District 2-6A girls: FWB ends Mosley's season
LYNN HAVEN — Fort Walton Beach proved to be the better team on Friday, but Mosley coach Steve Canfield looked back at this season as a resounding success.
The Vikings used an early surge in the first quarter and held back the Dolphins 54-43 in the District 2-6A girls basketball semifinal at the Jim Redfern Gymnasium. Top-seeded Choctawhatchee blasted Crestview 66-39 in the other semifinal. Choctaw (22-1) hosts Fort Walton Beach (15-8) in Saturday’s 7 p.m. championship game.
Mosley’s Alexis Ware scored seconds into the game to give the Dolphins an early lead. The Vikings used a full-court press to quickly erase the deficit in the first quarter with an 8-1 run built largely on turnovers. Mosley missed easy baskets and forced shots, while Fort Walton Beach ended the first eight minutes ahead 20-10 and controlled the game from there.
Mosley finished 20-6 and won 20 games for the first time in four seasons. The Dolphins were in a more difficult district this season and split the regular-season series with Fort Walton Beach.
“This was probably the hardest schedule we’ve played,” Canfield said. “To go 20-6 is building in the right direction.”
That positive was met with the negative of cold shooting on Friday. Katie O’Neal was the opposite for Fort Walton Beach with 19 points, including 12 in the first half and she finished with four 3-pointers.
Mosley pulled within 28-20 at halftime, but the third quarter turned the tide. The Vikings went scoreless for 2½ minutes before Emily Troell’s free throw gave them a 30-20 lead. Troell finished with 11 points.
Mosley’s scoring drought lasted until 3:42 remaining in the third quarter, when Hazel White hit a pair of free throws to draw Mosley within 33-22. The Dolphins couldn’t pull within fewer than eight points the rest of the game.
“They got out to that early 10-point lead and we just couldn’t close the gap,” Canfield said. “We missed too many opportunities and had too many turnovers. Possessions are too valuable to squander against a team like Fort Walton Beach.”
Deanna Canfield led Mosley with 12 points. Segovia Goodin scored nine and Tasha Trzaska eight for the Dolphins.
- FORT WALTON BEACH (54)
- Morris 2 4-4 8, O’Neal 4 7-8 19, Pride 1 2-2 4, ETroell 3 4-6 11, Clayborne 3 2-2 8, Evans 1 2-5 4, Wilson 0 0-1 0. Totals: 14 21-26 54.
- MOSLEY (43)
- Trzaska 2 2-2 8, Canfield 4 4-6 12, Goodin 3 3-6 9, Ware 2 3-4 7, Smith 1 0-0 2, White 1 3-4 5. Totals: 13 15-22 43.
- FWB 20 8 13 13 — 54
- Mosley 10 10 11 12 — 43
- 3-point goals: FWB 5 (O’Neal 4, ETroell), Mosley 2 (Trzaska 2)
