NICEVILLE — Some coaches don’t put a lot of stock in holiday basketball tournaments. Don’t count Crestview High School’s boys basketball coach George Stakley in that group.

Stakley understands the lessons learned the week after Christmas can pay dividends when district tournament time rolls around in February.

“This gives us a chance to play better teams,” he said. “That’s what we are here to see.

“It’s not going to hurt us in our district. It’s going to help us by the teams we play.”

A win or two a holiday tournament is often makes the learning process that much sweeter.

Crestview picked up such a win Tuesday against Seigel, Tenn., in the Go Southern Beach Blowout at Northwest Florida State College.

Led by Rusty Moorer’s 24 points, the Bulldogs had three players in double figures in a 65-56 win.

Marquis McClain pitched in 14 points for Crestview and Marcus Purcell added 13. Crestview faces Bainbridge, Ga., at 5:30 p.m. today in the consolation finals at Northwest Florida State.

“Rusty got hot and we just followed his lead,” Stakley said. “Once we got into our offense we were able to get things going.”

Seigel’s Omar Lyons scored the game’s first basket 26 seconds after the opening tip.

Less than 20 seconds later, Purcell hit a 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Baskets by Chris Bryant and Moorer pushed the Crestview lead to 7-2.

Purcell had the hot hand for Crestview (11-2) in the first quarter scoring nine points a three 3-point baskets.

The Bulldogs led 16-11 at the end of the first quarter and 26-20 at the half.

Moorer got stronger as the game went on. He scored two points in the first quarter, six in the second quarter, seven in the third and nine in the fourth.

McClain was at his best in the second half scoring six points in the third quarter and eight in the fourth.

Crestview’s largest lead of the night came with 4:18 left in the fourth quarter when Moorer hit a pair of free throws to put the Bulldogs up 56-40.

The Stars outscored Crestview 16-9 the rest of the way, but by then it was too little too late.

CRESTVIEW 65, SEIGEL 56

Crestview       16   10   18   21 – 65

Seigel            11     9   13   23 – 56

CRESTVIEW (65)

Marquis McClain 14, Rusty Moorer 24, Capri Jones 2, Andrew Adkins 5, Keenan Redd 1, Marcus Purcell 13, Marcus Flavors 2, Chris Bryant 4. Totals 14 7 16-21 65.

SEIGEL (56)

Rob LaLance 8, Braxton Eddings 17, Brian Normand 4, Omar Lyons 12, Marcus Martin 8, C.J. Murray 2, Maxwell Iyama 5. Totals 20 3 7-11 56.

Crestview-Seigel box

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview shows improvement in win over Seigel (PHOTOS)

NICEVILLE  — It’s never good for Crestview High School’s boys basketball team when junior point guard Rusty Moorer gets in early foul trouble.

And when the Bulldogs are playing a talented team as they did Wednesday in a tough Bainbridge, Ga., squad it spells even bigger trouble for Crestview.

Moorer picked up three fouls, on a technical, in the first 12 minutes of the consolation final of the Go Southern Beach Blowout at Northwest Florida State College. The three quick fouls forced Moorer to the bench for the remainder of the half. He picked up his fourth foul three-and-a-half minutes into the third quarter earning another trip to the bench.

With Moorer on the bench the Bulldogs didn’t have an answer to counter Bainbridge’s Tyree Crump. Crump, a University of Georgia commit, scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Bearcats to a 64-52 win.

“It really hurt us when Rusty picked up the fourth foul early in the third quarter,” Bulldog Coach George Stakley said. “He runs our offense.

“In the long run I think it did help us because Marcus (Purcell) had to run the one (point guard) and we had to go from there. We have to understand that there may be situations like that if Rusty went down.

It took Crump just 16 seconds to score the first basket of the game as Bainbridge never trailed in the coast-to-coast win.

Chris Bryant got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard hitting one-of-two free throws with 7:23 left in the first quarter. But a free throw by Trevon Shaw and a pair of Crump 3-pointers sandwiched around an Andrew Adkins free throw put the Bearcats up 9-2.

Crestview reeled off the next six points. A score by Adkins was followed by a Moorer basket. Sam Johnson finished the run with a slam dunk.

The teams traded baskets down the stretch of the first quarter and the Bearcats led 14-12 at the end of the first quarter.

Bainbridge led 18-14 when Moorer was called for his second foul of the game with 4:20 left in the half. An upset Moorer, knowing he would be substituted for, left the court before his replacement reported into the game, and was hit with the technical.

With Moorer on the bench Marcus Purcell and Marquis McClain did their best to fill the scoring void. The problem was nobody could guard Crump. The 6-foot-2 Crump did most of his damage from long range, but he was equally efficient taking the ball down the lane.

Crump had 14 points at the half as the Bearcats led 32-24 at the intermission.

The Bulldogs (11-3) tried to claw their way back into the game early in the third quarter. Trailing by 10 points, Crestview cut the Bearcat lead to 34-32 with 6:16 left in the third quarter. Crestview scored on back-to-back 3 pointers by Purcell and Moorer and a put back bucket by Keenan Redd.

DeVontae Jones hit a 3-pointer for Bainbridge to end the Bulldog run and push the Bearcat lead back to five points. Crestview never got closer than four points the rest of the game.

Bainbridge led 50-37 at the end of the third quarter.

The Bearcats opened the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run to put the game out of reach as they coasted to the win.

Shaw, 15 points, and Jones, 10 points, joined Crump in double figures for Bainbridge.

Purcell led Crestview in scoring with 16. McClain chipped in 14.

Despite the fact his team lost twice, Stakley thinks down the road the tough competition will help the Bulldogs.

“I think it’s a positive because we get to play other teams and other talent,” he said. “They have a Georgia signee, that’s the caliber our kids are trying to reach there. Seeing that kind of kid helps our guys look at it from that perspective.”

BAINBRIDGE 64, CRESTVIEW 52

Crestview    12   12   13   15 – 52

Bainbridge  14   18   18   14 – 64

CRESTVIEW (52)

Marquis McClain 14, Rusty Moorer 7, Andrew Adkins 6, Keenan Redd 5, Sam Johnson 2. Marcus Purcell 16, Tyrese Seals 1, Chris Bryant 1. Totals 16 3 11-20 52.

BAINBRIDGE (64)

D’Anta Williams 5, Myles Thomas 4, LaDon Crankfield 2, DeVontae Jones 10, Maleke Lurry 4, Tyree Crump 24, Trevon Shaw 15. Totals 20 6 6-13 64.

Crestview-Bainbridge box score

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crump leads Bainbridge past Crestview (PHOTOS)

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)