Raiders Clinch Share of Conference Championship with 77-62 Win Over No. 7 Chipola

NICEVILLE, Fla. — Northwest Florida State secured a share of the Panhandle Conference Championship on Saturday night with a 77-62 victory over No. 7 Chipola. In an unprecedented four-way tie atop the standings, the Raiders finish as co-conference champions alongside Gulf Coast, Chipola and Tallahassee State.

The win was powered by a dominant second half and standout performances from guards DJ Shine and Damarion Vann-Kelly.

Shine led all scorers with 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting, adding four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Vann-Kelly followed with 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Justin Burns controlled the glass with eight rebounds, while Braylon Roman contributed seven points and dished out seven assists in a well-rounded effort.

Chipola struck first, jumping out to a 4-0 lead behind early baskets from P. Wiggins and A. Richard. Northwest Florida found its footing at the 16:26 mark when Shine connected from beyond the arc to cut the deficit to 4-3. Moments later, Vann-Kelly knocked down a three-pointer to give the Raiders their first lead at 7-5.

The opening half featured multiple ties and lead changes. After Chipola evened the score at 15-15, Shine sparked a late surge, scoring seven consecutive points to put Northwest Florida ahead 26-23. A steal by Shine led to a D. Barber three-pointer in the final minute, capping a 6-0 run and sending the Raiders into halftime with a 29-23 advantage.

Northwest Florida carried that momentum into the second half. Roman scored on a layup and tip-in early, and Vann-Kelly drilled a three to extend the lead to 36-25. When Chipola trimmed the margin to single digits, the Raiders answered with a decisive run. Roman buried a three-pointer, J. Pierce converted an and-one opportunity, and Vann-Kelly brought the crowd to its feet with a dunk to push the lead to 46-32.

From there, the Raiders maintained control. Shine added a three-pointer midway through the half to make it 61-44, and Vann-Kelly's free throws stretched the advantage to 67-51 with just over four minutes remaining. A late layup by C. Reid and a buzzer-beating steal and score from Vann-Kelly sealed the 77-62 victory.

Northwest Florida led for the majority of the contest and trailed for just seven minutes. Three-point shooting proved to be a key difference, as the Raiders knocked down nine of 19 attempts from beyond the arc, while Chipola connected on four. Ball security also played a pivotal role. Northwest Florida committed just nine turnovers compared to 16 by the Indians, converting those miscues into 32 points.

With the regular season complete, the Raiders sit in a four-way tie with Chipola, Gulf Coast and Tallahassee State. Only three teams will advance to the FCSAA State Tournament, with Massey Ratings serving as the tiebreaker. As it currently stands, Northwest Florida, Chipola and Gulf Coast hold the advantage, though official confirmation will come with the release of the updated ratings.