Recap: Escambia Gators vs. Fort Walton Beach Vikings
The Escambia Gators came tearing into Tuesday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against Fort Walton Beach by a score of 68-61. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Escambia's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Tayshaun Gilcrist led the charge by scoring 20 points. That makes it four consecutive games in which Gilcrist has scored at least 25% of Escambia's points. Another player making a difference was Trevion Killette, who scored 15 points.
Fort Walton Beach lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Dylan Ivison, who went 6 for 9 from beyond the arc en route to 18 points and 2 assists. The match was Ivison's fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kamari Bowers, who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds.
Even though they lost, Fort Walton Beach were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Escambia pushed their record up to 4-4 with that victory, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.8 points per game. As for Fort Walton Beach, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 1-4.
Escambia will head out on the road to face off against Booker T. Washington at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Booker T. Washington presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Escambia in Florida (Booker T. Washington is ranked 47th, while Escambia is ranked 334th). As for Fort Walton Beach, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Choctawhatchee at 7:15 p.m. on Friday.
