CRESTVIEW — Crestview’s boys basketball team entered Tuesday night’s show-down with District 2-6A leader Fort Walton Beach riding a three-game winning streak.
After falling behind 5-0 early, Crestview blitzed the Vikings in a 57-42 win to stretch the streak to four in a row.
Bulldog coach Ken Meisner said the formula for success was a simple one.
“The key tonight was the same thing it’s been the last couple of nights, and that’s hustle,” he said. “When you hustle you can do a lot of good things. I think our condition-ing is doing well and it’s starting to pay off.
“Fort Walton had a long road trip to Memphis this weekend and they looked a little tired, but they are going to be back. They are still the team to beat.”
The Vikings, who played their fourth game in five days Tuesday night, were without 7-foot center John Egbunu, who did not play.
Things didn’t look so good for the Bulldogs when Viking post player Tyrone Culbreth scored the first basket of the game on a fourth offensive rebound of the posses-sion and turned it into a 3-point play making a free throw.
A basket by Israel Black made it 5-0 Vikings.
Roman Donofro picked up the first Crestview basket on a 3-pointer at the 6:15 mark. Ronnie Baylark then took over as the Bulldogs (9-9, 3-3) came plugging back.
Baylark scored eight of his game-high 18 points in the first quarter scoring the last six points of the period to put the Bulldogs in front 17-13.
Crestview held the lead most of the second quarter. The Vikings (12-6, 4-1) tied the game at 19-19 on a Culbreth score with 2:25 left in the quarter.
A Chris Bowden basket at the 2:02 mark put Fort Walton Beach up 21-19.
The lead lasted less than 30 seconds as Crestview’s Clay Hancock it a 3-pointer with 99 seconds left in the half to put the Bulldogs in front to stay.
A Denzel Ware basket with 55 seconds left in the second quarter gave Crestview a 24-21 lead at the break.
The Bulldogs broke the game open in the third quarter as they out scored the Vikings 18-12.
Baylark continued to have a hot hand with third scoring six more points.
Jonathan Buckelew helped the Bulldog cause with a pair of 3-point baskets.
Crestview’s biggest lead of the game of 18 points came at the 2:02 mark in the fourth quarter when Jerry Aaron hit a basket to make the score 55-37.
After the game, Viking coach John Lavin made no excuses for his team.
“(Crestview) came with a belief in themselves in playing together,” he said. “They played a more together game.
“I thought our energy wasn’t there and they were the better team tonight. You have to come ready to play every night.”