It was a good run, but the Gulf Breeze Dolphins unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of Niceville by a score of 56-53. The matchup was a 25-25 toss-up at halftime, but Gulf Breeze was outscored by Niceville in the second.
Gulf Breeze's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Piper Tieman, who dropped a double-double on 21 points and 12 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Tieman scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Lila Jacobs, who scored 15 points along with nine rebounds and four steals.
Niceville's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Anna Kimball, who scored 20 points along with five rebounds and three blocks. Kiyah Hatcher was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Gulf Breeze's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-5. As for Niceville, their victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-4.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Gulf Breeze will take on Crestview at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Crestview will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings (they are ranked 208th, while Gulf Breeze is ranked 63rd). As for Niceville, Niceville and Pace will face off at 6:30 p.m. on January 18th without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Pace will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
