Photo Caption:
Mario Little Tourney MVP cuts the net
The Chipola Indians got a 24 point performance from the State’s Player of the Year, Mario Little, and in doing so captured the FCCAA / NJCAA Region VIII State Championship with a 89-78 win over Okaloosa Walton. The state’s title game came down just as it should have, #1 Chipola taking on #2 Okaloosa Walton. Little, who had scored just 6 points in the two previous games in the tournament, saved his best performance for the biggest game of the season. Both teams were red hot to start the game and fans were treated to an offensive showcase. Midway through the first half Little gave Chipola a 21-19 lead but the Raiders stormed right back to recapture the lead. Little’s reverse layup moments later put Chipola back ahead. A 3-pointer by Little with 2 minutes to play in the first half put the Indians up 43-39. Chipola’s other Mario, Mario Edwards, secured a four point lead for the Indians at the half with a NBA 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Leading 48-44 to begin the second half Chipola began to surge ahead. They did it with defense as Edwards came up with a steal and layup. Then Little came up with a steal and layup to give the Indians a 54-48 lead three minutes into the second half. Back to back 3 pointers from Casey Mitchell gave the Indians a 62-54 lead with 12 minutes to play. The Raiders managed to cut the Indian lead back to 3, 74-71, with just under 4 minutes to play. But the Indians responded and a 3 pointer from Little with 2 minutes remaining put them up 81-74. From there the Indians made their free throws down the stretch and went on to their 11 victory. They outscored the Raiders 15-7 in the final 4 minutes.
In addition to Little’s 24 points, the Indians were paced by three other players in double figures. Edwards had 14 points, Mitchell had 13 and Vernon Teel added 11. Head Coach Greg Heiar said it was another big win for his squad against a top notch opponent. "It feels really good," fourth-year Chipola coach Greg Heiar said after the win, his third state title as the Indians head coach and fourth as a member of the staff. "To do it against such great competition in the best league in the country is just really, really good. "(OW coach Bruce Stewart) has a tremendous team. They made us work hard for everything we got tonight."
Chipola had advanced to the championship game with a 85-62 win over Indian River on Friday night. Mitchell had the hot hand that night hitting 6 3-pointers and finishing with 22 points. Malik Alvin added 14 points and Edwards followed with 11 points. The Indians were hot from the start and took a 53-32 lead at the half. That hot start was good to see for Indians fans and Heiar because their opening round win over Central Florida was anything but a hot start. After not playing in 11 days, Chipola shook off a sluggish performance and posted a 73-62 win over the Patriots. Gary Flowers led with 15 points and Edwards had 13. The Indians led by as many as 10 points in the first half but saw that lead dwindle to four at the half. Midway through the second half they lead by only three before pushing out to a 12 point lead.
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