By BY BRUCE HIXON – SPORTS EDITOR
It is easy to understand why W.S. Neal Blue Eagles basketball coach Robbie Grace is not eager to taste any pastry dishes these days especially if that pastry is a turnover.
Grace and the Blue Eagles digested 32 turnovers as well as a 70-46 road loss to the Northview, Fla. Chiefs Monday that kept W.S. Neal winless in six attempts this season.
Northview (3-5) scored the game's first eight points and was never seriously threatened.
W.S. Neal, which trailed 30-18 at halftime, did make one brief surge early in the third quarter. Northview's lead stood at 35-21 when the Blue Eagles got a pair of buckets from inside by Blake Bradley and another field goal courtesy of Liberious Sanders that narrowed the Chiefs' cushion to 35-27 four minutes into the period.
W.S. Neal's comeback attempt ran into a wall. Northview got a steal and layup from Nakita Myles, a steal and layup from Tarus Thomas, two free throws from Myles, a field goal from Myles off an assist by Darius Austin and an offensive rebound bucket from Thomas in a two-minute stretch that suddenly swelled Northview's lead to 47-27.
If that was not all bad enough, it continued to get worse after that.
Myles, who got 14 of his 19 points in the second half, ended the third quarter with a three-point play that made it a 25-point bulge of 54-29. Northview's lead reached a 30-point gap of 68-38 after two free throws by Thomas with three minutes left.
W.S. Neal was able to prevent Northview from reaching Florida's 35-point second half mercy rule thanks to a three-point play and offensive rebound bucket by Liberius Sanders and a field goal and two free throws by Jimmy Wilson in the final three minutes.
Northview's junior varsity outscored the Blue Eagles 29-15 in the second half on their way to a 46-35 victory.
Bob Elliott led W.S. Neal (2-4) with nine points, while Justin Sanders and Kendrick Floyd each had six.
The Blue Eagles kick off play at the Escambia County Tournament at T.R. Miller High School Thursday with a 4:45 p.m. contest against Escambia County. W.S. Neal will then play T.R. Miller Friday at 7:30 p.m. and conclude play Saturday with a 4:45 p.m. game against Flomaton.
At Northview
W.S. Neal 7 11 11 17 - 46
Northview 14 16 24 16 - 70
W.S. NEAL (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) L. Sanders 5-0-2-12; Wilson 4-0-1-9; Payne 3-0-2-8; Travis 2-0-3-7; Bradley 3-0-0-6; Peacock 1-0-0-2; Smith 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 19-0-8-46)
NORTHVIEW (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Austin 9-0-2-20; Myles 6-0-7-19; Longmire 3-0-6-12; Thomas 2-1-4-11; Wright 3-0-0-6; Armstrong 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 24-1-19-70)
Junior varsity
W.S. Neal 12 8 8 7 – 35
Northview 9 8 12 17 – 46
W.S. NEAL (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Elliott 4-0-1-9; Floyd 3-0-0-6; J. Sanders 3-0-0-6; Samuel 2-0-0-4; Hunter 2-0-0-4; Shell 2-0-0-4; Alexander 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 17-0-1-35)
NORTHVIEW (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Redman 4-0-10-18; Killiam 2-0-3-7; Sanders 3-0-1-7; Jackson 3-0-0-6; Hunter 2-0-1-5; Ewing 1-0-0-2; Bellamy 0-0-1-1 (Totals: 15-0-16-46)