Marianna takes 67-40 win over Tigers

The Marianna Bulldogs used dominant second and third period performances to take a 67-40 victory over the Graceville Tigers Thursday in Marianna.
The Bulldogs led by just three after the first period, but Marianna outscored Graceville 39-12 over the next 16 minutes of action.
Kendall Leaks led Marianna with 16 points, with Kruize Pinkins adding 13 points and nine rebounds.
Tre Jackson and RJ Bowers each scored nine points for the Bulldogs.
Cameron Dozier led the Tigers with 17 points, and CJ Dozier added eight.
The Bulldogs were able to get separation in the second period without the aid of star center Pinkins, who sat out the whole period.
Leaks scored nine points in the quarter in Pinkins’ place, but it was Marianna’s fullcourt pressure defense that sparked the 20-8 period.
“That’s what we had to do to help us get going,” Marianna coach Travis Blanton said of his team’s trapping defense. “We were able put some pressure on them, we attacked better when we got the ball and got some better looks. That got our motor going.”
After a basket by Leaks, Tre Long came up with a steal for Marianna, which led to a bucket for Jackson and a 24-14 lead.
A pair of free throws by Bowers and another basket by Leaks put the Bulldogs up 33-19 with a minute left in the half.
Marianna continued its dominance into the third period, with a basket by Pinkins with 4:16 on the clock, sparking a 17-0 run to close the quarter.
Leaks followed with a turnaround jumper, after which a driving basket by Bowers, a bucket by Nene Gilbert, and a triple by Jackson made it a 47-23 game with 1:24 on the clock.
The Bulldogs concluded the quarter with three straight transition baskets by Fidel Montgomery, Long, and Jackson — off of a pretty feed by Gilbert — to make it 53-23 after three.
Blanton said he liked seeing his team finishing in the open court, particularly with the help of the second unit.
“We wanted to get out and run,” the coach said. “When we attack the basket hard, it’s to our advantage.
“Fidel Montgomery and Tre Jackson both came off the bench and gave us some quickness and energy we needed. I thought they energized all the other players on the court.”
Graceville coach Thomas Register said his team missed its shot to make the game more competitive early on.
“I felt like we had some chances in the first half to score more, but we didn’t take advantage,” the coach said. “But coach Blanton has that team running like a fine-tuned machine right now. I’ll be surprised if they don’t go to Lakeland. But that’s still not an excuse to lose by 27 points. That shouldn’t happen.”