Sports

Bartram Trail tops Niceville girls basketball in wire-to-wire upset to advance to Elite 8

The Lady Bears jumped out to a 9-1 lead and never looked back, handing Niceville a 54-46 loss that ends the Lady Eagles' season.

Travis Espy

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Bartram Trail came in with a plan and executed it from the opening tip. The Lady Bears took control early and never let go.

Bartram Trail topped Niceville 54-46 on Friday night in a wire-to-wire victory, jumping out to a 9-1 lead to open the game and never relinquishing it. The loss brings the Lady Eagles’ season to a close and ends their pursuit of a regional title.

The score was close at the end of the first quarter, but after that, Bartram Trail steadily pulled away. The Lady Bears led by 10 at halftime and stretched the margin to 20 entering the fourth quarter. Niceville made a push late to tighten the final score, but it was never enough to seriously threaten.

Bartram Trail entered the game looking for payback after a 44-36 loss to Niceville in December, a game in which Carson Fayard posted a 24-point, eight-rebound performance. Fresh off a 48-44 upset of Navarre in the first round last Friday, the Lady Bears carried that momentum straight into this one.

The loss closes the book on a Niceville roster that will look much different next season. Only one starter, Rayman Tripeaux, is projected to return. Fayard, Audrina Nelson, Maryanna Duerr and KK Hardy will all be graduating after helping build the program into a consistent contender.

As for Bartram Trail, after back-to-back road trips of 5.5 and 5 hours respectively, the Lady Bears will have a much shorter commute for the Elite 8 — a 20-minute bus ride to face No. 1 seed Tocoi Creek, which beat Lake Howell 60-51.

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