BAKER — First-year Baker School boys basketball Coach Janavor Weatherspoon has the Gators playing some of their best ball of the season heading into next week’s District 3-1A tournament at Northview High School.
If Baker, the fourth seed in the district, hopes to work some tournament next week they’ll need some of the toughness and determination they showed Monday night against a physical Central Jaguar squad.
Baker-Central boys basketball photos>>>
Powered by a hot-shooting Austin Walters, who finished with a game-high 36 points, the Gators beat Central 66-56.
Walters hit five 3-pointer baskets, seven 2-pointers and was 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
Walters teamed with Brooks Taylor in the first quarter to score 11 of Baker’s 15 points as the Gators led 15-14 after one.
Walters put on a show in the second quarter scoring 14 points as the Gators (9-12) increased the lead to 36-29 at the half.
Baker tried to put Central away in the second half but the Jaguars refused to slip quietly into the cool January night.
Terrell Reed scored five quick points for Bake to open the third quarter and give the Gators a 41-31 lead. The Jaguars took the blow and delivered a couple of their own with baskets from Chase Dixon and Tristan Ellison to get within seven points of Baker.
Walters hit a 3-pointer pushing the Gator lead back to 10 points and Central never got any closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Tempers flared in the fourth quarter as the game became more physical and both teams were hit with technical fouls. “It was a tough game,” Weatherspoon said. “It was good for us to get some experience in a tough, tight game. The refs weren’t calling everything and towards the end it got a little messy with the tackling and the fouling.
“That’s something that’s good for our team going into the district tournament because things are going to get like that. We got into few tussles out there and we stayed together as a team. To me, that means a lot that they were all fighting for each other.”
The Gators were able to absorb the blows and hold on for the win.
Walters was the only Baker player in double figures. Taylor scored seven points and Reed six points
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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Gators get physical in win over Jaguars (PHOTOS, VIDEO)