Vikings slip past Hilton Head (with VIDEO, PHOTOS)
By TRAVIS DOWNEY
Northwest Florida Daily News
(850) 315-4476 | travisd@nwfdailynews.com
FORT WALTON BEACH - For as sloppily as Fort Walton Beach opened Tuesday night's contest against Hilton Head Island (S.C.), Vikings coach John Lavin couldn't help but smile over the precision with which they finished it.
With the score knotted at 50-all, Fort Walton Beach ran off nearly two full minutes of clock before Clay Willis drove and dropped off a well-placed pass for Robert Willis who quickly went up for the game-winner as time expired.
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"I thought I had the (shot) but I saw Robert and I thought I'd give it to my big man and let him finish," Willis said.
Robert Willis finished with five points.
The win helped keep the Vikings (7-3) perfect in the Southern Resorts Beach Blowout Tournament, taking a 3-0 record into today's championship final against last year's tournament winner and Tennessee state runner-up, Christian Brothers.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. tonight with $2 tickets being issued to fans able to confirm a local residence.
"We really need our fans to come out and support us," Lavin said. "Christian Brothers is solid in every way."
Should Fort Walton Beach find a way to unseat Christian Brothers tonight, they will have to avoid a start similar to the one that nearly ruined them against Hilton Head, where 15 first half turnovers left the Vikings in a 21-21 ballgame at the half.
But the second half saw Willis score eight of his team-high 13 and A.J. Shepherd finish with 11 points as the Vikings and Seahawks found themselves engaged in a back-and-forth contest that saw each team respond to the other's run with one of their own.
Hilton Head opened the third with an 8-0 run to claim a 33-27 lead only to see the Vikings answer with a 6-0 burst to knot the score at 33-33.
"It was a very sloppy game," Lavin said. "(Hilton Head) wanted to make it ugly. We play different styles but I did not think we played very poised or under control."
Hilton Head would take a 40-38 advantage on a steal and layup by Armond Walker, but Anthony Shepherd answered immediately with a 3-pointer and followed with a coast-to-coast drive a few possessions later to knot the score at 46-46, setting up the dramatic finish.
"They made a big play," Hilton Head coach Greg Elliott said. "You just have to tip your hat to them."
