FORT WALTON BEACH — In a scenario that will likely be repeated numerous times the year the Choctawhatchee girls basketball team looked to junior center Nadia Fingall in crunch time Wednesday night.
And the talented 6-foot-4 Fingall responded like an all-star scoring 10 of her game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter as the Indians beat Crestview 48-33.
Crestview-Choctaw girls basketball photos>>>
“It seems to be a problem with a lot of teams,” Indian coach Don Brown said, “they have problems with Nadia.
“We were a little winded from playing last night against Washington. We didn’t have any legs.”
The Bulldogs (0-1) had whittled a 10-point Indian lead at the half to five points early in the final stanza after a pair of K.K. McTear free throws.
That’s when Fingall went to work, scoring 10 of Choctaw’s next 12 points. The Bulldogs tried to respond with multiple players scoring.
Tiara Payne scored a basket. McTear added a basket and Jensis Coleman hit a pair of free throws. But the Bulldogs didn’t have a player that could stop Fingall in the paint.
Tashara Sanders stopped Fingall’s string of Indian scores at eight points when she found the basket from inside the paint with 3:50 left in the game. Fingall scored her final basket of the night off an offensive rebound with 2:25 left in the period to give the Indians a 44-31 lead.
A few seconds later Brown called timeout and emptied the bench as the Indians pulled away to the win.
In the early going it looked as if Choctaw (2-0) would make quick work of the Bulldogs. A quick start by the Indians coupled with what could have been first-game jitters by Crestview was the perfect equation for 13-3 Choctaw lead at the end of the first period.
Fingall and Gabby Brown each scored 10 points in the opening stanza as Choctaw got off to the quick start. Crestview’s lone score came on a 3-pointer by Dejiah Spates.
“It was our first game and their fourth,” Crestview coach Kathy Combest said. “We have some work to do, but they were only up by five three times.
"I played Choctaw, because they are a great program, so we can get better for what we’ve got coming down the road. They are quicker, they are bigger and faster and it will make us get better.”
The final three periods would be much more tightly contested. As McTear, who led the Bulldogs with 16 points, and Coleman started to use their quickness to attack the Indian defense.
Choctaw led 21-11 at the half and 32-25 at the end of the third quarter. But despite a valiant effort the Bulldogs could never get closer than five points to the Indians.
“We just went flat,” Don Brown said. “We played pretty well and all of the sudden we just went flat. I’m very proud of the kids for fighting through two games back-to-back early in the season."
Brown joined Fingall in double figures for the Indians with 10 points. Justice Riggs scored seven points for Choctaw.
McTear was followed in scoring for Crestview by Coleman, eight points and Payne, six points.
Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fingall leads Indians past Bulldogs (PHOTOS)