By By Chandler Myers
The Blue Devils of Escambia County picked up their second straight victory in the Escambia County Tournament last week. The team defeated the T.R. Miller Tigers 63-48 Saturday afternoon at ECHS.
The Blue Devils (6-7, 0-0) and the Tigers (0-6) battled tightly in the first quarter of their second round match up in the tournament.
Junior forward led the Blue Devils with a game high 18 points, while Miller was led by Justin Payne's 16 points.
At the end of the first quarter, the Blue Devils led the contest 11-9.
Jitters disappeared and scoring picked up in the second quarter, with ECHS scoring 19 points in the period and the Tigers adding 14 to their total. At halftime, ECHS led Miller 30-23.
Blue Devils head coach Anthony Hayes said the first half performance by his team was better than their first game against Miller.
After halftime, both defenses tightened up by not allowing more than 10 points. The Tigers outscored ECHS 10-9, but the Blue Devils continued to lead the game 39-33.
Senior guard James Webster scored five points for ECHS, and seniors Nik Radojicic, Dontae Johnson and Charles Crook all scored two points in the win.
In the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils ran away from the Tigers and scored 24 points, while only allowing 15. When the final buzzer sounded, ECHS had secured their second straight win 63-48.
Hayes said the Blue Devils are showing signs of life, but still face the same issues they have had all season.
Justin Payne led T.R. Miller with 16 points in the loss to the Blue Devils. Corey Redfearn finished with 11 points along with Derek Riley. Terez Lane added seven in the loss.