Choctaw boys rally, get win over Crestview

FORT WALTON BEACH – Choctawhatchee spotted Crestview 14 points before roaring back behind the play of Mikal Rodgers to beat the Bulldogs 70-62 in District 2-6A boys basketball on Tuesday.

Indians coach Andy Thigpen wasn’t surprised by the way his team battled back.

“I have good guys,” he said. “They just had to settle down and play their game. I knew patience and attention would get us back in the game.

“But you can never count Crestview out because coach (Keith) White is a great coach and his players are very athletic. It’s not over until the end of the ball game.”

Crestview (9-4, 2-2) could do no wrong in the first five-and-a-half minutes of play.

Ronnie Baylark led Crestview’s early charge scoring six of the first 14 Bulldog points.

The Indians finally got on the scoreboard with 2:09 left in the period when Jonathan Brassell broke the drought with a mid-range jumper. Another Brassell basket pulled the Indians (10-5, 2-1) within 10 points, but things still looked bleak for the home team at the end of the first quarter with Crestview up 19-6.

A Crestview basket by Antryum Coleman with 4:12 left in the first half gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the night at 26-11.

Rodgers then proceeded to take over the game, scoring 11 of his team-high 23 points in the final four minutes of the half. A Rodgers’ basket with 1:14 left in the second quarter pulled the Indians to within two points of Crestview at 30-28. But Jonathan Buckelew hit three free throws and Denzel Ware added another to stretch the Crestview lead to 34-28 at the break.

Choctaw got scores from Jamel Bias, Rodgers and Brassell to open the third quarter and take the lead at 35-34.

The teams continued to exchange scores until Baylark, who led all scorers with 24 points, got hot again and the Bulldogs moved in front 46-41 with 1:21 left in the third.

By the time Crestview scored its next basket, the Indians had gone on a 12-0 run to take control of the game with 5:44 left in the fourth.

A Buckelew score broke the Indians run, but by that time Choctaw led 53-48 and was in control of the game.

Bias joined Rodgers in double figures for the Indians with 10 points. Brassell added nine points and Terrance Bryant kicked in eight points.

Cline and Coleman hit double digits along with Baylark for Crestview. Coleman scored 13 and Cline added 11.

White said his team was unwilling to play the way it needed to with the big lead.

“We are very selfish and we don’t want to do the things we need to do to hold onto a lead,” he said. “We don’t want to run the plays we need to work on a lead. We don’t want to milk the clock.”