FHS girls trap West
Admirals 44
Runnin’ Rebels 24
KNOXVILLE — Needing two overtimes before picking up its first District 4-AAA win of the season, coming at Lenoir City Dec. 13, Farragut’s varsity girls basketball team needed a bit more than eight minutes before clamping down hard on West three nights later.
Down 12-8 early in the second quarter, the Admirals’ half-court trapping defense held the Runnin’ Rebels without a field goal for more than 16 minutes — allowing only two field goals the final 23 minutes — winning easily 44-24 at West High School Friday, Dec. 16.
Farragut improved to 5-5 overall, 2-2 in district.
“We switched to a different trap … we threw that on them and our girls made a good adjustment to get deflections and turnovers,” FHS head coach Jason Mayfield said. “Obviously that created some transition opportunities for us.”
“The half-court trap just killed us,” said West head coach David Higdon, whose team fell to 3-7, 0-4. “We thought we were prepared for it, but we got frustrated and weren’t able to deal with it. It was the difference in the ballgame, their ability to keep us out and away from the basket and create turnovers far away from the basket.
“They were getting baskets out in transition after they’d get turnovers,” he added.
Offensively for the Admirals, senior wing Jamie Dallas and sophomore wing Sydney Chapman combined for 11 second-quarter points, leading a 15-0 run giving Farragut a 23-12 halftime lead.
With Dallas missing the Lenoir City game because of a “a cut over her eye,” Mayfield said, “She really wanted to take advantage off the opportunity.”
Chapman was the biggest spark of offense in the second half, ending with a game-high 15 points.
“Sydney does a good job of finishing once she gets to the rim,” Mayfield said.
“We’re really trying to get to the paint because our outside shots aren’t falling as much,” Dallas said.
Defensively for Farragut after the first quarter, “We were trying to jump them just as soon as they crossed half court and get a steal if we could,” Dallas said.
“I think once we got ourselves together we really just decided to pick up the intensity and just get all in their face,” Chapman said.
“Sydney was really active in the trap with steals,” Mayfield said.
Other FHS scorers were Brooke Christian with nine and Morgan Carbaugh and Claire Wyatt four apiece. Erin Vanhoozier and Madison Hodge each scored two.
