Wednesday night’s matchup between Fort Walton Beach and Niceville was a statement win for the Lady Vikings and sent a message to everyone across the state: Fort Walton is for real.

• In a gritty defensive slugfest in front of a raucous home crowd, the Lady Vikings took down Niceville 45-40.

The Lady Eagles entered the game ranked No. 1 in Class 6A and No. 10 in the state. Fort Walton sits at No. 14 statewide and No. 2 in Class 4A.

From the opening tip, it was clear defense would decide the outcome. Neither team scored for nearly the first three minutes. Abria Jackson finally broke through with just over five minutes left in the first quarter, giving Fort Walton the game’s first two points. Janelle Dixon added two more before Carson Fayard got Niceville on the board with just over three minutes remaining.

Fort Walton led 8-2 after one quarter, with Alexis Smith contributing four points. Another bucket from Smith and a 3-pointer from Harmony Lee pushed the lead to 13-2 early in the second quarter.

• A basket from Kamauri Hardy and a 3-pointer from Audrina Nelson gave the Lady Eagles some life, but Fort Walton maintained control and led 19-12 at halftime.

The Lady Vikings extended their lead to double digits to start the third quarter on an and-1 from Smith. Niceville answered with a 7-0 run. Chloe Burgos stopped the bleeding with a pair of free throws, but the Lady Eagles kept battling.

Two Fayard free throws cut the lead to three. A Fayard bucket made it a one-point game. Smith answered, but Bria Dailey knocked down a 3-pointer to tie it at 26.

Smith scored again, and Fort Walton Beach never trailed from that point.

The Lady Vikings led 33-26 entering the fourth quarter and maintained a five-to-six point cushion for much of the period. Leading 35-30 with just under six minutes remaining, Fort Walton went on a 6-0 run to push the lead to double digits.

Niceville refused to quit. 

• Nelson hit a 3-pointer with 2:45 left and added two free throws to pull the Lady Eagles within striking distance at 41-37. But Fort Walton clamped down defensively and held on for the win.

“We had a bunch of kids that weren’t feeling well today. I didn’t know what I was going to get out of them,” coach Mercedez Clayborne said. “But again, it goes back to the word that I said: resilience.”

Clayborne and her staff entered the game with a simple defensive objective: contain Fayard and Nelson.

“We worked on it. We only had one day to prepare, but we put an emphasis on them,” Clayborne said. “I told them what they averaged a game, and that was motivation for our kids to lock into the gameplan and do whatever it takes to get the win for the team.”

Smith, who has been dealing with an injury, delivered a strong bounce-back performance.

• “Coming back from an injury against Choctaw, I did amazing, but I feel like this was a good team win, and we contributed together,” Smith said.

Lee and Borges echoed Smith’s sentiments.

“We came out strong, we came out prepared and ready to play,” Lee said.

“Overall, I honestly feel like it was a great win,” Borges added.

The victory encapsulates the “Whatever It Takes” mantra established by legendary coach Kevin Craig – a phrase that has defined the Lady Vikings all season. A team that instead of relying on one true alpha to get all the credit, is instead composed of pieces that fit each other perfectly – powered by chemistry. A stark contrast from last year, where the Lady Vikings did have a clear cut No. 1 option in SaRuan Newton.

Fort Walton (11-0) is off until Jan. 9, when the Lady Vikings travel to Crestview for another in-county matchup.

Niceville (8-2) will compete in the Cats Against Cancer Charity Tournament this weekend in Paxton, facing Jay on Friday and Blountstown on Saturday.

The two teams will meet again Jan. 23 at Niceville.