Shackelford's charge, Fayard's 30 points lead Niceville girls basketball to Elite 8

NICEVILLE — Long before Carson Fayard's 30-point, seven-steal 3-and-D clinic was in the books, and long before Anna Kimball's block party of six swats, 14 points and eight rebounds was subbed out to a standing ovation in Niceville's 63-42 win over Gulf Breeze in the Region 1-6A semifinal, there was a charge.

Well, not a charge. THE CHARGE.

Down 10-2 four minutes into the contest and everything falling Gulf Breeze's way — a start dripping with retribution after the Dolphins' 50-41 district championship loss at Niceville just 10 days prior — the Eagles found themselves backpedaling on defense yet again after another brick.

Niceville (24-4) needed a spark. So in stepped — well, planted — Anabelle Shackelford.

The 5-foot-6 guard watched the play unfold, found a spot 20 feet from the basket, planted both feet and absorbed the contact before crashing to the hardwood. In flew the whistle from the nearby sideline referee, who placed his left hand behind his head, turned the opposite way and motioned for the charge.

"I knew I needed to take the charge," Shackelford said. "I love taking charges, so it just comes naturally to me. I'm not worried about myself in that moment. My focus is solely on helping my team win the game."

The sell-out crowd and student section — replete with junior Jordan Bryant beating the ref to the punch with the charge motion — went nuts. A fire was lit.

"I love Anabelle," said Fayard, who tacked on five assists and five rebounds to her 30 point and seven steals. "I can always count on her to fight for our team. She was always has fire and that's what we need. She's just a very good defensive player, but she can also spot up and shoot when we need her."

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Enter Shackelford for Round 2 of the spotlight.

On the ensuing possession, the sophomore hit a leaner in the lane and Niceville's offense went to work, closing the quarter on a 12-5 spurt before taking a 33-21 halftime lead on Shackelford's second 3-pointer of the night.

"She's been able to find those little niches where she can help our team, whether it's playing up top or doing the dirty stuff or getting a little bit of glory making 3s," Niceville coach Meghan Darhower said. "She did all that tonight.

"Without her, could we have given that defensive effort we did? I don't know. She starts everything."

If shackelford started it, Fayard finished it.

At the foul line, at the rim, defenders in her face, leaners in the lane, beyond the arc and even driving to her non-dominant left side ... Fayard scored every way possible. In video game language, she was "on fire" as she began the third quarter 4-for-4 and scored Niceville's first 11 points out of the half, ultimately outscoring the visitors 11-7 by herself in the frame.

By the time she was subbed out to a standing ovation with 1:59 left to play in the game, the sophomore had outscored the visitors alone 18-15 in the second half.

And therein lies the tricky nature of gameplanning defensively for Niceville. A round earlier in a 72-64 win over Forest, teammates fed Kimball for a career-high 37 points. Come Monday the ball funneled to Fayard, who easily could've scored 40 had Niceville's foot been on the gas pedal in the fourth.

There's no perfect approach. Pick your poison on how to set up the double teams and box-and-ones and pray neither catches fire.

"I've been playing with Anna and Carson since sixth grade, so I've just been watching them my entire life take over games," Shackelford said. "It's so fun. You have to give Anna the ball, you have to give Carson ball and let them eat. That's how the score gets so high. That's how we win games."

Win games and sell tickets. But it's defense, Darhower would tell you, that wins championships. And therein lies the strength of Niceville, who has Shackelford drawing charges, Kiyah Hatcher racking up five steals and two marquee players so consistently dominant on both ends of the floor that an off night offensively here or there can be picked up by their defensive prowess. After the team allowed 64 points to Forest in the Sweet 16, Kimball's six blocks Monday and Fayard's seven steals epitomize that.

"The defensive effort was awesome tonight," Darhower said.

Now second-seeded Ponte Vedra (21-8), fresh off a semifinal win over Lincoln, comes to town Thursday with a Final 4 berth on the line. Another foe looking to fell top-seeded Niceville, who hasn't lost since Dec. 21 in building its win streak to 15.

"I tell them every single day, 'No one likes us, no one likes us,' " Darhower said. "I think they've taken that to heart and used it as a chip on their shoulder. There's things that haven't been reached by this group that want to reach, so I know we'll be ready. We'll just see how it shakes out."

If Monday was any indication — fans spilling onto the sidelines and a pep band serenading the sellout crowd — patrons may want to come extra early Thursday for what's slated to be a 7 p.m. start and the only game in town.

"The crowd was huge," Shackelford said. "It wasn't this huge last year and it wasn't this huge at the beginning of the year, but I think now that we've picked up traction and there's a lot of posts on social media, everyone is here."

"This is the biggest crowd we've had all season," Darhower added. "It warms my heart. It makes me tear up a bit knowing the amount of support we have in the community. Like Judge (Michael) Flowers was here, coach Kevin Craig the legend was here. I mean, to have those people here to watch us play just shows that the basketball community is always together, and that's what I love."

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Niceville girls basketball wins FHSAA Region 1-6A semifinal