PANAMA CITY — The Seattle Seahawks aren’t the only team that plays defense.
It turned out Friday night that the schools with the best defensive efforts are the ones advancing to Saturday’s District 1-5A boys basketball championship game.
That turned out to be top-seeded Rutherford, which routed Gulf Breeze 64-34, and No. 3 seed Choctawhatchee, which eliminated No. 2 host Bay 47-44.
For the second straight tournament game, Choctawhatchee survived a final-second shot to advance, this time a 3-point attempt by Bay’s Donald Taylor that caught the iron and bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
It almost seemed a fitting ending for a game the exhibited in-your-face, sneaker-squeaking defense for all 32 minutes. Outside of Choctawhatchee nailing four 3-pointers in the second quarter to take brief control nothing came easy on offense for either squad.
The Indians, 16-11, built a 24-13 led early in the third quarter when Coby Block scored. The 6-foot-7 senior already had 11 of his game-high 17 points by then for the Indians, but from that juncture every basket was a momentum changer.
Bay, 17-7, had a miserable night shooting the ball from long range, but clawed back behind relentless pressure. Trailing 26-15, the Tornadoes scored eight consecutive points, but half of them came from the free-throw line as the teams combined for just 31 field goals.
Tommy Wade, who had 12 points, got Bay within a field goal with a three-point play and Terrell Miller’s 18-footer tied it 29-29 entering the fourth quarter.
The rest of the way a four-point lead felt like a mandate, and the Indians finally gained it at 43-39 when Kalin Lovett scored on a press break.
Rayshawn Patterson got the Tornadoes within 43-42 with his team’s lone 3-pointer, but Bay couldn’t produce a key basket when it needed one.
Block, Lovett and Malik Grant made free throws for Choctaw in the final minute, but when Grant missed his second effort with 9 seconds remaining Bay had one last chance.
It couldn’t convert, and a promising season ended with a stunning defeat.
Jaquiel Lawton added 11 points for the Indians. Demetrius Rivers paced Bay with 14 points.
Rutherford coach Rhondie Ross said prior to the tournament that this Rams’ ballclub could be his best defensively. The Rams looked like it when after Gulf Breeze closed within 21-15 with 5 minutes left in the second quarter.
During the ensuing 13 minutes of game action Rutherford allowed only six points.
By that time a six-point lead had expanded into a 49-21 cushion, and Ross rested his starters the entire fourth quarter.
Khaliel Spearman paced the Rams with 15 points and Gabe Steele had 11. Gulf Breeze, which ended 8-16, got 12 points from Tyler Franks.
GULF BREEZE (34)
Duntz 0 2-2 2, Garbel 0 0-0 0, Hoover 0 0-0 0, Brown 1 0-0 2, Foote 3 0-0 7, Jackson 3 0-16, Franks 3 4-6 12, Prewitt 0 0-0 0, Proctor 0 1-2 1, Amberson 0 0-0 0, Pejic 1 2-2 4. Totals: 11 9-13 34.
RUTHERFORD (64)
Wade 4 0-2 9, M.Steele 1 0-0 2, Qn.Jones 2 0-0 4, Turner 1 0-0 2, G.Steele 4 0-0 11, Foster 1 0-0 2, Hills 1 0-0 2, Moore 0 0-0 0, Spearman 4 6-6 15, Arts 2 1-2 6, Smith 2 0-0 4, Terrell 1 0-0 3, Harrell 1 0-0 2, Qb.Jones 1 0-0 2. Totals: 25 7-10 64.
Gulf Breeze 10 5 6 13 — 34
Rutherford 16 18 15 15 — 64
3-point goals: Gulf Breeze 3 (Franks 2, Foote), Rutherford 7 (G.Steele 3, Wade, Spearman, Arts, Terrell). Total fouls: Gulf Breeze 10, Rutherford 13. Fouled out: none.
CHOCTAWHATCHEE (47)
Lovett 2 4-8 8, Grant 2 1-4 7, Nelson 1 0-0 2, Silas 0 2-2 2, Lawton 4 2-5 11, Burkett 0 0-0 0, Hicks 0 0-2 0, Clay 0 0-0 0, Block 7 2-2 17. Totals: 16 11-23 47.
BAY (44)
Wilson 0 0-0 0, Miller 1 0-0 2, Goodman 0 1-2 1, Monroe 0 1-2 1, Rivers 5 4-5 14, McNeil 0 1-2 1, Robinson 1 0-1 2, Patterson 4 0-0 9, Wade 4 4-5 12, Taylor 0 1-2 1, Johnson 0 1-2 1. Totals: 15 13-21 44.
Choctawhatchee 6 16 7 18 — 47
Bay 8 5 16 15 — 44
3-point goals: Choctawatchee 4 (Grant 2, Lawton, Block), Bay 1 (Patterson). Total fouls: Choctawhatchee 17, Bay 18. Fouled out: Bay (Patterson).