Niceville boys hoops headed to finals

By JARED MACARIN

jaredm@nwfdailynews.com

NICEVILLE — Niceville boys basketball coach Jerome Strutchen didn’t want his team to keep shooting 3-pointers.

They didn’t listen, but it worked out in the end as the Eagles defeated rival Choctawhatchee 57-49 in the Class 5A regional semifinals on Tuesday.

It was the fourth meeting between the district foes this season, with Niceville coming out on top each time.

“They are one of the better teams we have played all season, so we knew it would be a battle,” Strutchen said. “This is huge for the team and the program. It’s a great accomplishment.”

The Eagles (25-5) will travel to Gainesville on Saturday for the regional finals. Gainesville defeated Jacksonville Wolfson 65-63 on Tuesday.

Niceville got there with its defense and the long ball — its trademarks throughout the season. The Eagles forced Choctaw (21-9) into 23 turnovers and connected on nine 3-pointers.

“I told them to drive the ball and stop shooting 3s,” Strutchen said. “But they had to take them because they were open.”

But nothing was easy this night for Niceville, whether it was shooting or the outcome.

Choctaw kept things close throughout, never letting the host Eagles get comfortable. The Indians grabbed their final lead with 6:55 left on a traditional three-point play by Curtis Sims that made it 37-36.

A quick 12-2 run, however, put Niceville in front for good. Ty Friedlund and Ramoane Jordan led the fourth-quarter spurt by combining for 12 of the team’s 23 points. Robert Brooks also added six points in the final minutes as Niceville withstood a late push by Choctaw.

“We did some things right,” Choctaw coach Marc Tisza said. “We fought a good fight, but came up short.”

The Indians were led by Sims, who had a game-high 14 points. Thomas Darden and Tommy Brassell were also in doubles figures, contributing 12 and 11, respectively.

Jordan finished with a team-high 13 for Niceville, with Friedlund the other Eagle in doubles figures with 11. Six other players had at least five points.

Choctawhatchee 9 6 15 19—49

Niceville 13 4 17 23—57

CHOCTAW (49)

Thomas Darden 12, Nathan Carrizales 9, Tommy Brassell 11, Curtis Sims 14, DeVonte Lawson 3. Totals 16 4 5-14 49.

NICEVILLE (57)

Ty Friedlund 11, Kody Williams 5, Zeus King 5, Gabriel Strutchen 6, Ramoane Jordan 13, Tory Kirkwood 5, Robert Brooks 6, Billy Billings 6. Totals 9 9 12-19 57.