By By ROBERT BLANKENSHIP
Advance Managing Editor
Northview High School finished their home schedule on Saturday night and celebrated by honoring seniors and demolishing Gulf Shores High School, 59-38.
The Chiefs jumped on top of Gulf Shores early as they took an 11-5 lead after the first period.
Northview continued to increase their lead through the second period as they rattled off 18 points in the period. Gulf Shores got their offense going in the period and finished the period with 13 points as the teams entered the lockers with the score 29-18.
The Chiefs continued their dominance in the third as they outscored Gulf Shores 13-9 to take a 42-27 lead into the final period. They went on to seal the victory by outscoring their opponent 17-11 in the final period.
Coach Cliff Gillies was able to get all of his players in the game and each scored. Leading scorers were Alvin Hayes with 15, Daryl Cohen had a strong game with 12 points, Mandel Smith came away with nine, Ray Hale scored six, Dustin Kelly and John Madison chipped in five points each, Jason Gillies had three while Burt Goodman and Greg Skipper both added two points.
The win was a big one for the Chiefs as it guarantees them a winning record for the season. They currently maintain a 14-10 overall record and are 2-4 in the area.
Walton 45, NHS 38
On Friday night, the Chiefs played their final area game of the regular season as Walton edged them in a close contest, 45-38.
NHS took the early lead as they held a one-point advantage after one period, 14-13. But, early foul trouble has plagued the Chiefs all year and when coach Gillies had to bench several starters early on it opened the gate for Walton to make a move. They outscored the Chiefs 14-6 in the period to take a 27-20 lead into halftime.
Defense dominated the second half. Northview cut Walton's lead in the third as they outscored them 9-8, making the score 35-29. The game remained tight through the final period, but Northview was never able to make up ground as the two teams exchanged baskets.
Leading scorers for Northview were Daryl Cohen with 18 while Jason Gillies, Alvin Hayes and Mandel Smith all finished with six points.
The Chiefs finish up their regular season with two games on the road this week. They played Central on Monday and will travel to W.S. Neal for the final game of the regular season on Thursday.
The district tournament will begin for Northview on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Their opponent will either be Walton of Freeport.