Destin Seahawk savors journey to state (PHOTOS)

Destin resident and South Walton Seahawk basketballer Katie Logan boards the bus Sunday that will take the team to a Final Four showdown for the state title at Lakeland.

Tina Harbuck

Published: Monday, February 18, 2013 at 16:03 PM.

Four years ago Katie Logan played a 10-game season with the Destin Middle School Marlins with aspirations of winning a possible county championship.

However on Sunday, the Marlin turned South Walton Seahawk boarded a charter bus to Lakeland with her teammates in hopes of bringing home the state title.

"I never even dreamed of it," the Destin resident said Sunday before boarding the bus to play in the Final Four. "This is awesome. I barely could sleep last night, because I was so excited. It's definitely a dream come true."

Logan, a junior guard, for the Seahawks has hit some big shots this season. Last week she nailed a pair of three-pointers that got Coach Kevin Craig fired up in their regional semi-final win over Cottondale.

And with the Seahawks 54-44 victory over defending state champions Ponce de Leon Saturday night, South Walton earned the right to play for the state title.

Logan said the team had a turning point moment early in the season. She remembers a particularly bad first half when they were on the road at Holmes County High in November.

In the locker room at halftime, "Coach Craig was yelling at us, 'ya'll aren't going to make it to state ... you don't have what it takes', just to pump us up," Logan said.

"Now I get to rub it in his face," she jokingly said.

Logan has a lot of respect for Craig, who is in his ninth year as head coach of the Lady Seahawks.

"He's taught me so much stuff," she said. "He's definitely the best coach ever, for sure.”

Logan has played in all 29 games this season for the Seahawks, scoring 100 points and pulling down 40 rebounds.

"I could barely even dribble ... every step I took, I would travel. Now I can," Logan said. "And I couldn't shoot at all ... air ball. Now I can."