Indians Capture Conference Championship; Ladies Remain In The Hunt

By Clint Cox

The Chipola Indians basketball squad made it 6 in a row as they locked in the Panhandle Conference Championship with a 89-56 win over Tallahassee Saturday night. That win, coupled with a Gulf Coast loss, ensured the Indians the championship with three games remaining on the conference schedule. Chipola, playing without leading scorer Casey Mitchell due to an ankle injury, got off to a sluggish start but then found their rhythm. Torye Pelham had the hot hand in the first half with 10 points while Jeremy Jacob added 8 first half points. Chipola led 45-26 at the half and continued the route in the second half as Josh Sain got hot from outside the 3 point line. When the final horn sounded the Indians had posted a 33 point victory. Pelham and Sain led with 14 points, Gary Flowers added 12 and Jacob and Justin Brownlee chipped in 10 each. With the win Chipola improved to 25-1 and won their 24th game in a row, which tied a school record. They continue to be ranked #1 in the state and #1 in the nation.

The Chipola Lady Indians remained in the hunt for the conference championship with a 57-35 win over the Lady Eagles of Tallahassee. They led 32-21 at the half as Latoya Williams had pumped in 14 points first half points to lead the charge. Sequoyah Griffin also got into the scoring act with 8 points. In the second half the Lady Indians expanded their lead as they got balanced scoring from Williams, Griffin, Georgien Williams and Lenita Sanford. Latoya Williams finished the night with 20 points and Griffin added 11. Chipola improved to 22-4 overall and 7-2 in conference play. That 7-2 record kept them tied with Gulf Coast, although the Lady Commodores moved a ½ game ahead of Chipola with a Tuesday night win over Tallahassee. At press time Chipola is ranked #1 in the state and #5 in the nation.

Both the Chipola men and women will be back in action this Saturday when they travel to Niceville to take on Northwest Florida State College (formerly Okaloosa Walton College). The ladies tip off at 5:30 while the men go at it beginning at 7:30 pm.