District Boys Basketball roundup: Upsets from Pine Forest, Escambia sets up winner-take-all Final

Here's a roundup of district semifinal games involving Pensacola-area boys basketball teams on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

District 1-5A semifinals

No. 3 Pine Forest 54, No. 2 Booker T. Washington 46

A year ago, Joshua Whitehurst and Ozell Purifoy led an improbable postseason run by Pine Forest to the boys basketball state final four and near upset win in the Class 5A semifinal game.

They’re at it again, a senior duo seeking an encore.

Exemplifying his team nickname as “Big Shot Josh,” Whitehurst scored a game high 24 points, including seven in the final two minutes, while Purifoy added 19 points, as the Eagles knocked off No. 2 seed Booker T. Washington 54-46 Wednesday night in the District 1-5A semifinals before a standing-room, overflow crowd at Pine Forest’s Ann Caro Suarez Gymnasium.

“Those guys know what it’s like to win a close game and be in a close game…  and about making plays to win a close game,” said Pine Forest coach Ty McCants, whose team has battled through a challenging season to stay above .500 at 13-11.

“For us, this was a must win for us if we want to make the playoffs. We have to keep winning,” McCants said. (Washington Wildcats) know they’re going to get in (region playoffs) regardless, but we need to win this tournament to get in playoffs.”

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That chance will occur Friday night at 7 p.m. when Pine Forest hosts Escambia High, which knocked off top-seed Fort Walton Beach-Choctawhatchee 51-50, after Choctaw lost the ball and chance for game-winning shot with five seconds left.

The Gators (10-11) stunned Choctaw (17-9) with a 64-62 win on January 31, They again made the plays Wednesday in the final minute to reach the tournament final and extend their own hopes for a regional berth.

“You can never count these kids out,” McCants said.  “A 3 vs. 4 (seeds) championship is not what everybody thought, but hey, that is what it is.

“It’s on our home court and I have been saying all year this is a tough place to win. And for somebody to come in and beat us on our home court is going to be a tough night and let’s make a tough night.”

That’s exactly how it played out. The game’s biggest lead was six points when Washington’s Jordyn Buchanan buried a 3-pointer with 3:11 left in the third quarter. The Wildcats led 39-35 entering the fourth quarter.

Purifoy put back a shot to complete a 6-0 run and give Pine Forest a lead with 4:24 left, Whitehurst then hit a 3-pointer, then scored on drive with 1:32 left for a six point lead.

“Big Shot Josh, he’s that for a reason,” McCants said. “His will to win is crazy. Every moment he wants to make the big play and he’s going to make the big play.”

The Wildcats missed a chance to tie with 50 seconds remaining when a technical foul was called on a Pine Forest player for reacting to a shooting foul call on a teammate. But Washington made only two of the four free throws and didn’t score on the free possession.

Whitehurst got the rebound, found Purifoy on a breakaway past midcourt and watched as Purifoy raced uncontested for a monster, one-hand dunk with 30 seconds left that sent the crowd into a frenzy and helped seal the win.

The senior tandem were the two double-figures scorers for Pine Forest. Washington was led by Buchanan with 19 points and point guard Nicholas Hughes with 11.

“(Washington Wildcats) are a great basketball team, I’m very familiar with them,” McCants said. “They play hard and play the right way And they worked hard to get to this moment so we knew it would be a tough night.”

Here are three main takeaways from Pine Forest win.

Home court advantage

The seating was filled from floor level to ceiling on the main spectator side of the Pine Forest gym. It led to fans standing on the stage side of the court and lining both baseline areas behind the baskets.

With both schools’ full cheerleading squads it made for an welcome, raucous atmosphere the entire game with plenty of emotion generated.

“When I moved back here, this was my goal and dream to see this and to achieve by my fifth year is great,” McCants said. “It is a great atmosphere. I am excited to see people coming out to support basketball and happy people want to come out and watch.

“I’m happy we provided a great game and I’m happy the kids are performing well. It is a great thing for our community.”

Special ties

When McCants played basketball at Pine Forest, now Washington coach Dwayne Louis was the Eagles coach. McCants, a 2009 Pine Forest grad, credits his former coach for making him successful.

“All love to Coach Louis,” he said.  “He taught me a lot. A lot of what I do in coaching comes from him.”

The Wildcats came out in a 1-3-1 zone to start the game, but the Eagles answered with five 3-pointers to force Washington into a man-to-man defense to start the second half.

“Early on we got the lob passes and after that we slowed it down,” McCants said. “Really we just showed our will and battled for every ball.”

Look ahead

Escambia and Pine Forest split their regular-season meetings. The Eagles won 47-41 at Escambia on Dec. 2. The Gators won 63-60 at Pine Forest on Jan. 5.

The game will have a 7 p.m. tipoff Friday. Admission is $6 and another large crowd is expected. Parking is free at Pine Forest.

The winner will definitely advance into the state region quarterfinals which are Feb. 16. Qualifying teams, pairings will be announced the FHSAA on Sunday.

Last year, Pine Forest carried the banner for Pensacola area teams all the way to Lakeland and the state final four before losing a one-point heartbreaker to Fort Lauderdale-Stranahan in the semifinal.

-Bill Vilona

Escambia 51, Choctaw 50

A thrilling win left a special feeling for the Escambia Gators.

After an up-and-down season, the Gators pulled off the tournament shocker with strong defense and clutch free throws.

Tyshaun Gilchrist converted both ends of a one-and-one with 45.1 seconds remaining to give the Gators a 51-47 lead that held up.

Choctaw got a tie up and possession with 16.6 seconds, trailing by one, but lost the ball with five seconds remaining and the game ended on an Escambia missed free throw, ensuing rebound and desperation heave as the buzzer sounded.

“This feels pretty good, because these guys are real dedicated to the program,” said Escambia coach David Williams II. “They are dedicated to me and dedicated to each other. And my senior class, I really only have one guy who has played all four years.

“These kids stayed in the gym all summer long and we are just reaping what we sow.”

Choctaw beat Escambia by 19 points in an early-season meeting, but the Gators won the second game, 64-62, on Jan. 31. That told Williams his team had a chance for another win in the tournament.

“My wife has been my backbone through all this. Even when I come home and I’m panicking, she keeps me in line,” Williams said. “Our assistant coaches are great… my seniors are great, my underclassmen are great, it’s just a great together team.”

Gilchrist led Escambia with 18 points. Trevon Killette added 12.

-Bill Vilona

District 1-6A semifinals

No. 1 Gulf Breeze 49, No. 4 Pace 41

Clinging to a 23-22 halftime lead, the top-seeded Dolphins outscored the Patriots 12-6 in the third quarter en route to a home win. Stats were unavailable.

Gulf Breeze (21-3) seeks its second consecutive district title in a championship match with No. 2 Tate. Pace finishes the season at 12-13.

-Patrick Bernadeau

No. 2 Tate 55, No. 3 Crestview 50

Trailing 35-28 at halftime, the Aggies won the second half 27-15 to claim a spot in that district championship.

Tate (18-4) allowed five points in the third quarter. Stats were unavailable. The team has won its last 11 games.

-Patrick Bernadeau

District 1-4A semifinal

No. 2 South Walton 63, No. 3 West Florida 58

The Jaguars were turned away in a close road loss to the Seahawks. Stats were unavailable.

West Florida closes the year at 11-15.

District 1-3A semifinal

No. 1 Florida High 101, No. 4 Pensacola Christian Academy 46

The Warriors season came crashing down following a blow out road loss to the Seminoles. Anthony Robinson III was one of 11 FSUH players to score after pouring in a team-best 19 points.

PCA (18-7) had its four-game winning streak snapped.

-Patrick Bernadeau

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.

Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: District Boys Basketball: Pine Forest, Escambia, Gulf Breeze, Tate move on