Camry Johnson stood wide open in the corner with the game on the line. Seconds earlier, Fort Walton Beach appeared to have the rivalry matchup sealed. Then Johnson buried a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give Choctaw a stunning 66-65 victory over the Vikings on Friday night at The Teepee.

• “It just kind of happened. It just felt like it was kind of meant to be,” Choctaw head coach John Barnes said. “It was a fluke turnover that kind of bounced our way, and it was a crazy finish.”

The finish was indeed crazy, but so was everything that preceded it in a game that swung wildly in both directions throughout.

Choctaw came out firing, jumping to a 13-4 lead behind early contributions from Blaze Childers-Menser and Reece Jones. Fort Walton Beach’s only points during that stretch came on a Sean Simon bucket and a pair of Leo Ivision free throws.

The Vikings found life when Jordan Lee converted an and-one that sparked an 8-0 run. But the Indians answered with a 6-0 run of their own, punctuated by Isaiah Oates-White’s half-court heave at the buzzer that sent the Choctaw student section into a frenzy and gave the home team a first-quarter advantage.

• The second quarter saw both teams trade baskets before Ivision heated up, drilling back-to-back three-pointers to knot the score at 28. Kedar Washington and Oates-White helped Choctaw regain the lead, but another Ivision bucket made it 32-30 Indians at the half.

Fort Walton Beach seized its first lead of the night early in the third quarter. Kyle Jones scored, then grabbed his own offensive rebound after Lee’s steal and missed shot to make it 34-32 Vikings.

A brief defensive stalemate followed before Oates-White tied the game. Willie Collin then missed for Fort Walton Beach, and Washington corralled the rebound and found Reece Jones, who drained a three to put Choctaw back in front.

Washington and Xy Childress traded three-pointers, making it 40-39 Indians. Jones went to the free-throw line after a Childress foul, and his makes helped ignite a 6-0 Choctaw run.

Childress stopped the bleeding for the Vikings with a three-pointer off a feed from Lee, who had received the ball from Rodric Starks after a Michael Collins miss. But Choctaw finished the quarter on a 6-3 run to take a 52-45 lead into the fourth.

That’s when the game truly went haywire.

Collins opened the final frame with two free throws after a Kyle Jones foul. Starks answered with an and-one to cut the deficit to 54-48. Collins scored again to make it 56-48, but then Ivision took over.

The Vikings guard drained three after three after three while Starks made plays on both ends of the floor. Before the Indians could catch their breath, Fort Walton Beach had stormed ahead 59-57.

• Lee extended the lead to 60-57 from the free-throw line after a Reece Jones foul. But Choctaw refused to fold.

Oates-White scored to cut the deficit to one. Childers-Menser grabbed a defensive rebound and pushed the ball up the court with a chance to take the lead, but his shot missed and Ivision secured the board. Washington intercepted Ivision’s pass and found Oates-White, who drew a blocking foul on Ivision.

Oates-White missed both free throws, and Starks made one of two from the line to push Fort Walton Beach’s lead to 61-59. Reece Jones answered with a driving bucket to tie the game at 61.

Childress appeared to deliver a dagger, converting an and-one after drawing a foul on Johnson to give the Vikings a 64-61 advantage. Oates-White made one of two free throws to trim the lead to two.

Washington’s three-point attempt missed, and Ivision grabbed the rebound and found Starks. But Starks missed a dunk that could have sealed the victory, and Johnson rebounded. Childress fouled Johnson, sending him to the line.

• Another defensive struggle ensued before Starks went to the line, where he made one of two. Fort Walton Beach clung to a 65-62 lead with 29 seconds remaining.

The Vikings appeared to have it wrapped up when Childers-Menser was called for a charge on Starks, giving Fort Walton Beach possession with 14 seconds left.

Then came the play of the game — and perhaps of Choctaw’s season.

Washington stole Childress’s inbound pass and quickly found Reece Jones. Jones swung the ball back to Washington, who spotted Johnson alone in the corner. Johnson caught and fired, and the ball splashed through the net as time expired.

The Choctaw crowd erupted. Students stormed the court and lifted Johnson onto their shoulders while Fort Walton Beach coach Chris Carswell and his players watched in disbelief.

• “It’s huge,” Barnes said. “We’ve taken a few losses early, we’ve been in a losing streak, obviously it’s a rival game, and to win it in that fashion is crazy.”

The victory could be a turning point for the Indians, whose playoff hopes appeared shaky after back-to-back home losses to South Walton and Niceville coming out of Christmas break. Beyond the bragging rights, Choctaw may have also damaged the Vikings’ pursuit of the No. 1 seed — a result Fort Walton Beach could rue when February seeding decisions arrive.

Choctaw (7-9) returns home Monday to face Mosley.

Fort Walton Beach (12-7) travels to Gulf Breeze on Tuesday for a rematch of December’s 27-point Vikings victory at the Fort.

The two rivals will meet again Jan. 23 at Fort Walton Beach.