RIBAULT – The First Coast Buccaneers breezed into Austin Wilkes gymnasium on Saturday evening extinguishing Raines fire and expectations of a win. First Coast would defeat the Raines Vikings 62-49 capturing the 2018 Northwest Classic Christmas Tournament Championship .
Florida State University commit Naseem Khaalid earned the tournament championship MVP award when he put up 16 points reaching his career total of 1,001 points. James Simmons chipped in with 13 points, while Tyree Sanders added 12 and Justin Hodges contributed 10 points in the win.
Prior to the championship win, First Coast completed a dominating 58-38 performance Friday night over Ribault to advance to the finals against Raines. Justin Hodges would light up the Friday night sky hitting four 3-pointers ending the game with a total of 16 points. It was a great performance by the young man who along with defensive standout Clayton Senior have found new homes and new roles under a new program. Kaseem Khaalid would follow up with 14 points and James Simmons chipped in with 11 points .
First Coast’s Clayton Senior III and his lovely mother @DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/brrWfmjE9E
— Makeda Lawton (@adekam1976) December 30, 2018
The Saturday championship game would begin at a much later time due to the previous Ribault and Raines girls championship game going into double overtime.
Squad ready? Game time in less than 4 minutes . Raines vs First Coast at the 2018 Northwest Classic Championship Game @DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/pV1cK2FXzb
— Makeda Lawton (@adekam1976) December 30, 2018
Subsequently, both Raines and First Coast squads later ascended onto the court beaming with enthusiasm off of their Friday night wins over Jackson and Ribault. Raines Edward “Action” Jackson fired off with two back-to-back layups hyping the crowds and pushing Raines to a early 6-2 lead over First Coast.
Back-to-back three pointers from Deandre’ Devaughn and Hodges would eventually tie the score 11-11 and spice up the game. The Vikings and Buccaneers closed out the first period tied 13-13 after James Simmons landed a shot for First Coast.
Raines for the 3 @DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/ZlFwaCFKaa
— Makeda Lawton (@adekam1976) December 30, 2018
The second period opened with a bang, when Hodges would nail down a long three-pointer giving First Coast the first lead of the evening. First Coast would go on to outscore Raines, doubling their point total ending with a Buccaneer lead of 31-22 in the second period.
First Coast’s MVP Naseem Khaalid. Game MVP @DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/Q1lT7xylRO
— Makeda Lawton (@adekam1976) December 30, 2018
The Vikings and Buccaneers battle continued into the third period. Two point shots, sinking threes and free throws shifted the balance of power back and forth throughout the third period.
Raines show stopper Edward Jackson ended the third with a swinging dunk; however First Coast still maintained a 46-35 advantage.
First Coast’s Coach Strong , Naseem Khaalid and James Simmons talk about the win over Raines to capture the 2018 Northwest Classic Championship @DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/LCuUjrWtjw
— Makeda Lawton (@adekam1976) December 30, 2018
Foul trouble would plague Raines in the fourth period as Naseem Khaalid would make eight of his points from the free throw line to extend the Bucs lead. The Buccaneers would capitalize on the easily accessible points to maintain the lead over Raines throughout the period. First Coast essentially closed out the championship game defeating Raines 62-49.
First Coast (10-3) travels to Lee Jan. 8 in its next game, while Raines (7-2) will play Palatka Jan 3 in the Bernard Wilkes Classic at Ribault.
