High School Sports Review: Crestview Basketball

CRESTVIEW — Crestview High School’s boys’ basketball team had a historic season.

The team finished the season 26-6 with both a region and state title.

The run to a state title didn’t come easy for the Bulldogs, who had to pull out a few close games.

The Bulldog’s success stemmed from motivation after defeating the Choctawhatchee Indians 61-58 in the regional semifinals. It was the third straight semifinal meeting for the Bulldogs and Indians.

The Indians won the previous two meetings, but with the help of 16 points from guard Marcus Purcell, the Bulldogs advanced to the elite eight.

The Bulldogs’ next matchup was against Columbia in the Region 1A championship game.

Four of the Crestview players had double digit scoring. Purcell had 15 points, while Mason Cooper scored 14, Jaden Voisin had 12 and Devin Voisin had 10. Devin Voisin led the team in rebounds with eight in the Bulldogs 66-48 victory.

The victory led the Bulldogs to the state semifinals to face Lehigh.

Purcell and Jaden Voisin both finished the game with 18 points. Voisin led the team with eight rebounds and seven assists. Purcell had three rebounds and five assists. The duo’s impressive performance led the team to a 74-50 win and a shot at the state title.

Crestview faced Dillard in the championship game.

Jaden Voisin led the team in scoring with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Voisin also had five rebounds, a block and a steal. Cooper was second with eight points and team-high seven rebounds. The pair helped lead the Bulldogs to a 50-40 victory and their first state title since 1985.

The championship season led the Northwest Florida Daily News to name head coach Greg Watson the Large School Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.

Marcus Purcell was named by the Daily News as the Large School Boys Basketball Player of the Year, as well as the Region 7A MVP by SourceHoops.