FORT WALTON BEACH — Crestview High School boys basketball Coach Greg Watson matched wits against his old boss Tuesday in the Luxe Sports Grill Shoot at Choctawhatchee High School.
Watson’s Bulldogs faced Robertsdale, Ala., where he was a former assistant coach under Golden Bear boss Marshall Davis.
In the end the Bulldogs had a little more bite as they rolled to a 63-47 win.
Crestview-Robertsdale boys basketball photos>>>
“It’s been six years (since he was at Robertsdale),” Watson said. “Coach Davis still there and I was an assistant under him. His kids play really hard and that’s one thing that he stresses and they do a good job of not quitting.
“Like today we got up 14 or 15 and they cut it to eight or nine and we never could put them away. That’s a credit to him and how he’s got discipline over his players and they play extremely hard.”
The Golden Bears played hard and competed for four quarters, but they couldn’t match the talent of the Bulldogs.
Rusty Moorer scored 15 points to lead a trio of Crestview players in double figures. Tay King scored 13 and Marquis McClain added 11 points.
McClain put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard first with a basket at the 6:44 mark in the first quarter.
Robertsdale’s Davon McMillion hit a 3-pointer with 5:56 left in the first quarter to give the Golden Bears their only lead of the game. That lead lasted exactly 11 seconds until McClain scored his second basket of the game to give Crestview the lead once and for all.
Kennan Redd followed with a score for the Bulldogs to put Crestview up by three. The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 15-6 with 1:43 left in the first, but Robertsdale scored the last six points of the period to cut the lead to 15-12 at the end of the first quarter.
Blake Nichols’ basket in the first minute of the second quarter pulled Robertsdale to within a point of Crestview, but that’s as close as the Golden Bears would get.
King and McClain combined for 10 points in the second quarter as Crestview pushed the lead to 29-20 at the half.
The Bulldogs (8-6) continued to take the battle to the Golden Bears in the second half. Crestview led 46-32 at the end of the third quarter. The biggest Bulldog lead was 19 points midway through the fourth quarter.
Watson was pleased with the win, but he still thinks the Bulldogs need to close out games better.
“I felt like our press was really, really good at times,” he said. “We gave up a couple of easy ones (baskets), but right there at the end of the third quarter we broke it open. We got some steals and we actually converted (scored).
“We’ve just got to play with a killer instinct and right now we don’t. Coming into the game I was looking for some consistency. We are still not there, but the good thing is we’ve still got a month to get there (before district tournaments).”
Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Bulldogs pull away from Golden Bears (PHOTOS, VIDEO)