By By Chandler Myers
Monday night featured two local teams facing off against each other for the second time and, another local team traveling to face team they have played once already as well.
Both match ups are rivalry’s in their own right.
The games between Escambia County and Northview are a great rivalry because the schools are located so close to each other and feature a battle for the state line.
The game between the girls teams was somewhat of a mismatch because of some injuries that have occurred to the Lady Chiefs earlier in the season.
The Lady Blue Devils controlled the tempo of the game as soon as the game began. The second quarter really hurt the Lady Chiefs because they did not score a single point, which really doesn’t help a team get a win.
Give them credit though because they never gave up and made strides in the second half to keep up with ECHS.
The Lady Blue Devils are a strong team that just need to consistently compete at a higher level. They have the ability to beat any team they play when they are having a good night. They need to persevere during those nights where baskets do not come as easy.
In the boys game, the Chiefs started strong, but it was not against the Blue Devils starting five.
Northview pulled ahead quickly 8-0 and looked like they might control the tempo, but ECHS put in their first rotation and changed the momentum of the game.
ECHS took the lead in the second quarter and never looked back to pick up a much needed victory.
The Blue Devils showed determination in cutting Northview’s lead and junior Kingston Craft stepped up as a leader to help push his team to victory.
It seems as if ECHS has turned a corner in their level of play. They have lost two of their last three, but have showed promise in those two losses. If they can hit more free throws and settle down around the court they can win even more games.
The Lady Cougars of Escambia Academy lost to their rivals the Sparta Lady Warriors on the road last night.
This is the second meeting between the two schools and EA has had some tough games lately.
They have played well, but not consistent throughout four quarters.
If they can begin to start games strong and finish them that way they will open up more opportunities for wins.
One thing all of these teams have in common is they can put on a heck of a show when they are in a zone.
Maybe they will all put together some kind of run to close out the season.
If they can then the playoffs should be interesting.
Chandler Myers is sports editor of the Atmore Advance. He can be reached at 368-2123.