It felt good, this was a good win for us," he said. "We play a good opponent on Thursday and this is a good win for us to get back."
 
Southwest returns to action on Thursday hosting Mississippi Delta in a non-conference game at 7:30 p.m.