Chipola Returns Home for Panhandle Classic
By: Dustin Kent - JCFloridan.com
The No. 6 Chipola Indians will return home for just the second time this season Friday when they take on the Santa Fe Saints on the first night of the Panhandle Classic.
The Indians (8-0) will play Santa Fe at 8 p.m., and will take on Brunswick on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Also playing Friday is Gulf Coast State vs. State College of Florida at 2 p.m., Pensacola State vs. Brunswick at 4 p.m., and Northwest Florida State vs. Clinton at 6 p.m.
On Saturday, Gulf Coast State will play Clinton at noon, with Pensacola State facing State College of Florida at 2 p.m., and Tallahassee taking on Santa Fe at 4 p.m.
For Chipola, Friday's matchup with Santa Fe will be just the second home game of the season after taking on Waycross on Nov. 13.
Indians coach Patrick Blake said that he and his players are looking forward to more familiar surroundings.
"I think our guys are excited to get the opportunity to play in front of the home crowd again," he said. "With such a great setting like the Panhandle Classic, you get a chance to see all the best teams in your conference play. It should be two great days of basketball."
The Indians have done well on the road, though, winning three true road games and four neutral site contests.
"I think it has helped us out a lot," Blake said of having to play so many games away from home. "It's definitely given us a chance to fight through some adversity and come together as a team in situations where it's just us and our guys and we don't have the support of the home crowd. It has forced us to come together and play as a team and be focused."
In Santa Fe, Chipola will take on a team that brings in a 5-2 record with wins over Tallahassee and Hillsborough.
The Saints are led by sophomore point guard Bobby Hunter, who is averaging 26.1 points per game to go along with 3.6 assists.
Hunter is shooting 54 percent from the field, 38 percent from the three-point line, and is getting to the foul line 12 times per game.
He'll present a pretty unique challenge to the Chipola guards.
"(Hunter) does a great job of attacking the basket and getting to the foul line," Blake said. "They also have some skilled guys on the wings who can knock down shots, but their offense goes through their point guard. He has the ball in his hands most of the time."
The Saints play primarily zone defense, so the Indians will need to be patient on offense to find the open spaces in the zone.
"We have to do a great job of moving the ball and not settling for long jump shots," Blake said. "We have to attack the middle and get the ball in the paint. It's a packed in zone, so it will be easy to settle for early jumpers. We're working on a few sets to get the ball moving and get the right guys with the ball in the middle of the floor."
Chipola has had great offensive balance so far this season with seven players averaging double digits.
Freshman guard Carlos Morris leads the Indians with 14 points per game, with Cinmeon Bowers, Kruize Pinkins, Terel Hall, Demetrious Floyd, Earl Watson, and Terel Hall each putting in 10 or more points.
The sophomore point guard Hall has also emerged as a top playmaker and is averaging a team-best seven assists per game.
Blake said that, all things considered, the Indians are in a pretty good place with just a little more than a month to go before the start of Panhandle Conference action.
"Very happy to be 8-0," he said. "I thought we had a tough stretch Thanksgiving week with four quality teams, and I was happy to come away 4-0. Now, we just have to be able to move on from that and continue to work every day to get better and not be satisfied and get complacent."