Chipola Sweeps State Tournament

By Clint Cox
The Chipola Lady Indians and Chipola Indians basketball squads both captured their respective state championships this past Saturday night in thrilling fashion before a standing room only crowd at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center.
The Lady Indians set the tone for the night as Pearl Johnson’s drive to the basket was good for two points with 3.5 seconds, giving Chipola a 68-67 win over Gulf Coast. The Lady Indians had gotten off to a sluggish start and trailed 35-27 at the half. They stormed back in the second half and took the lead, only to see Gulf Coast reclaim that lead. In the final moments both teams traded the lead but with 12 seconds to play Gulf Coast went up 67-66. After a time out Johnson took the ball the length of the floor and hit the game winning shot. Johnson led Chipola, which improved to 27-5 on the year, with 20 points. Williams followed with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. Williams was named the Tournament MVP and State Player of the Year.
With the State Championship, their fourth in the last five years, Chipola will travel to Salina, Kansas for the National Tournament beginning March 17th. Chipola’s opening round opponent in the National Tournament had not been determined yet at press time. The Lady Indians, ranked #7 in the Nation and #2 in the State, advanced to the State Championship game with an opening round 74-53 win on Wednesday against Santa Fe CC. Williams and Lenita Sanford led the way with 16 points each. Marnesha Hall added 12. On Friday night the Lady Indians posted an 81-58 Semi-Final win over Northwest Florida as Sequoyah Griffin led the way with 14 points. Williams added 12 and Ashlie Billingslea chipped in 10.
The Indians also took on Gulf Coast, making history as it was the first time the State Tournament history that same two schools vied for the State Title in both the men’s and women’s games. And like the women’s game the Indians contest against the Commodores went right down to the wire as Chipola edged Gulf Coast 68-65. The game was tied at 36-36 at the half after Chipola had trailed by as many as 7 points during the first half. The Indians pulled out ahead in the second half by as many as 12 points, but Gulf Coast rallied in the closing minutes with some hot shooting from beyond the 3 point line. The Commodore rally however fell short and the Indians claimed their third straight championship and their fifth title in the last six years. Casey Mitchell led Chipola with 17 points and was named the tournament MVP and the State Player of the Year. Torye Pelham followed with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Malcolm Armstead added 12 and Gary Flowers hit 12.
Chipola improved to 31-1 on the season and have now reeled off 30 straight wins. They will travel to Hutchinson Kansas for their National Tournament which begins March 17th. Chipola will take on Southwest Tennessee CC on Tuesday at 11 am. The Indians won big in their two opening rounds of the State Tournament, beating Hillsborough 94-37 on Wednesday. Mitchell, Flowers and John Kreft hit 13 apiece to led the squad. They followed that win with a 93-63 victory on Friday’s Semi-Finals against Central Florida CC. Five Indians were in double figures, led by Mitchell with 15. Darrell Williams, Justin Brownlee and Flowers hit 12 each. Pelham followed with 10 points.