Bulldogs shut down Panthers

There was plenty to celebrate on Senior Night for the Crestview girls basketball team Thursday as the Bulldogs hosted Milton.

Seniors Macy Lehotay, Eric Herman, Jontora Stith, Kaylyn Chappell, Jamesia Madison and Holly Stanford were honored before the game along with assistant coach Renee Polk, who is stepping down to join the Air Force.

The night had a perfect ending as the Bulldogs beat the Panthers 48-26.

But somewhere between the pregame ceremony and the runaway win, the Bulldogs had to shake off the extended pregame and get down to playing some basketball.

For the first five-and-a-half minutes it looked as if the Panthers would spoil Crestview’s party.

The Bulldogs (13-8) struck first scoring on a Jamesia Madison free throw with 5:22 left in the first quarter, but the next three minutes belonged to Milton as the Panthers went on a 6-0 run to take a 6-1 lead.

Once the Bulldogs got untracked it didn’t take them long to turn the tables on Milton.

Arianna Simms and Kerrie York scored three points each in the last 2:22 of the first quarter and Jensis Coleman added another point as the Bulldogs led 8-6 at the end of the first quarter.

The rest of the game belonged to Crestview as a stingy Bulldog defense held the Panthers to just three field goals the entire game.

Simms continued her strong play in the second quarter added five more points. Simms, in fact, singlehandedly outscored the Panthers, who had just four points while connecting on just 4-of-15 free throws in the quarter.

The Bulldogs scored 11 points in the second quarter and led 19-10 at the half.

It was more of the same in the third quarter as Crestview outscored Milton 15-6 to extend the lead to 34-16.

Coleman led the Bulldog charge in the third quarter with eight points.

Stith took over for Crestview in the fourth quarter in her final eight regular-season minutes on her home floor.

Stith got warmed up with a 3-point basket and later hit a pair of 2-pointers to give her seven the quarter as the Bulldogs coasted to the win.

Coleman and Stith shared high scoring honors for Crestview with nine points each. Simms had eight points and Herman and York each had five points.

 Crestview coach Donald Campbell was happy with the way his team continued to play in the latter stages of the season to pick up the win.

“We are playing with a little more heart, and we are coming together,” he said. “That’s all I can ask for.”