Chipley dominates Paxton

By Randal Seyler

Washington County News

CHIPLEY — It was over by the end of the third period.

Chipley was leading challenger Paxton 36-22 with 1:30 left in the third period, when the Tigers took a break and played a little keep away to run down the clock.

Things didn’t get any better in the fourth period, with Chipley’s lightning quick Tyrone Sharpe and Tyler Oliver constantly picking off passes or slapping down shots inside the paint, frustrating the Paxton offense. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Chipley’s had a 59-32 win Tuesday and the Bobcats were out of the playoffs.

The Bobcats had been out-reached all evening by the Tigers, with only Paxton’s Chad Zessin being able to tower over any of Chipley’s players. Chipley extended their winning streak to 21 and now they have their sights set on the Malone Tigers.

Chipley travels to Malone Saturday to play for the 1A regional title. Malone defeated Holmes County 50-48 in tournament play.

The game opened with the two teams neck in neck, and Zessin tied things up 6-6 with 4:57 to play in the first period, but once Emanual Baston hit a layup with 2 minutes to go in the first period, Chipley was ahead 10-8 and the Tigers never looked back.

Following the half-time break, the Tigers were only leading 13-8, but Alex Hamilton came out and hit two layups back to back to put Chipley in command of the boards.

A little razzle-dazzle at the end of the game brought the crowd to their feet when Dozier nabbed an inbounds pass midair and dunked it, only to have Sharpe nab the ball and slam it in giving the Tigers a 55-30 lead with only two minutes left to play in the game.

“Basketball is a game of spurts, coach Joel Orlando said. “for us, our third quarter defense was the key to the entire game.”
 “Leaders Alex Hamilton and Cameron Dozier did such a great job as leaders in the game. A big part of it is being patient, and knowing when to make the big plays.

Hamilton led with 22 points for Chipley and Dozier followed with 17. Zessin led the Bobcats with 13 points.

 “We’re going into a hornet’s nest with 14 or 15 state champion banners hanging on their walls,” coach said. “It’s up to us to represent Chipley. Hopefully everyone will be proud of us.”