By By ROBERT BLANKENSHIP
Advance Managing Editor
The Escambia County High School Blue Devils came away from the Tate Barnyard Classic with two victories, a 56-41 victory over Tate High School and a 63-56 win over Escambia (Fla.) High School.
In a tournament where no champion is crowned due to the fact that all teams do not get an opportunity to play each other, ECHS head coach Bob Zarahn said his team played well for the most part.
Against Tate, the Blue Devils' stingy defense paved the way to victory. Tate was only 40 percent from the field and ECHS had a lofty advantage in rebounds.
Leading scorers in the game were Barrett Finney with 20, Ricky Craft with 10 and James Nickson scored nine points.
The Devils kept the momentum going on Saturday when they edged Escambia High School, 63-56.
Leading scorers for the Devils were Damien Robinson with 14, Ricky Craft had 12, Barrett Finney shot for 11 points and Sharrell Johnson and Steven Moore both finished with nine points.
Zarahn said the tournament gave his team some things to work on before they face a quality team in Robertsdale on Friday.
The two victories give ECHS a 4-0 start on the season.
The Devils had been scheduled to play T.R. Miller on Tuesday night, but that game has been postponed until January as Miller is still competing for the 5A football championship.
They will host Robertsdale on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. and then travel to Grove Hill to play Clark County High School on Saturday.