Booker T. Washington's boys basketball's deep roster propels Wildcats to win over Fort Walton Beach

Booker T. Washington got exactly what they needed Friday night: a win heading into the Christmas break.

The Wildcats boys basketball team secured a 85-73 over Fort Walton Beach at Ronnie and Janis Bond Gym. Thanks to a 13-point run in the second quarter, Booker T. started to pull away from the visiting Vikings despite a close first frame.

While Fort Walton Beach seemed to keep things just close enough to make the game competitive – especially in the third quarter, hitting a few 3-pointers – the Wildcats never relinquished its offensive dominance.

“The guys just kept playing,” said Booker T. assistant coach Josh Wallace, who was filling in for head coach Dwayne Louis on Friday. “We got punched in the face a little bit there in the first quarter, but they persevered. We stuck to the gameplan, executed and came out with the win – you like to see it.”

Things were neck and neck in the first quarter before Fort Walton Beach hit a jump shot with a couple seconds left to take a two-point lead. Then Booker T. took off, starting with a nice layup from Alex Jasquith just a few seconds into the stanza.

After trading shots, Gally Rich started a huge run for the Wildcats with a jump shot. He, Jasquith and Tyshawn Roper combined for the next 11 consecutive points before the Vikings finally responded, with Booker T. leading 34-29. But by that point, the damage had been done.

The Wildcats hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter, starting to separate from the Vikings before closing out the fourth quarter, hitting nine of 14 free throws to ice the game.

Jasquith led Booker T. with 30 points, closely followed by Gally’s 22 points. Roper also hit double-digits with 15 points.

“That’s basketball. You can’t get too high on your highs, and you can’t get too low on your lows. You’ve got to stay the course the entire time,” Wallace said. “We made shots, thankfully, and then we got some stops.”

Booker T. closes out 2023 with an 8-1 (4-0 District 1-5A) record, and has just a handful of days before it begins its winter break schedule. The Wildcats are slated to play at the Kingdom of the Sun Holiday Tournament in Ocala (Dec. 27-30).

“We’re undefeated in district. That was the goal. We have some big Christmas tournaments coming up that we need to make a statement in,” Wallace said. “It’ll be a good test for us. … We need to execute and get ready for districts.”

Here are three takeaways from the game.

A diverse roster

Don’t let the size of some of the Booker T. players fool you. Take players like Jasquith, standing at 6-foot-5, for example. His size was a key factor in Friday’s win, finding success while driving to the rim and working down low.

But Jasquith also was big beyond the arc, opening the Wildcats’ scoring with a 3-pointer from distance at the top of the arc. He hit four 3-pointers in the game overall.

Rich, who stands at 6-foot-2, was a force to be reckoned with down low as well, and grabbed several boards to either gain possession or extend Booker T.’s time on offense.

Either way, and it’s not just those two players, players aren’t just limited to one role on the team.

“We have depth on this roster, whether it’s the players being multi-faceted, or being two or three players deep in each position,” Wallace said. “Gally, if he’s not our leading rebounder, he’s our second-best rebounder. … He was good. He got some steals in the first half, made some free throws – and he was a big reason why we won tonight.”

“If somebody’s not doing great one game, it helps – we can pick each other up,” Gally said of the depth. “It helps us stay close in games, and win games like tonight.”

‘I’m glad we could hold down the fort’

The Wildcats’ depth came into play outside of its diversity on Friday, as well. Wallace mentioned that Booker T. was playing without a few players due to a sickness traveling around the team.

With a senior-heavy roster – 12 of the 17 players listed on the roster are seniors – that’s where the abundance of talent comes into play.

“Having a deep senior group helps with that,” Wallace said. “These guys have been grinding, and it’s starting to show.”

“Everybody on the team can play,” Gally said.

There was also someone who doesn’t see time on the court, but was still missing from the gym: Booker T.’s head coach, Dwayne Louis. Wallace said Louis was recovering in the hospital, but kept things private.

“We’re wishing Coach (Louis) a speedy recovery, but I’m glad we could hold down the fort for him tonight,” Wallace said.

Changing a culture

This is the third consecutive season where the Wildcats have started the season with an 8-1 record. It’s the second time in a row where Booker T. has entered the Christmas break on a high note with this record.

Wallace attributed that to this senior class.

With the win on Friday, Wallace said the Wildcats will have a good benchmark as they prepare to play some top talent in the tournament in Ocala.

“Being here in Pensacola, sometimes the games don’t get much notoriety,” Wallace said. “We’ve got a big senior class, guys who are looking to change the culture and play at the next level. … Gally and those guys, they’re setting a tone and we need to keep this up.”

After the Wildcats bounced back from their first loss of the season against Florida High on Dec. 16, it’s clear Booker T. has one goal in mind.

“We’re trying to bring another state championship here. … We’ve got to keep working and keep going,” Gally said. “Coming off a win, we played pretty good so hopefully we can keep this momentum going into those games.”

Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Booker T. Washington boys basketball tops Fort Walton Beach in district game