Five Okaloosa County girls basketball teams will open postseason play this week, with Niceville and Fort Walton Beach positioned as serious contenders in their respective regions and Rocky Bayou, Destin and Laurel Hill facing tougher roads ahead.
6A Region 1: Niceville (No. 2 seed)
Fresh off their third straight district championship, the Lady Eagles enter the 6A Region 1 bracket as the No. 2 seed behind Tocoi Creek.
Niceville will host Forest in the first round, a rematch of their Round 1 meeting two years ago and a game the Lady Eagles should handle comfortably. A win would likely set up a Sweet 16 showdown against Navarre — the third meeting between the two teams this season. Navarre won by 10 in January before Niceville got its revenge in Friday’s district title game.
This time, the Lady Eagles would have home-court advantage.
Should Niceville advance past that, an Elite 8 rematch against top-seeded Tocoi Creek looms. The Lady Toros ended Niceville’s season at that stage last year. But with Carson Fayard, Audrina Nelson and company playing like a bona fide Final Four contender all season, the question lingers: Will this finally be the year a Final Four run materializes?
4A Region 1: Fort Walton Beach (No. 2 seed)
Simply put, the Lady Vikings are clicking.
A dominant showing in the district tournament quickly cooled any talk about peaking too early, and Fort Walton Beach still looks every bit the Final Four contender it has been all year. The Lady Vikings will open at home Friday against Paxon in a game they should win comfortably.
A victory there would likely mean a Sweet 16 home matchup against Rickards. While the Lady Vikings lost to Rickards by five on the road recently, when the Lady Raiders had to travel to the Fort, they lost by 21.
Win that, and a rematch with Bishop Kenny in the Elite 8 would likely await — a matchup that has seemed inevitable all season. A victory there would send Fort Walton Beach to its first Final Four since 2017, a scenario that looks increasingly possible.
2A Region 1: Rocky Bayou (No. 7 seed) and Destin (No. 8 seed)
The 2A Region 1 bracket features two local teams with steep climbs ahead.
Rocky Bayou will travel to Jacksonville to open against San Jose Prep. A win there would likely mean another road game against The First Academy in Orlando, followed by a potential matchup with No. 1 seed Providence School.
Destin, meanwhile, draws Providence School in the first round. Should the Sharks pull off the upset, they would face the winner of Bishop Snyder and Trinity Catholic on the road.
There is a slim possibility the two Okaloosa County teams could meet in the Elite 8. In that scenario, the game would be played at Rocky Bayou.
Rural Region 1: Laurel Hill (No. 4 seed)
For Carl Henry’s squad, the path to a Final Four will be difficult but manageable.
The Lady Hoboes will open against No. 1 seed Jay in a rematch of Friday’s district championship, which Jay won. A victory there would set up a matchup against the winner of Paxton and Chipley — and Laurel Hill recently beat Paxton by 23, making that a favorable draw.
If Laurel Hill can get past Jay, the Lady Hoboes would in all likelihood be headed back to the Final Four.
