PANAMA CITY — Back on Nov. 30, Tallahassee Leon edged Bay 60-59.
The Lions won on a buzzer-beater according to Bay officials, who aren’t convinced the game-winner didn’t come after the buzzer.
Saturday in the championship game of the 14th annual Bay Barnstorm Classic, the host Tornadoes get a shot at redemption.
Bay and Leon advanced to the 7:30 p.m. championship with semifinal wins on Friday. Bay thumped New Site (Miss.) 80-40 while Leon completely dispatched Mosley 83-33.
In the losers’ bracket, Pensacola defeated Cairo (Ga.) 44-36. A later losers’ bracket game was held past press time.
Today’s place games also will feature Pensacola vs. the Lassiter-Cairo winner for fifth and Mosley vs. New Site for third.
Bay 80, New Site 40
Bay not only came into the game with a six-game winning streak, but had claimed those victories by an average of nearly 27 points.
The Tornadoes, 9-2, not only took the court with confidence, they had a distinct size advantage with 6-foot-6 senior Tommy Wade patrolling the paint. When the Royals opened in a zone and Rayshawn Patterson and Donald Taylor each buried a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter, the visitors from Mississippi basically didn’t have an option B.
Wade had 12 points in the first quarter alone and 19 of his career-high 21 points by halftime. He had ample support with Taylor adding 13 and Demetrius Rivers and Dominique Monroe each 11.
The Tornadoes led 47-24 at halftime and it was 63-35 entering the final quarter. With starters from each team sitting out the final 8 minutes Monroe produced all 11 of his points as Bay necessitated a running clock with 4 minutes left to play.
The Royals, 8-4, were further limited when one of their chief ballhandlers, Ashton Johnson, had to sit out due to an injury suffered in Thursday’s win against Lassiter.
Bay opened with end-to-end pressure and with Wade having his way New Site trailed by 28-12 with 2 minutes still remaining in the first quarter.
Brett Moreland had 11 points to pace the Royals and Josh Knight had all 9 of his points in the first quarter. Riley Ivy added 6.
NEW SITE (40)
Nix 1 0-0 2, Ivy 3 0-0 6, Gray 1 0-0 2, Knight 4 0-0 9, Franklin 1 0-0 2, Morgan 5 1-3 11, Floyd 1 2-2 4, Moreland 0 0-0 0, Jones 0 1-2 1, Woodruff 0 0-0 0, King 1 1-2 3, Fitzsimmons 0 0-0 0, Plaxico 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 5-9 40.
BAY (80)
Wilson 3 0-0 6, Goodman 0 0-0 0, Monroe 5 0-0 11, Rivers 5 1-1 11, NcNeil 1 1-2 3, Patterson 3 0-0 9, Wade 8 5-5 21, Taylor 5 0-0 13, Johnson 2 0-2 4, Miller 1 0-0 2, Lucas 0 0-0 0, Butler 0 0-0 0. Totals: 33 7-10 80.
New Site 17 7 11 5 — 40
Bay 28 19 16 17 — 80
3-point goals: New Site 1 (Knight), Bay 7 (Taylor 3, Patterson 3, Monroe). Total fouls: New Site 9, Bay 13.
Leon 83, Mosley 33
This one was over as soon as it started. The Lions, 11-3, forced 11 Mosley turnovers in the first quarter while building a 26-4 lead.
The Dolphins, 4-6, stayed within 45-21 at halftime, but it was only a matter of time before a running clock brought an end to the onslaught. It kicked in midway through the third quarter when Leon put an exclamation mark on the victory with a 25-2 run.
Cedric Harper, a 6-5 senior, dominated in the paint with 16 points, four blocks and five offensive rebounds. But unmistakably it was the Lions’ full-court pressure that dictated the lopsided nature of the game. Mosley had four turnovers against the press before the game was 4 minutes old and trailed 14-2.
Willie Willis had 14 points and Malik Griffin 12 for Leon, which substituted liberally and had 11 players score.
Nat Dixon had 17 points for Mosley, but regulars Jacob Harrison, Kyle Corbin, Donovan Albert, Warren Stadmire and Andrew Deramo, who all had contributed heavily in Mosley’s win over Pensacola, combined for only six points. Brien Poulter had 6 points for the Dolphins and Sam Wittkopf 4.
MOSLEY (33)
Dixon 5 6-7 17, Corbin 1 0-0 2, Albert 1 0-0 2, Stadmire 0 0-0 0, Deramo 0 0-2 0, Harrison 0 2-2 2, Polter 2 2-2 6, Walker 0 0-0 0, Wittkopf 1 1-2 4, Moorman 0 0-0 0, Chesnee 0 0-0 0. Totals: 10 11-16 33.
LEON (83)
Biggins 3 0-0 8, Harper 7 2-4 16, Willis 6 2-2 14, Bryant 2 0-2 4, Myers 1 0-0 2, Siple 2 0-0 6, Wiggins 0 0-1 0, Griffin 5 0-0 12, Kincey 2 1-2 6, Spivey 3 0-0 7, Leak 1 0-0 2, Walker 3 0-2 8. Totals: 35 5-13 83.
Mosley 7 14 2 10 — 23
Leon 26 20 25 12 — 83
3-point goals: Mosley 2 (Dixon, Wittkopf), Leon 8 (Siple 2, Biggins 2, Walker 2, Spivey, Kincey). Total fouls: Mosley 12, Leon 16. Fouled out: Mosley (Stadmire). Intentional fouls: Mosley (Stadmire).
Pensacola 44, Cairo 36
Pensacola extended Cairo’s offensive misery from the fourth quarter of its quarterfinal on Thursday by holding the Syrupmakers scoreless in the first quarter.
By the time Andrew McClendon converted an offensive rebound at 6:09 of the second quarter it was just Cairo’s second field goal in its last 16 minutes of tournament action.
Against that backdrop Cairo, 4-6, also put up a spirited defense. Pensacola built its lead to as much as 29-12 in the third quarter, but the outcome was undecided until Marquise Cole scored for the Tigers in the waning seconds.
Cole had 14 for Pensacola, 12-3, which led 12-0 after eight minutes. Teammate Traquan Knight added 11.
Stacy Masten again led Cairo with 17 points. Micheal Callaway added 8.
CAIRO (36)
Baker 0 0-0 0, Masten 6 3-4 17, Draggs 2 0-0 5, Bennett 0 0-0 0, Atkins 0 0-0 0, Patterson 0 0-0 0, McClendon 2 0-0 4, Anderson 1 0-0 2, Callaway 3 2-2 8, Sparrow 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 5-6 36.
PENSACOLA (44)
Mn.Maxwell 2 1-2 7, Ml.Maxwell 0 0-0 0, Staten 0 0-0 0, Witherspoon 2 0-1 4, Buchanan 0 0-0 0, Cole 6 0-0 14, Knight 4 3-6 11, Reaves 2 2-2 6, Hamilton 0 2-4 2, Watts 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 8-15 44.
Cairo 0 9 11 16 — 36
Pensacola 12 10 10 10 — 44
3-point goals: Cairo 3 (Masten 2, Draggs), Pensacola 4 (Mn.Maxwell 2, Cole 2). Total fouls: Cairo 16, Pensacola 11.
Elsewhere
Rutherford 77, East Hall 71
GRACEVILLE — Khaliel Spearman had 22 points as Rutherford improved to 11-1 at the Tiger Shootout hosted by Graceville. Gabe Steele had 19 and Keith Arts and Destin Dunton each had 12.
Rutherford will play Godby 7:30 p.m. Saturday.