Southern Resorts Beach Blowout offers strong local flavor

Twenty-four games packed into three days - perfect recipe for the basketball junkie.

The Southern Resorts Beach Blowout Invitational at Fort Walton Beach High School is set to go Dec. 28-30.
The tournament, which boasts eight boys and eight girls teams, tips off at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 28, with the last game scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

“We're really looking forward to it,” said Fort Walton Beach Coach John Lavin, host for the event.

The eight teams making up the boys side of tournament are Clear Lake High of Houston, Texas; Daphne High School of Daphne, Ala.; Archbishop Shaw High of Marrero, La.; Graves County High of Mayfield, Ky.; Pk Yonge High of Gainesville; Faith Christian Academy of Orlando; Crestview High; and Fort Walton Beach.

“Graves County is off to a good start,” Lavin said. “And the team out of Texas (Clear Lake) is going to be fun to watch. They are a good sound fundamental team. The basketball junkie will enjoy watching them.”

Cost for the tournament is $8 each day or a three-day pass is available for $20.

Other teams to watch will be Daphne as well as Pk Yonge. Pk Yonge has a “little size” and “shoots it well,” he said.

As for a local team to watch, Lavin said “Crestview is playing really well right now.

“There's going to be a lot of good basketball,” he said.

And with Christian Brothers, winner of the last two Blowouts not returning, this year's field of competition for the boys is wide open.

As for the girls, “There is a strong local flavor,” Lavin said, with six of the eight teams coming from Okaloosa and Escambia counties.

Girls teams participating include Pine Forest High and Washington High of Pensacola; Niceville High; Choctawhatchee High; Crestview High; Fort Walton Beach High; Graves County of Mayfield, Ky.; and Hendersonville High of Tennessee.

Out of the six local teams participating, Lavin said, “Washington is strong and is playing well.” Washington recently defeated Fort Walton Beach in a regular season game.

Play begins Monday at 10 a.m. with a girls' game between Crestview and Washington.

Games to follow on Monday are:
o11:30 a.m. (boys) Clear Lake vs. Crestview.
o1 p.m. (girls) Pine Forest vs. Niceville.
_2:30 p.m. (boys) Graves County vs. Pk Yonge.
o4 p.m. (girls) Choctaw vs. Hendersonville.
o5:30 p.m. (boys) Daphne vs. Archbishop Shaw
o7 p.m. (girls) Fort Walton Beach vs. Graves County.
o8:30 p.m. (boys) Fort Walton Beach vs. Christian Academy.
On Tuesday and Wednesday games begin at 10 a.m. with the last starting at 8:30 p.m.
For more information about the tournament, go to www.beachblowout.us