NICEVILLE — All the elements were in place for a shootout in the District 1-7A boys basketball tournament championship game Saturday night.
Rabid fan bases for Crestview High School and host Niceville filled the Niceville High School gym. And the Okaloosa County rivals put on a show that proved that high school’s basketball February Frenzy can be every bit as exciting as college basketball’s March Madness.
For the second straight year the Bulldogs and Eagles met for the district championship. For the second consecutive year the teams battled tooth and nail. And for the second consecutive year Crestview came out on top.
Last year senior Denzel Ware’s buzzer beater gave Crestthe win. This year it was a sophomore stepping up big.
Crestview-Niceville boys basketball photos>>>
The Bulldogs needed an extra period to finish off the Eagles on Saturday, but finish off the Eagles is just what the Bulldogs did. Rusty Moorer scored 13 of his game-high 26 points in the overtime period to lead Crestview to the 69-58 win.
“It’s a great feeling, not just for me, but for the players and the whole community,” Crestview Coach Greg Watson said. “For that many people to come up and support us and to see it back-to-back (championships) is a great feeling.
“We didn’t shoot it very good tonight. We overcame a lot. But they (the Eagles)are a really good team.”
The Bulldogs (18-9) will host Tallahassee Chiles in the Region 1-7A quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Watson is hoping for another big turnout from the Bulldog faithful
“It helps a lot just because our guys feed off the energy of the crowd,” he said. “It is a huge advantage for us.
“We are still going to have to go out and play hard and do the little things defensively. And hopefully we will make some shots.’
Saturday’s district championship game was reminiscent of so many heavyweight championship bouts. The Eagles were the top seed in the tournament and the Bulldogs were the second seed so it was no surprise to see Niceville and Crestview in the tournament finals.
Like the district heavyweights they are the teams traded one big punch after another from the opening tip.
Crestview’s Tay King landed the first big shot of the game, a 3-pointer, less than a minute after the opening tip. Mitch Morken threw down a 3-pointer of his own for Niceville as the teams settled in for another thriller.
A Dakota Childree 3-pointer with 1:20 left in the first quarter put the Bulldogs up 14-10. The four point lead turned out to be Crestview’s largest lead until the overtime period.
Back-to-back threes by Morken early in the second quarter put the Eagles up 19-16. Niceville extended the lead to 21-16 on a Kameron Parker basket. Anthony Litscher’s 3-pointer with 1:57 left in the second quarter gave the Eagles their biggest lead of the first half at 27-20.
Marquis McClain hit a pair of free throws for the Bulldogs and Moorer converted on a 3-point play as Crestview trimmed the Eagle lead to a basket. A late score by Niceville’s Will West pushed the Eagle lead back to four points at the end of the half.
The game remained close throughout the second half. Niceville matched its biggest lead of the game with 3:52 left in the third quarter when Morken hit another his fourth 3-pointer of the night. Morken’s basket was the last of the third quarter for Niceville.
Crestview trimmed three points off the Eagle late in the third quarter on a Andrew Adkins basket and a McClain free throw.
The first Bulldog lead of the second half came with 2:17 left in the fourth quarter when Moorer converted a 3-point play to put Crestview up 48-47.
The teams traded scores down the stretch with Parker connecting on a 3 for Niceville and Childree doing the same for the Bulldogs. Moorer hit two free throws with 28 seconds left in regulation to put Crestview in front 53-51.
While Childree’s 3-pointer didn’t turn out to be the winning basket the Bulldogs would have never played the overtime without it.
“I just tried to make it,” Childree said. “I saw it and I just tried to hit it. I wanted to display a lot of leadership.”
Morken tied the game for Niceville with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The overtime period belonged to Moorer and the Bulldogs. Moorer scored nine unanswered points for the Bulldogs to open the extra period and put Crestview in front 62-53 before Will West picked up a basket for the Eagles.
The Bulldogs continued to dominate the extra period behind Moorer as they pulled away for the win.
“We just have to take it possession by possession like the coach says and we are going to win that game,” Moorer said. “Big time players show up in big time games.
“Coach said if we take care of our possessions can’t nobody beat us.”
McClain, 15 points and King, 10 points joined Moorer in double figures for Crestview. Childree added eight points and Adkins seven.
Parker and Morken topped the Eagles with 18 points each.
“It feels good,” King, a senior point guard, said. “This is my last year and I won district two years in a row. It’s a great feeling man.
“In the overtime we just had to step up the defense and make sure they didn’t make any threes because they can really shoot the ball.”
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 repeat as district champs (PHOTOS, VIDEO)