The last game of the Innisfree Hotels Beach basketball tournament in 2021 came to an end.
Princeton High School clung to a pad of points in front of the hosting Gulf Breeze Boys basketball team with 7.5 seconds remaining. To send the Dolphins fans home happy, Junior Guard Max Schneidt drove on the trail, but his right-handed scoop layup bounced high over the backboard and missed the target.
After a free throw taken, the Cincinnati, Ohio Vikings retired from Gulf Breeze High School on Wednesday with a 66-64 win.
The three day tournament concluded with a well-played training session between high level programs from different parts of the country. That high quality basketball was one of the many wishes co-directors Chip Boes and Arnold Gamber had in mind when they brought back the annual holiday event this week. It was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were able to put some pieces back together,” said Gamber. “We’re trying to give these teams a great experience; good basketball experience but also a good experience in Pensacola. We had to shake off the rust a little.
“We’re just trying to have a class event and give them good games and give them a good time.”
43 girls and boys teams from 11 different countries took part in this year’s edition of the beach tournament. In addition to the Gulf Breeze High School, games were played on the two indoor courts in the Gulf Breeze Recreational Center.
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Participants included teams from the basketball strongholds of Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as other teams from Texas, Pennsylvania and Colorado.
Originally 48 teams were supposed to appear, but five schools withdrew. Nevertheless, the steady expansion of the shop window continued in 2021. Originally with 16 teams in 2017, the tournament has grown from 24 teams in 2018 and 32 teams in 2019 to this year’s total.
15 companies supported the event as sponsors. Gamber noted that many former sponsors were unable to attend this year due to the hardship caused by the coronavirus; some former sponsors have been taken out of business. Long-term supporters such as Whataburger and Shrimp Basket returned as sponsors.
Going forward, Gamber hopes to improve the event’s website, PensacolaHoops.com, by adding information about the visiting teams and possibly live streaming matches.
“Every year we look at what we can do to make it run smoother and have a better experience,” said Gamber.
As for the action on the floor, Gulf Breeze’s defeat resulted in a nine-game winning streak. Despite the defeat, Dolphins head coach Ryan Ottensmeyer is grateful for his team’s chance to compete against the unfamiliar competition.
“It shows you a lot when you don’t know the team you play and who don’t know you. We all get films and we can scout each other so we can spot trends, but you don’t know how intensely and how your boys will react when they don’t know someone, ”he said. “With our boys and the seniors, who have been playing for four years, they are playing against the same boys. … So this gives you a good test to see how you will react in adversity if you don’t know what the team is going to throw at you. “
After a first half in which neither squad was more than three points clear, Princeton used a 21-6 run in the third quarter to open the lead at 51-37, the biggest split of the night.
Offensively, when not in the transition phase, the Vikings were patient in the half-field and often swung the ball from side to side before hitting in on a backdoor cut. On the defensive, the guests used their speed and speed by harassing the ball carrier with a full field press. On occasions when Gulf Breeze released the pressure, the length and athleticism of senior striker Rodney Harris and second striker Dorian Williams resulted in several highlight blocks.
To make matters worse for the hosts, Reece Bloomberg, senior guard and top scorer, spent most of the time on the bench with lazy problems. In the fourth, however, the Dolphins stormed back early.
After two 3-pointers from Senior Guard John Cabassa and Junior Guard Jack Banks, Gulf Breeze led the way when a Princeton sale turned into a breakaway dunk for Junior Center Colin Slatton.
From that point on, the game was tied three times before a Williams 3-pointer, 29.5 seconds back, gave the Vikings an edge they were unwilling to give up.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our boys. We fought, ”said Ottensmeyer. “We knew they were good. We did what we tried to do. (We) handled the press amazingly, but Princeton is absolutely athletic and comes up and down so quickly. Kudos to their team, but I was just so proud of the way our guys fought. … It will help us in the long term in our district and the games we have in our area in January. “
After a 2-1 in the tournament, Gulf Breeze welcomes Pine Forest on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Earlier in the day, the Lady Dolphins finished the tournament game with a 58-28 loss to Clarkrange, Tenn. Of the Gulf Breeze Recreational Center.
After losing their three tournament games by an average of 24.7 points, the Gulf Breeze girls are 1-8 in their last nine games.
Even during the difficult period, head coach Tyger Paris is encouraged as her reserves have contributed in the absence of rotation players Emma Daily and Bianca Gatmaitan. The two juniors are canceled due to injuries.
“Hopefully we will continue to grow,” said Paris. “I think we’ve seen girls come off the bank who really made a huge impact. … We have some young girls on our team and when they see this level of competition they will be able to make it. “Up one level for the rest of our regular season games.”
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828, on Twitter @PatBernadeau, or by email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
