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SABINE PASS — Christian Stewart said the atmosphere was intense Friday night, as Sabine Pass battled Hearne in second round playoff action.

The second year head coach liked how his Sharks performed under the circumstances, defeating Hearne, 49-47, in what school leaders hope is a program-building victory.

“We came out early on a 21-11 run to start off, and they came and made an adjustment, and it was 24-22 at halftime,” Stewart said. “Our ball club had to continue to play the way we always play, which is hard defensively. Thank goodness we came out on top.”

That victory followed up an opening round win over Normangee, 65-48.

Stewart, in his fifth year coaching basketball overall at the school, said this year’s squad contains many of the student-athletes who had bitter tastes in their mouths when a regular season finale defeat in 2023 kept the fifth place Sharks from qualifying for the playoffs.

At 20-10 this season, hard feelings are no longer a concern.

The prize that awaits Sabine Pass now is a Round 3 showdown with the Thorndale High School Bulldogs.

Game time is 7 p.m. Tuesday at Cy-Fair High School in Cypress.

According to Stewart, Thorndale’s size and discipline across the board make the Bulldogs a legitimate threat.

He said the program’s tradition of excellence and championships are benchmarks he would like to model at Sabine Pass.

To earn the victory this week, he doesn’t want the Sharks trying to do anything new.

“We need to play our game,” he said, which the coach says includes intense defense and always having teammates’ backs.

According to Stewart, the Sharks’ accountability and sense of brotherhood have created a consistent positive mindset throughout this season.