District 1-5A girls: Arnold, Bay to tangle for title

SPRINGFIELD — It will be an all-Bay County final Saturday in the District 1-5A girls basketball tournament.

That much was determined Friday night when Bay overcame the absence of head coach Glennda Long and defeated Gulf Breeze 45-33, and Arnold turned back an undermanned Rutherford squad 55-35.

The championship will be 7 p.m. at Rutherford high school.

Bay 45, Gulf Breeze 33

With uncertainty surrounding their coach, who left the court with an undisclosed illness early in the first quarter, the Lady Tornadoes (9-8) exemplified a lesson all basketball coaches stress: Offense comes and goes, but defense is a constant.

Bay forced 26 turnovers and fought off a third quarter rally by the Dolphins (11-11) to advance to meet Arnold. In the process the Tornadoes overcame a miserable 6-23 effort at the free-throw line.

Bay opened a 27-13 lead when NiKaya Russell and Devyn Martin scored to begin the third quarter, then saw the cushion evaporate as Gulf Breeze produced 10 consecutive points. Maggie Mims had three baskets in the surge and Hayden Ilano two, and the Dolphins were within 31-28 on Mims’ putback with 6:58 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore Shania Brantley became prominent thereafter for Bay. She had 10 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Tornadoes surged to the finish.

Bay assistant coach Clay Long took over on the bench while his wife was being attended to and guided the Tornadoes into the championship game. At regular intervals he was updated on Glennda’s condition as she was treated onsite by medical personnel. After the game she was transported to a local hospital for observation, according to one of the trainers in attendance.

Austin added 10 points to a fine floor game, flashing solid defense as well as helping on the boards and on an effective full-court press for Bay. Russell had eight points, Shytiarra Webb added seven and Anissa Martin four.

Mims had 15 for Gulf Breeze, which clicked on three of nine 3-point attempts in the first quarter, but was limited thereafter as Bay concentrated its focus on the perimeter. The Dolphins finished 5-19 behind the arc.

• GULF BREEZE (33)
• Hoehn 1 0-0 3, Meyering 0 0-0 0, McDonald 0 0-0 0, Nixon 0 0-0 0, Mims 7 0-5 15, Suarez 0 0-0 0, Culp 3 0-0 9, Ilano 3 0-0 6. Totals: 14 0-5 33.
• BAY (45)
• Webb 3 1-2 7, Martin 2 0-5 4, Austin 5 0-0 10, Brantley 6 3-8 15, Russell 3 1-6 8, Chancey 0 1-2 1, Peterson 0 0-0 0, Ming 0 0-0 0, Watson 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 6-23 45.
• Gulf Breeze 9 4 13 7 — 33
• Bay 10 13 6 16 — 45
• 3-point goals: Gulf Breeze 5 (Culp 3, Hoehn, Mims), Bay 1 (Russell). Total fouls: Gulf Breeze 19, Bay 14. Fouled out: Gulf Breeze (Culp).

Arnold 55, Rutherford 35

The game turned in the final minute of the first half and the opening 90 seconds of the second. Katie Robertson scored the last two baskets of the second quarter and JoJo Booker and Nina McClanahan notched the first two of the third as a precarious 20-17 lead that had never been more than five points at any stage suddenly became 28-17.

Rutherford has been without No. 1 offensive threat Marsheba Addison all season due to a knee injury suffered during the summer. When mainstay Lakia Snowden went out with 1:35 before halftime after a collision underneath the basket the Rams were further diminished.

Snowden did not return, and Emilee Cook’s ensuing foul trouble negated another offensive weapon.

But make no mistake, once Arnold took charge it remained in charge.

“We only beat them by one when we played over here before and we talked about having a killer instinct and not relaxing,” Arnold coach Bryan Normand said. “I thought we showed that tonight.”

Another key for the Marlins, 12-13, was overcoming early foul trouble to offensive leader Booker, who had 25 points to easily lead all scorers. Booker already had two fouls less than six minutes into the game.

Normand moved Booker out front on Arnold’s zone to protect the junior from contact under the basket, and teammates Grace Tennyson and Katie Robertson did a solid job controlling the boards without Booker’s help.

“Absolutely, Grace and Katie did a great job and we had worked on executing if JoJo got in foul trouble,” Normand said. “That’s part of what you have to expect.”

Tennyson added 13 rebounds to her seven points while battling Cook, and Robertson had a solid floor game in addition to her six points. Booker was 10-17 from the floor showcasing the ability to score with either hand inside. She added to her total with some easy baskets in transition before leaving with slightly less than 3 minutes to play.

Nina McClanahan added nine points for the Marlins, who defeated Bay twice during the regular season.

Cook had eight points and eight rebounds for Rutherford, which was led by Tatyanna Bell’s 11 points. Alisha Williams added nine for the Rams, who finished 9-11.

• ARNOLD (55)
• Booker 10 5-10 25, Canady 2 0-0 4, McClanahan 3 2-2 9, Murray 2 0-0 4, Robertson 2 2-4 6, Tennyson 3 1-2 7, Jasay 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 10-18 55.
• RUTHERFORD (35)
• Cook 4 0-2 8, Snowden 1 0-0 2, Faulk 1 1-4 3, Kuhl 0 0-0 0, Bell 5 1-4 11, Evans 0 0-1 0, Williams 3 2-4 9, Carroll 1 0-1 2. Totals: 15 4-16 35.
• Arnold 12 12 13 18 — 55
• Rutherford 11 6 9 9 — 35
• 3-point goals: Arnold 1 (McClanahan), Rutherford 1 (Williams). Total fouls: Arnold 13, Rutherford 13. Fouled out: Rutherford (Cook).

District 4-1A

Franklin County saw its season end with a 51-17 loss to South Walton. The Seahawks, who don’t have a senior on their roster, finished 7-16 including the first district tournament win in the program’s history.