Escambia County fought off a possible end to their season last Friday, as they used a strong fourth quarter to beat the Hillcrest-Evergreen Jaguars 57-53 in the sub-regional.

The No. 4 Blue Devils (25-5, 6-0) over came a rocky first quarter to fight their way back into the contest and eventually pull away for the win.

In the first quarter, points were hard to come by for ECHS, as the Jaguars dominated the opening eight minutes of the game 21-11.

The Blue Devils bounced back in the second quarter making push before halftime to go on a 17-11 run. The quarter was capped off by a three-point shot from half court by Blue Devil Desmond Williams to beat the buzzer that pulled ECHS within four points.
At halftime, the Jaguars led 32-28.

Following the break, the Blue Devils continued to battle off elimination finding ways to chip away at the Jaguars’ lead.

In the third quarter, the teams went point-for-point with neither team gaining an advantage, each scoring 10 points in the quarter.

Trailing 42-38 entering the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils began to put together another fourth-quarter comeback.
With time not on their side, ECHS used their defense to stifle  Hillcrest, and took advantage by putting together a 19-11 run in the final eight minutes to come away with a 57-53 win.

Following the win, Blue Devils head basketball coach Jerome Webster said the team is turning a corner.

“We played tough and fought for that win,” he said. “The boys played well, and they are starting to come together.”

Blue Devil Desmond Williams led the team with 18 points in the win. He also had six rebounds and two blocks.

Tony McAroy was a large contributer for a second consecutive game chipping in 14 points, while recordging six steals and a rebound.

Blue Devil Derrick Williams scored 10 points, while Fred Knight added nine for ECHS. Williams also had three steals, with Knight recording one steal.

Tyrell Ford scored five points with Dalvin Craft rounding out the scoring with one. Craft also had six rebounds.

The Blue Devils will now play Brewbaker Tech in the regional tournament at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Center in Mobile.

The game is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.