Region 1-5A girls: Wakulla rallies past Bay

PANAMA CITY — Thursday’s Bay-Wakulla girls basketball game played out much like a Maserati driven blindfolded. In the end, Wakulla was the team able to gain control of the sports car and drive to the regional semifinal.

The War Eagles trailed most of a fast-paced but sloppy contest and rallied for a 47-43 victory over the Tornadoes in the Region 1-5A opener at the John L. Cobb Gymnasium. The teams combined for 63 turnovers and seemingly never saw a shot they didn’t like. The game lacked rhythm until Wakulla was able to grasp the wheel and guide in for a victory.

“We missed a lot of easy shots, lot of layups,” Bay coach Glennda Long said. “But we are a young team and they haven’t been this far before. It’s a building block.”

Long said Bay’s youth led to much of the team’s impatience. There were few times that Bay, or Wakulla for that matter, were set for an offensive play. Then a lack of protecting the basketball ultimately put the kibosh on scoring chances late in the game for the Tornadoes.

Bay led 23-18 at halftime when Wakulla stunted its progress with 17 turnovers. The Tornadoes (10-9) clung to a 30-27 lead at the end of three quarters and built the advantage back to five on Na’Kiya Russell’s basket to open the fourth.

The War Eagles (18-9) took 58 seconds to wipe away the deficit, as Janae Webster, who scored 13 points, notched a basket and a free throw and Ashley Carr laid in two of her four points on a put back to tie the game 32-32 with six minutes to play. Bay regained the lead three more times, but Wakulla answered each surge with a lead-taking one of its own.

The last lead change came on Nikki Triplett’s score with 1:30 to play. Triplett responded with scores on two possessions after Devyn Austin gave Bay two leads on her only points of the game.

Wakulla extended the lead to five, 44-39 on two free throws apiece by Kiera Harvey, who led all with 15 points, and Nyeshia Calloway. Bay’s turnovers mounted in the final seconds, the Tornadoes finishing with 30 total, but a 4-1 run and a score from Anissa Martin pulled them within 45-43 with 16 seconds to go,

A Calloway free throw with 13.2 seconds to go prompted a Bay timeout and a last plan to tie. Tia Webb, who struggled from the floor and finished with six points, put up one of her best shots of the night from the 3-point line, but it bounced off the rim to end the threat.

Wakulla added a final free throw and hit 17 of 30 for the game. Bay’s troubles at the line continued, as it was 6 of 13 and missed four of its final six attempts in the third and fourth quarters.

Shania Brantley led Bay with 15 points and she connected on the game’s only three 3-pointers. Martin added eight points with two of her four baskets helping Bay rally in the fourth.

Long looked back on the season with a successful glance despite the loss. The Tornadoes won the District 1-5A title, atoning for a semifinal loss the previous season.

“We did something that hasn’t been done here in 11 years,” Long said. “We have two sophomores, two juniors and a couple freshmen who we expect big things from. We’re looking ahead to next season.”

• WAKULLA (47) — Triplett 4 0-2 8, Calloway 1 5-10 7, AshCarr 2 0-0 4, Harvey 4 7-10 15, Webster 4 5-8 13. Totals 15 17-30 47.
• BAY (43) — Brantley 3 6-8 15, Watson 2 0-0 4, Austin 2 0-0 4, Webb 2 0-3 6, Russell 3 0-0 6, Martin 4 0-2 8. Totals 17 6-13 43.
• Wakulla         10 8 9 20 — 47
• Bay                  13 10 7 13 — 43
• Three-point goals: Bay 3 (Brantley 3). Turnovers: Wakulla 33, Bay 30. Team fouls: Wakulla 14, Bay 17. Fouled out: None.