A jump shot from Fred Knight put the Escambia County Blue Devils in the lead 63-61 with 26 seconds left in their South Region Finals match up against the Monroe County Tigers.

Two lay ups from Dalvin Craft put a nail in the coffin on the game, as the No. 4 Blue Devils (27-4, 6-0) won 67-64 to advance to the AHSAA Final 48 next week in Birmingham.

Knight, the South Region All-Tournament MVP, hit the shot at the best moment for the Blue Devils who had been outscored 20-10 before he made the shot.

The shot gave ECHS the momentum it needed to pull away for the win, ECHS interim head basketball coach Jerome Webster said.

“His shot was huge,” he said. “That score by him was important because he was having trouble finding opportunities to get off of his man and score all game. He had to find ways to score and that shot made a difference.”

Knight, who finished with 16 points, was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammates Dalvin Craft and Desmond Williams. Craft had 13 points, while Williams had seven.

With the win, the Blue Devils advance to the Class 4A Final Four. They will play the Northwest Region Finalist (Butler/West Limestone winner) next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Birmingham.