CRESTVIEW — If Thursday’s District 2-6A boys basketball opener between Crestview and Choctawhatchee is an indication of the season ahead it’s going to be a wild ride.

The fans that packed the Crestview High School gym witnessed an instant classic as the Indians over game a 17-point deficit in the first half only to lose 65-59 in overtime.

“It’s a big win – a big home win and a big district win,” Bulldog Coach George Stakley said. “We are 1-0 in the district so I’m happy.

“In the second half we started to try and play their game. Once we got back into our game we were OK. We are looking to keep playing well and to try and get better every game.

The Bulldogs (8-1, 1-0) seemed to have a commanding lead at 28-9 with a little less than five minutes left in the first half.

Rusty Moorer led the early Bulldog surge scoring 12 of his team-high 19 points in the first 10 minutes of the game.

Diante Smith did his best to keep the Indians (6-4, 0-1) in the game.

Choctaw cut the Bulldog lead to 10 points at the half.

A Josh Williams 3-pointer with 5:23 left in the fourth quarter gave Choctaw its first lead of the game at 48-47.

The teams traded baskets down the stretch as Moorer led the Bulldogs and DJ Thomas came up big for Choctaw.

The Bulldogs took a 56-54 lead on a Moorer 3-pointer with 36 seconds left in regulation.

D’eddrick Rogers tied the game for Choctaw with seconds left in regulation.

Andrew Adkins put Crestview up 59-57 with 64 seconds left in the extra period. Smith’s final basket of the game tied things up at 59 all with 45 seconds remaining in the extra period.

Crestview put the game away with scores by Marcus Purcell, Keenan Redd and Moorer.

Purcell, 13 points,  and Adkins 11 points, joined Moorre in double figures as the Bulldogs extended their winning streak to eight games.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview holds off Indians in district opener (PHOTOS)

CRESTVIEW — There’s plenty of work to do for Crestview High School’s girls basketball team during the upcoming Christmas break. The Bulldogs won’t be playing in holiday tournament so they’ll have plenty of court time with Coach Kathy Combest.

Combest summed up Crestview’s dilemma after Tuesday’s 56-44 loss to Pine Forest, but she was able to find a bit of a silver lining in the loss.

“We have size, but they don’t listen,” she said. “We should have been picking them up (on defense) when we needed to be picking them up.

“Normally that’s a team that will beat you by 40 points, but they beat us by 12. If we don’t give them but one shot (each Eagle possession) it’s probably a closer game.”

Pine Forest took a quick 6-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game and never trailed. Destiny Ervin scored four of her six points during the Eagle run. Reileigh Harvey, who was the game’s leading scorer with 15 points, scored the other Pine Forest basket.

Dionjenae Hendrix broke Crestview’s scoring drought putting the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with two minutes gone in the first. A Crestvuew 3-pointer by NyQuaja Collins made the score 8-5 with 5:12 left in the first quarter.

The Collins’ 3-pointer was the last Bulldog score of the first quarter as Pine Forest closed the period with a 5-0 run.

Crestview (4-6) started the second quarter quickly when Amaiah Banks scored back-to-back baskets to make the score 13-9. Seven quick Eagle points gave the Eagles a double digit lead.

Pine Forest led 25-19 at the half and the Eagles steadily built on the lead in the second half.

The Bulldogs tried to battle back in the second half behind the scoring of Tiara Payne. Payne scored 10 of her team-best 12 points in the second half.

Payne also had 16 rebounds and three assists for Crestview.

Pine Forest     13   12   17   14 – 56

Crestview         5   14   10   15 – 44

PINE FOREST (56)

Keke Brooks 2, Yeisha Taylor 11, Destiny Ervin 6, Reileigh Harvey 15, Kim Payne 11, Bre Snowden 11. Totals 16 6 6-12 56.

CRESTVIEW (44)

Amaih Banks 7, Aliyah Brown 4, Tiara Payne 12, NyQuaja Collins 11, Dionjenae Hendrix 8, Calera Rutland 1, Netaya Winston 2. Totals 15 3 5-14 44.

Crestview-Pine Forest girls basketball box

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Pine Forest jumps on Crestview (PHOTOS)

PAXTON — It was business as usual in the rivalry known as Paxton School-Laurel Hill School boys basketball on Friday.

In a game of streaks, the Bobcats had the first streak and the finishing streak to take a 75-63 District 1-1A win.

Paxton got off to a fast start opening the game with an 11-0 run in the first 75 seconds. The Bobcats led the rest of the way although the Hoboes refused to go quietly into the warm late fall night.

 “We dug a hole early and I’m proud of the kids the way they dig back out of it,” Hobo coach Kent Zessin said. “We just focused on chipping away and keeping focus on what we need to do and we did that. We made some big shots, some key shots.

“The difference of the game was right there early. And they finished strong there at the end of the first half. It was the typical Laurel Hill-Paxton game.”

Jack Hamilton opened things up for Paxton hitting a pair of 3-point baskets sandwiched around a 3-pointer by Grant Stewart. The six points were Hamilton’s only points of the game, but they set the tone for Paxton (11-0, 7-0).

Zach Varnum, who led Paxton in scoring, finished the early run with a pair of free threes.

Bryson Cooper, who led the Hoboes in scoring with 25 points, stopped the Bobcat run with a 3-point basket of his own,

Two more Varnum free throws and a basket by Woodrow Myles pushed the Bobcat lead to 15-3. Laurel Hill closed the quarter with an 8-3 run to make the score 18-11 at the end of the first quarter.

Bobcat Coach Jeff Bradley credited the quick start to Paxton’s success.

“Any time you get in a rival it’s huge to get some breathing room,” he said. “They are going to make their run. They have super kids.

“Both the (Cooper) brothers are good. And then the Gordon (Cam) kid knocked down some big shots there at the end. Any time we can get that cushion it’s good.”

The Hoboes never got closer than seven the rest of the night as Varnum and Bryson Cooper traded baskets to open the second quarter.

Hunter Allen hit a pair of 3-pointers to push the Bobcat lead back to double figures.

Paxton led 45-25 at the half.

A Garrett Bodie 3-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Bobcats their biggest lead of the night at 48-25.

The Hoboes refused to go away with Bryson Cooper leading the charge.

A Mason Cooper basket with 5:08 left in the game cut the Bobcat lead to 11 points. Bryson Cooper scored on a 3-point play with 4:11 left in the game to get the Hoboes to within nine points of the Bobcats.

Cam Gordon helped the Laurel Hill run hitting three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late for the Hoboes.

Gordon joined Bryson Cooper in double figures with 16 points for the Hoboes (3-4, 1-3).

Stewart, 13 points and Bodie, 16 points also scored in double figures for Paxton.

Laurel Hill    11   14   16   22 – 63

Paxton          18    27   12  18 – 75

LAUREL HILL (63)

T.J White 5, Reise Edge 4, Mason Cooper 7, Dakota Bly 2, Cam Gordon 15, Sam Durm 4, Mason Cooper 25. Totals 16 7 10-17 63.

PAXTON (75)

Jack Hamilton 6, Hunter Allen 6, Woodrow Myles 6, Garrett Bodie 16, Grant Stewart 13, Zach Varnum 30. Totals 13 10 19-26 75.

Laurel Hill-Paxton basketball box

32886250007

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Paxton holds off Laurel Hill (PHOTOS)

BAKER — Janavor Weatherspoon says he expects to see Baker School’s boys basketball team improve in his second year at the helm of the program.

“I think when you are first starting a program and moving into a new situation, it usually takes a couple of years to get the program to where you want it,” Weatherspoon said. “My first year, I just laid the foundation. I taught them. I trained them hard. I wanted them to know what I expected of them as a basketball player and as a person.”

This year, he said, "I’m hoping we continue to grow and build off that foundation I put in last year."

Weatherspoon believes in building a team of leaders who can work as a group. Senior leadership won’t be hard to find. Austin Walters and Matt Samuolis are two of the team's more than a half-dozen seniors. Jon Beck, Montae Barto, Bubba Ellis and Austin Fogel — members of Baker’s region champion football team — join them.

“I’m expecting those guys to be good leaders because they played football and won a lot of district championships and stuff,” Weatherspoon said. “I talked to them and I asked them to bring that leadership to basketball.”

Freshman Derek Peoples will handle the point guard position. Jamaal Day, a junior, and Kalee Ciurleo, a sophomore, are other players Weatherspoon expects to have good seasons.

The Gators play in District 3-1A, which is home to defending state champion Chipley.

Weatherspoon said the Tigers will be the team to beat, but after them, anything can happen.  “When you look at it from top to bottom, everybody can beat everybody,” he said. “I don’t want to say Chipley or us or Northview. All the teams are pretty good and, on any given night in the district, anybody can lose.

“Who’s on the top? Chipley, because they won the state championship last year. But other than that, things are going to fall where things are going to fall. I can’t say who is the best or the worst.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Gators face competitive season, basketball coach says

CRESTVIEW — Only a freshman, Crestview High School guard Marcus Purcell is quickly making a name for himself on the basketball court. By the time he graduates in 2019 Purcell might be mentioned not only with the basketball greats to come out of Okaloosa County.

For now he’ll have to settle for being one of the best current players in the area.

Purcell turned in a show-stopping performance Tuesday night as the Bulldogs hosted Navarre.

Purcell took over the game when point guard Rusty Moorer went to the bench with foul trouble early in the first half. When the final horn sounded Purcell had 27 points and the Bulldogs had a 59-51 win.

Purcell was good in the first quarter scoring seven of Crestview’s 13 points. He was great in the fourth quarter dropping in 13 of the 21 Bulldog points as Crestview overcame a 6-pont deficit at the half to take the win.

Bulldog Coach George Stakley was confident his team would overcome the early adversity.

“When we went in at halftime I talked to them about that we always have a good second half,” he said. “We are a good second half team and I told them, ‘We are not out of it.’

“I knew my kids would battle back so we looked at it like that.”

Navarre drew first blood when center Marcus Richardson scored from inside the point with 51 seconds off the clock.

A minute later Keenan Redd scored the first of his two baskets for the Bulldogs. Purcell was next to score for the Bulldogs with 5:47 left in the first quarter.

The marked a contrast in two styles of play. The Bulldgos wanted to push the ball the length of the floor while the Raiders seemed content to run a slower, more deliberate offense.

The Bulldogs led 13-12 at the end of the first quarter, but things would get worse before they got better for the Bulldogs. Navarre (3-4) outscored Crestview 14-7 in the second quarter to take a 26-20 lead at the half.

The Bulldogs (6-1) came out blazing in the third quarter scoring 12 unanswered points on the way to a 15-2 run. Andrew Adkins played a big part in the run scoring five points. Purcell finished the run with a 3-point play to give Crestview a 35-28 lead.

Navarre answered with an 8-0 run to move back in front 36-35. Adkins, who scored 19 points, broke the run with the third of his five 3-pointers.

The game was tied 38-38 at the end of the third quarter when Purcell and the Bulldogs made the big push for the win,

Purcell scored 11 of his 27 points in the final 3:33 to keep the Raiders at a safe distance and seal the win.

Navarre      12   14   12   13 – 51

Crestview   13    7    18   21 – 59

NAVARRE (51)

Demetreus Paige 14, Tre Barker 11, Quinton Wylie 6, Dominic Riddle 6, Marcus Richardson 6, Zamir Jones 2, Jaxson Aldridge 4. Totals 15 6 3-9 51.

CRESTVIEW (59)

Jelan Freeman 2, Rusty Moorer 5, Keenan Redd 4, Marcus Purcell 27, Chris Bryant 2, Andrew Adkins 19. Totals 14 7 10-12 59.

Crestview-Navarre boys basketball box

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Raiders can't stop Purcell, Crestview (PHOTOS)

BAKER — There is still a lot of basketball to be played before next month’s district tournament.

That said, Baker School’s girls basketball team is heading in the right direction. The Gators hosted Northview in  a District 3-1A game Monday  in a game that was all Baker.

Izzy Cain scored a game-high 27 points for Baker as the Gators rolled to a 61-19 win. The last 14 minutes, 30 seconds of the game was played with a running clock.

Ayajah Coleman hit a 3-point basket with 6:30 left in the third quarter to start the running clock, but the Gators had the game well in hand long before then.

“It’s always good to get that first district win and get a little momentum going,” Baker Coach Jamie Kerrell said. “The girls are playing with confidence and with a little attitude.

“They are playing aggressive and with a little attitude and that’s what you want to have going into district play.”

Baker (4-3, 1-1) scored more than enough points to win in the first four minutes of the game outscoring the Chiefs 20-1 in that stretch.

Cain got the Gators off to a fast start with a 3-pointer 12 seconds into the game. Thirty second later she hit a 2-point basket.

Coleman got into the act with as steal and score to put the Gators up 7-0. Baker’s quick start left one question unanswered, how quickly would the Gators get to the running clock?

Cain had 15 points in the first quarter as Baker led 30-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Gators stretched the lead to 44-11 at the half as fans anticipated the inevitable start of the running clock.

“We’ve spent a lot of time working on our defense,” Kerrell said. “I knew our guards were going to be able to pressure their guards. When you have attacking defense and get turnovers, that makes for easy offense.”

Coleman scored 16 points for Baker to join Cain in double figures. Amanda Parisi had eight points and Kaitlyn Watts scored five points.

Northview     7    4    4   4 – 19

Baker           30  14  13   3 – 61

NORTHVIEW (19)

De`Asia Fountain 5, Jamia Newton 4, Autumn Albritton 1, Jada Tucker 7, Lexy Smail 2. Totals 6 1 4-15 19.

BAKER (61)

Emily Ramey 2, Izzy Cain 27, Alena Banks 1, Amanda Parisi 8, Ayajah Coleman 16, Ashley Black 2, Kaitlyn Watts 5. Totals 19 4 11-19 61.

Baker-Northview girls basketball box

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker impressive in win over Northview (PHOTOS)

CRESTVIEW — With the game on the line Crestview High School went to the free throw line and came up aces in boys basketball against Pace on Friday.

The Bulldogs were eight of 10 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter as they took down the Patriots 47-43.

“That (free throws in the fourth quarter) was huge and gave us a big advantage,” Crestview Coach George Stakley said. “I thought we played well in spurts.

“We kind of got out of our offense a little bit, but once we got back into it things worked out for us.”

Crestview’s best spurt of the game came in the first quarter when it didn’t look as if the Bulldogs would need a late barrage of free throws to put the Patriots away.

Junior point guard Rusty Moorer scored 10 points in the opening period to stake Crestview to a 13-3. Marcus Purcell scored Crestview’s other points on a 3-point basket.

John Bartell scored all three Patriot points in the first quarter.

The second quarter was a reverse of the first period as the Pace offense got untracked. Jahmiah Simmons and Trent Short each scored six points as the Patriots outscored the Bulldogs 16-5 to take a 19-18 lead at the half.

A 3-pointer by Matthew Harshany with two minutes left in the third quarter gave the Patriot their biggest lead of the game a 32-24.

A Purcell 3-pointer cut the lead to 32-27 and stared a 15-1 Bulldog run that pushed Crestview back into the lead.

Keenan Redd scored on an old fashion 3-point play late in the third quarter that pulled the Bulldogs to within three points of Pace.

The Bulldogs (4-1) got a pair of baskets by Capri Jones sandwiched  around a Purcell 3-pointer in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter.

A pair of free Purcell free throws with 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter gave Crestview a 45-40 the Patriots wouldn’t be able to overcome. But Pace did make things interesting when Harshany hit a 3-pointer.

The win closed out a three-game home stand that saw the Bulldogs win all three games.

“It was a real big because we had three games in a row and our goal was to go 3-0,” Stakley said.

Pace              3   16   14   10 – 43

Crestview    13   5    12   17 – 47

PACE (43)

John Bartell 3, Conner Lee 3, Jahmiah Simmons 12, Matthew Harshany 16, Trent Short 6, Nathan Harshag 3. Totals 8 5 9-13 43,

CRESTVIEW (47)

Rusty Moorer 16, Capri Jones 6, Keenan Redd 6, Sam Johnson 3, Marcus Purcell 16. Totals 10 5 6-10 47.

Crestview-Pace basketball box

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview finishes strong to take down Pace (PHOTOS)

CRESTVIEW — Early season injuries and defections have left Crestview High School’s girls basketball team searching for answers.

Fortunately the season is still young and veteran Coach Kathy Combest knows how to get the most out of a team.

“We’ve had some things we’ve had to overcome, but we will get there,” she said after Thursday’s District 2-6A  game with Choctawhatchee.

Indian senior Nadia Fingall was one of the things the Bulldogs couldn’t overcome.

Fingall, a 6-foot, 2-inch post player who has signed with Stanford University, is ranked the number 17 prospect in the country.

Fingall was a good as advertised as she scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Indians to a 53-39 win.

Choctaw Coach Don Brown was pleased with the win, but he stressed he saw some areas of concern.

“It’s always good to get a win, but we still have to go back and do a lot of work,” he said. “A lot of things looked sloppy tonight.

“There are a lot of people double teaming and triple teaming Nadia. We have to have other kids step up (and score), but that will happen.”

Fingall got off to a hot start scoring 10 points in the first quarter and 19 in the first half.

She scored the game’s first basket with 15 seconds off the clock. Crestview tied the game a minute later on a basket by NyQuaya Collins.

Back-to-back baskets by Choctaw’s Justyce Riggs put the Indians in front to stay.

Fingall scored eight of the next 10 points for Choctaw.

Catera Rutland and Tiara Payne shared Crestview’s scoring with Collins as the first quarter played out, but the Bulldogs had no answer for Fingall as the Indians led 16-9 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was more of the same song. Choctaw (9-1, 1-0) went to Fingall as the primary offensive threat and Crestview (1-5, 0-2) tried to stay in the game with balanced scoring.

The Indians led 31-17 at the half and kept the game will in hand the rest of the way.

Fingall sat a large part of the fourth quarter, but by that time the Indians had a comfortable lead.

Fingall was the only Choctaw player in double figures. Riggs was the second leading scorer for the Indians with six points.

Collins topped Crestview with 11 points. Payne chipped in nine points. Rutland and Netaya Winston each had six points.

The Bulldogs have faced a lot of adversity in the still young season. Two players quit and three would-be starters are currently unavailable due to injuries.

But even with the hardships the Bulldogs never backed down from the bigger Indians.

“They are not going to stop fighting,” Combest said “They have that much pride in themselves. We are not as strong as we want to be right now.”

Choctawhatchee    16   15   12   10—53

Crestview                9     8    8    14—39  

CHOCTAWHATCHEE (53)

Breona Duncan 4, Miranda Brown 2, Dae Dae Matthews 4, Justyce Riggs 6, Gabby Brown 4, Malaysia Moore 4, Nadia Fingall 29. Totals 25 3-5 53.

CRESTVIEW (39)

Amaih Banks 4, Tiara Payne 9, NyQuaya Collins 11, Catera Rutland 6, Netaya Winston 6, Dionjenae Hendrix 3. Totals 15 1 6-11 39.

Crestview-Choctawhatchee girls basketball box

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fingall, Indians too strong for Crestview (PHOTOS)

BAKER — There is no place like home for Baker School’s girls basketball team in the still young season.

The Gators won their season opener at home against Vernon. Baker then went on the road and lost to 1A powers Paxton and South Walton.

Baker was back home Tuesday in the friendly confines of the Gator Gymnasium hosting Pensacola Catholic. The familiar surroundings worked wonders for the young team as Baker shook off a slow start to beat the Class 4A Crusaders 44-29.

“It’s always good to play at home,” Baker Coach Jamie Kerrell said. “You are familiar with things. I think the girls have a sense of security when we play at home.

“We did some good things tonight. We played good defense and we shot the ball well at times.”

The Gators (2-2) got off to a slow start. Baker only scored six points in the first quarter on 3-point baskets by Izzy Cain and Ayajah Coleman.

Fortunately for the Gators the Crusaders weren’t much better only scoring eight points.

Abigal Hermann scored 90 seconds into the second quarter to push Catholic’s lead to 10-6.

With Cain leading the way, the Gators went on a 16-2 run to end the second quarter. Cain scored nine points during the run. Ashley Black added four points and Kaitlyn Watts added three points.

Baker led 22-12 at the half and held the lead the rest of the game.

Catholic scored five points to start the third quarter to close within five points of the Gators.

A basket by Watts and a 3-pointer by Cain put Baker’s lead back at double digits where it would stay the rest of the game.

Baker led 33-20 at the end of the third quarter and kept the pressure on the Crusaders in the fourth quarter to finish off the win.

Cain led Baker with 15 points. Watts added 11 points. Coleman pitched in 10 points to give the Gators three players in double figures. 

Kerrell put the win in perspective.

 “We still have a ways to go,” he said. “We still make freshman and sophomore mistakes, and that’s to be expected. I think we are making good strides in which directions we need to be going.

“A win is a win and is always a good momentum builder that gives the girls a little confidence.”

Catholic    8     4    8   9 – 29

Baker        6   16  11 11 – 44

CATHOLIC (29)

Abigal Hermann 4, Brook Labounty 2, Jenna Falco 2, Titanna Flemings 4, Isabella Williams 9, Baillie Padden 3, Ramsey Robison 3, D. Primm 2. Totals 11 1 4-10 29

BAKER (44)

Izzy Cain 15, Amanda Parisi 1, Ayajah Coleman 10, Kaitlyn Watts 11, Ashley Black 4, Olivia Hurley 1, Jene Elmer 2. Totals 11 5 7-13 44.

Baker-Catholic box

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker returns to winning ways against Catholic (PHOTOS)

BAKER — Alena Banks is not your typical basketball player. While most of her teammates seek to shoot and score, the Baker School sophomore focuses on keeping the other team from scoring.

“She is a very good defensive player,” Baker Coach Jamie Kerrell said. “She’s got a long reach. She’s good at disrupting the passing lane.

“She works real hard. She does everything I ask her to do. She can cover the length of the floor in just a few steps, and that’s very helpful when you like to press.”

Kerrell moved Banks up to the varsity when she was an eighth-grader. Even then, he saw her potential.  

“I saw then that she was going to be very athletic,” Kerrell said. “She has an athletic build. You just watch how she moves and you can see her eye-hand coordination.

“You knew she was going to develop into a really good basketball player. With her working hard, and just buying into what we are trying to do here at Baker, she’s really developing. By the time she’s a senior, she’s going to be something to contend with.”

We now catch up with Alena Banks.

How old were you when you started playing basketball?

I would say around 8.

What's the best part of basketball?

Defense.

What's the worst part of basketball?

Offense.

What are your expectations this season?

Just to push ourselves and to go further than we did last year.

If you had to pick a different sport to play, what would it be?

Track, because you run.

What is your favorite basketball experience?

The Northview game last year, because it was really intense. There was a lot going on, but we really played good defense.

What are your hobbies outside basketball?

Dance and school.

What's your dream career?

I want to be a lawyer.

Do you want to play college basketball?

Yes, I want to play at Duke. My uncle went there and I just like it. And it’s a great education.

What is your favorite movie?

“Perfect 10.”

Who is your favorite singer?

Justin Bieber

If you could be a cartoon character, who would you be?

SpongeBob (SquarePants), because we both have weird laughs.

If you could go back and live in any other period in history, which one would you choose?

I’d be like 50 years from now, because we won’t have to walk. We will just hover around.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 13 things you didn't know about Baker's Alena Banks