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

BAKER — A quality win early in the season can help build a foundation for a successful season. If it turns out to be a come-from-behind, overtime win that’s all the better.

Baker School’s boys basketball team notched such a win Monday night against Pensacola Christian Academy.

Baker trailed the Warriors by 13 points with 6:40 left in the fourth quarter.

A 3-point basket by Baker’s Kalee Ciurleo with 10 seconds left in regulation tied the game 72-72.

The overtime period belonged to Austin Walters as he scored 12 of his game-high 26 points in the extra period to give the Gators an 88-85 win. Fittingly, Walters scored the game winner with 1.5 seconds left in overtime. Baker fans then held their collective breath their collective breath as the Warriors tried a final frantic shot.

Baker Coach Janavor Weatherspoon called a timeout early in the fourth quarter with the Gators trailing by 13. Rather than plotting some great strategy, Weatherspoon chose to let the players plot their own course.

“At the half (with Baker trailing by 13) I told them they had to come out and find a way to win,” Weatherspoon said. “I called a timeout and didn’t say nothing to them. They had to figure it out.

“I find that is good to do with a group of kids so they can learn how to play and find a way to win.”

The strategy worked as freshman point guard Derek Peoples scored 13 of his 21 points to lead the Gator rally that sent the game into overtime.

The Gators used a stifling press to force Warrior turnovers that allowed Baker to get back in the game.

Much of what Baker did late in the game with the press and pressure defense was the same strategy the Gators used in the first quarter as the teams were tied 13-13 at the end of the opening period.

The Gators actually led 13-9 when Jamaal Day hit a 3-pointer with 1:18 left in the first quarter. At that point the Warriors started working the ball inside to big men Alex Dickerman and Patrick Murphy.

The Gators had a hard time finding an answer to counter the size of the Warriors.

Pensacola Christian went on a 19-2 run to take a 28-15 lead with 3:58 left in the half. The Warriors (1-5) led 41-28 at the half and still held an 11-point lead at the end of the third.

PCA    13  28  14  17  13 — 85

Baker  13  15  16  28  16 — 88

PCA (88)

Micah Johnson 3, Austin Lewis 7, Tyler Henderson 4, Cole Riegsecker12, Elliot Lockett 21, Nathan Middleton 19, Austin Flack 2, Alex Dickerman 15, Patrick Murphy 2. Totals 25 3 26-46 85.

BAKER (88)

Derek Peoples 21, Jamaal Day 12, Hunter Newton 9, Kalee Ciurleo 12, Austin Walters 26, Matt Samuolis 3, Logan Rickmon 2, Bubba Ellis 3. Totals 16 13 17-28 88.

Baker-PCA basketball baox

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker rallies past Pensacola Christian (PHOTOS)