DESTIN - In its third opportunity to see the American Basketball League’s brand-new Destin franchise at home, the sizable crowd at the Destin Community Center for Thursday night’s meeting between the Emerald Coast Knights and the Panama City Breeze was waiting to erupt.
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Alex Jacobson gave them that chance.
Jacobson, a 7-foot center that played collegiately at the University of Arizona, took a pass from teammate DeAndre Hall and then rose up to deliver a two-handed dunk over a helpless Panama City defender late in the third quarter. The dunk, one of several highlight-worthy plays on the night, brought the crowd to its feet and it was emblematic of the Knights’ dominance in a 96-74 win.
“I told these guys that Panama City is going to be our rival so we had to bring something extra tonight,” said Emerald Coast head coach Wayemon Powell, who watched his team move to an ABL-leading 3-1. “We started fast and played with the energy I wanted to see early on.”
In a league set up to rival the NBA Developmental league in terms of getting players ready for more opportunities in professional basketball, the Knights have assembled on the league’s strongest rosters, which is loaded from top to bottom with talent.
Willie Irick, a 6-foot-7 forward from Oklahoma City University, led the Knights with 17 points while Hall, a 6-6 slasher from Texas Southern, had 16 points and 11 boards. Hall also added five assists, including the one to set up Jacobson’s rim-rattler.
“(Hall) is a good player,” said Powell. “We are trying to get him to Europe to play. He’s got a good future ahead of him.”
The Knights were never seriously challenged in Thursday night’s contest, opening the game on a 21-2 run. Fort Walton Beach product Benjamin Colon scored 10 points during the opening spurt, while Lamar University grad Matt Barrow added nine. Emerald Coast led 55-34 at the hall, and Panama City only dropped the lead under double-digits once in the second half.
Johnny Mayhane, a 6-5 guard from Tulane University, led Panama City with 20 points while 6-11 Orin O’Bryant, a Panama City native, added 12.
After leading by 13 after three quarters, the Knights ended the game on a 16-5 run, punctuated by a soaring, one-handed dunk by Hall near the final buzzer. Hall’s jam finished a night of acrobatic finishes at the rim for the Knights.
“I tell people that’s what they’re going to see when they come see us,” said Powell. “There’s going to be a lot of fast-breaking, a lot of big-time plays. This is a high level of basketball, and I think anybody who is a basketball fan will enjoy it.”
Area fans will get their chance to enjoy the Knights again Saturday night, as the Emerald Coast Franchise will host Miami at the Destin Community Center. That game is set for a 7 p.m. tipoff.