By BY BRUCE HIXON – SPORTS EDITOR
It was not necessarily Flomaton's shooting percentage that beat the W.S. Neal Blue Eagles. It was the number of attempts the host Hurricanes got that led to their 58-38 win.
Flomaton's dominating 50-31 edge on the boards, which included 22 offensive rebounds, more than offset the Hurricanes' 38-percent field goal shooting.
Foul trouble also plagued the Blue Eagles throughout the game. Half of W.S. Neal's eight-man roster picked up three fouls in the first half and two eventually fouled out. As a result, Flomaton went to the free throw line 32 times although the Hurricanes hit just 14 (44 percent. Meanwhile W.S. Neal had just 14 charity tosses and hit only five (36 percent).
Flomaton shot just 20 percent from the field (three-for-15) in the first quarter and only 24 percent in the first half (seven-for-29), yet led 24-13 at the midway point thanks largely to its dominance on the boards.
The complexion of the game changed after W.S. Neal's Justin Smith hit a jumper from inside the lane that tied the corner at 10-10 in the first minute of the second quarter.
The Blue Eagles managed just one field goal, a three-pointer by Jeremy Nicholson, the remainder of the half.
Meanwhile Flomaton took advantage of a pair of field goals and three free throws by Dee Brooks to open up a 24-13 edge by halftime.
W.S. Neal's shooting struggles carried over to the third quarter where it hit just one field goal in the first seven minutes of the frame.
On the flip side, the Hurricanes used a pair of
buckets and three free throws by Dominique Banks to widen their lead up to 36-18.
A free throw by Nicholson with 6:41 left in the game brought the Blue Eagles within 39-27, but they got no closer. Three buckets by Scott Walton and two hoops plus a free throw by Banks over the next six minutes put Flomaton's lead at a game-high bulge of 58-37.
W.S. Neal's junior varsity did not allow a point until the second quarter and went on to a 32-26 win over Flomaton.
Jason Bailey, Bob Elliott and William Shell all had seven points to pace the Blue Eagles (2-1).
W.S. Neal hosts Escambia County Monday.
At Flomaton
W.S. Neal 8 5 8 17 - 38
Flomaton 10 14 13 21 - 58
W.S. NEAL (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Wilson 4-1-0-11; Nicholson 2-1-2-9; Smith 2-1-0-7; Mickens 2-0-0-4; Travis 1-0-1-3; Payne 1-0-0-2; Sanders 0-0-1-1; Bradley 0-0-1-1 (Totals: 12-3-5-38)
FLOMATON (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Banks 5-0-9-19; Brooks 5-0-4-14; Walton 4-0-1-9; Edwards 2-1-0-7; Lewis 1-0-2-4; Ellis 0-1-0-3; Woods 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 19-2-14-58)
Junior varsity
W.S. Neal 7 10 3 12 – 32
Flomaton 0 11 6 9 – 26
W.S. NEAL (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Bailey 1-1-2-7; Elliott 1-1-2-7; Shell 1-1-2-7; Floyd 2-0-2-6; Alexander 1-0-1-3; Samuel 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 7-3-9-32)
FLOMATON (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Johnson 4-0-5-13; C. Bradley 1-0-1-3; Ross 1-0-1-3; Chavers 1-0-0-2; Brantley 1-0-0-2; Dixon 1-0-0-2; Berry 0-0-1-1 (Totals: 9-0-8-26)
Red Level downs WSN
The Blue Eagles came up short at Red Level Tuesday when they lost a 72-61 decision to the Tigers.
After the teams battled to an 8-8 draw through one quarter, Red Level started to take control of the game in the second period. The Tigers got a pair of three-pointers by Jonathan Griggs, who led all scorers with 22 points, as they went on a 21-9 run and took a 29-17 halftime lead.
The pace of the game picked up considerably in the second half. While that helped spark W.S. Neal's offense, it was unable to slow down Red Level on the other defesive end.
The Tigers got another three-pointer by Griggs in the third period, as Red Level maintained its 12-point halftime lead at 47-35. Griggs buried his fourth and fifth three-pointers of the game in the fourth quarter to keep Red Level comfortably in front.
W.S. Neal freshman Jeremy Nicholson did his best to keep the Blue Eagles within striking distance down the stretch. Nicholson had five field goals and 11 total points in the fourth quarter on his way to a team-high 19 points.
W.S. Neal's junior varsity gave coach Coy Campbell his first win with the program when it knocked off Red Level 48-39. William Shell led W.S. Neal with 13 points.
At Red Level
W.S. Neal 8 9 18 26 - 61
Red Level 8 21 18 27 - 72
W.S. NEAL (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Nicholson 8-0-3-19; Wilson 5-1-0-13; Mickens 2-1-2-9; Jo. Alexander 1-1-3-8; Payne 1-0-3-5; Smith 1-1-0-5; Bradley 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 19-4-11-61)
RED LEVEL (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Griggs 1-5-5-22; Knight 3-0-6-12; Sanky 4-0-0-8; Nolen 2-1-0-7; C. Marshall 1-1-2-7; Palmer 2-0-1-5; Royce 1-0-2-4; Crittenden 1-0-1-3; T. Marshall 1-0-0-2; Riley 1-0-0-2; Stroud 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 18-7-17-72)
Junior varsity
W.S. Neal 10 11 23 4 - 48
Red Level 6 18 0 15 - 39
W.S. NEAL (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Shell 5-0-3-13; Elliott 5-0-0-10; Bailey 3-0-0-6; Peacock 3-0-0-6; Samuel 2-0-1-5; Je. Alexander 1-0-1-3; Floyd 1-0-0-2; Hunter 1-0-0-2; McCorvey 0-0-1-1 (Totals: 21-0-6-48)
RED LEVEL (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Sharp 2-1-2-9; Neal 3-0-3-9; Baker 0-0-6-6; Salter 2-0-1-5; Jones 1-0-2-4; Day 0-0-3-3; Johns 1-0-1-3 (Totals: 9-1-18-39)