High School Basketball: Bloomberg outduels Watson, Gulf Breeze pulls away from Jay

In just a matter of games, Jay’s Tristan Watson has reasserted himself as one of the best basketball talents on the Panhandle.

Playing his seventh game since returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the junior forward dazzled the home crowd on Tuesday with an impressive array of outside shots.

The Royals captain dominated early, but Gulf Breeze captain Reece Bloomberg stole the show late. The senior guard poured in 14 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Dolphins to a 75-60 victory at Jay.

Improving its record to 15-3 this season, Gulf Breeze, the area’s highest-ranked boys basketball team, has won six consecutive games.

“The team battled. We knew coming up here that Jay is a hostile environment. They play so well in their gym and we knew that we were going to have to execute," Dolphins head coach Ryan Ottensmeyer said. "We were sloppy in the first half, got to make some adjustments in the second half and the kids responded. That’s all you ask. … We did the best that we could and we’re lucky to pull away with a win.”

High School Football: Harry Lees leaves Milton to return as West Florida High head coach

PNJ Basketball Leaderboard: Escambia, Santa Rosa county stat leaders through mid-January

Cast your vote: Who should win PNJ Athlete of the Week for Jan. 10-15?

Meanwhile, the Royals fell to 10-5 overall after seeing their five-game winning streak come to a close. It was also their first loss at home during the 2021-22 campaign.

"We battled early and ran out of gas late," Jay head coach Hank Hullett said. "I feel like we got to get better, defensively. Contesting shots and boxing out are big for us, but there were a lot of possessions that were empty for us because of that."

Here are three takeaways from Gulf Breeze’s 15th win of the season:

Bloomberg silences the crowd

For a brief moment midway through the fourth quarter, the raucous crowd that Ottensmeyer feared rose to a frenzy. The home team faced a 55-51 deficit after sophomore guard Ethan McDonald drained a left-wing 3-pointer from NBA range.

Jay was in the midst of a push after trailing by as much as nine points earlier in the period.

And then, in the matter of seconds, all hope was squashed thanks to the Dolphins’ 6-foot-3 star. Spotting up from long distance in the left corner, Bloomberg hit nothing but net to quiet the Royals fans.

“You really just got to lock in. You got to know what it takes to win the game,” the senior said. “I just shot the shot and I knew it was going in from the minute it left my hands. It felt good.”

On the ensuing possession, Dolphins junior point guard Max Schneidt created a turnover and whipped an outlet pass to Bloomberg, who scored an easy bunny.

The visitors’ advantage ballooned to 60-51 and Jay never threatened again. Connecting on four field goals and going 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, Bloomberg (14) nearly outscored the Royals (16) in the fourth.

“Having him step up was huge for us in clutch situations,” Ottensmeyer said.

Back like he never left

If it wasn’t for a knee brace, it would've been hard to guess that Watson blew out his right knee last spring.

The 6-5 forward has been on a roll since returning to action earlier this month, averaging 17.5 points and 14.8 rebounds per game.

“It’s incredible for him coming back from that injury and being able to move the way that he does and shoot with the confidence that he’s got,” Ottensmeyer said.

Watson’s production and fluid transition back into Jay’s lineup is a credit to how much work the junior put in while rehabbing from his injury.

However, even flashing back to the grueling process stills brings out a visceral reaction from Watson. Nine months ago is a long time to walk down an emotional road, but it's a road he's happy he completed.

“It was basically just mental,” he said when describing the biggest hurdle during rehab. “When you hurt your knee, everything is just mental. That’s the only word I can use, mental.

“When you go through all that therapy, it messes with your mind. But when you come back, it feels good.”

Watson put up 14 points on 6-for-15 shooting from the field, grabbed 12 rebounds and swatted three blocks in his first game back during a 55-48 loss on Dec. 6 at South Walton. The forward is slowly getting his conditioning up to speed as his return approaches the two-week mark.

“I need to get my energy,” he said. “I’m always dead, my body just is dead. When I get used to that, I’m good. I’ll be good.”

Hardly touching the rim while sinking seven 3-pointers, Watson finished with a team-high 27 points against Gulf Breeze. Playing with a renewed passion, the silky-smooth shooter appears well on his way to the form that earned him a spot on the PNJ All-Area First Team last year.

“Even since I’ve been back, I just want to give it my all. Because you never know when it’s your last (game),” he said.

'Fins figuring it out

Watson’s last long-distance make pulled the Royals to within 45-44 late in the third. From there, the Dolphins gained separation with the help of two reserves: junior guard Jack Banks and senior guard John Cabassa.

Banks responded to Watson’s triple with a three-point play to close out the third quarter. He opened the fourth quarter with a field goal and ended his night with seven points. Meanwhile, Cabassa hit a 3-pointer later in the quarter to give the visitors a double-digit cushion. He scored all eight of his points in the fourth.

Defensively, Gulf Breeze held Watson to two points in the final quarter. While the Jay star knocked down a few shots with a hand in his face, the Dolphins were late to contest several of his looks. That changed once the fourth arrived.

Ottensmeyer opted away from a switching defense to a tighter man-to-man. Gulf Breeze frequently denied Watson the rock with better off-ball pressure. When it was in his possession, the team occasionally sent a trap, forcing the junior to give it up.

“When the kid’s got the ball in his hands, it’s going in more than it’s not. That’s for sure,” Ottensmeyer said of Watson.

Whether it’s contributions from Cabassa or Banks off the bench or a collective effort on defense, the Dolphins are finding more ways to win games. The team’s most recent victories have come in the absence of starting senior power forward Dominic Jackson.

The Xavier baseball commit suffered a torn ACL in the late going of Gulf Breeze’s loss to Princeton (Ohio) on Dec. 29. Averaging 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds to that point, Jackson is slated to miss the remainder of the basketball season and the entire baseball season this spring.

“We just knew that we really have to get it together,” Bloomberg said. “We already knew that we have really get down on the boards and have some guys step up in the scoring aspect as well. We’ve just been really working and playing for Dom.”

Carson Hepworth (11) was the only other Dolphin to score in double figures. McDonald finished with 18 points after battling through early foul trouble.

Jay plays at 7 p.m. Thursday at Baker. Gulf Breeze is host to Pensacola Catholic at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Basketball: Bloomberg's big fourth-quarter lifts Gulf Breeze past Jay