The Escambia County boys’ basketball team moved to 4-2 on the season, following a win and a loss last weekend.

The Blue Devils dropped a 55-42 game in Monroeville against Monroe County on Friday, but rallied to take down Wilcox-Central on Saturday for the second time this season, with a 73-58 win.

Desmond Williams led the way against Wilcox with 24 points, which included 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.

Melik McMillan added 13 points and Chris Johnson added 12.

McMillan led the team with 11 rebounds. Jerome Webster led with four steals and Dexter Williams blocked two shots.

Game stats for the Monroe County game were unavailable as of press time, but the loss to the Tigers was a “teachable moment,” said coach Earlando Courtney.

“We didn’t play well against Monroe,” he said. “They made shots and we didn’t. We didn’t play with enough aggression.”

Courtney said the Blue Devils dominated in the first half, but “lost control” on the road after the half.

Of the Blue Devils’ 4-2 record, Courtney said “we’re right where we need to be.” The team is not playing anyone — outside of tournaments — lower than a 4A classification this year, because Courtney wants the team “battle-tested for the playoffs.”

In continuing that pace, the Blue Devils only have one game this week, when they host the Class 6A Baldwin County Tigers.

“We’ll be prepping for that big rivalry game all week,” Courtney said.

The Blue Devils also earned a 61-45 win over Vigor on Tuesday, Nov. 12, in Pritchard.

Desmond Williams led the team with 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting. McMillan added 12 points, and Jarvis Knight chipped in eight points.

Other Blue Devils’ scorers were Akeem Gray, Garrett Jackson, Chille Ford, Ja’Corian Shavers, Anthony Fountain and DyQwan Lee.

McMillan led the team with 15 rebounds, including nine on offense and six on defense. Desmond Williams added 12 boards for the Blue Devils and Fountain had seven.

Desmond Williams also added two blocks and five steals.

For the season, Desmond Williams leads the Blue Devils in scoring, with 22 points per game. McMillan averages 13 points a game, while Knight and Johnson are averaging six points a game.

Courtney said he’s been impressed with the Blue Devils’ bench this year, including players like Tristen Knott, Garrett Jackson and Fountain.

“We added him late,” Courtney said, of Fountain, who had been mulling a transfer. “He’s emerged and has been a force off the bench.”

Courtney said he’s happy to see his bench perform well, as he acknowledged this season would likely be more of a team effort, compared to last year.