FMS boys upset No. 2 Vine
KNOXVILLE — Farragut Middle School’s boys basketball team closed out Saturday’s James A Ivey Jr. Memorial Basketball Tournament quarterfinal action with a big victory.
The Admirals, the tournament’s No. 7 seed (11-9 record), used a fast start to notch a 49-43 victory over second-seeded and defending tournament champion Vine (18-2) Feb. 3 in Karns Middle School’s Thomas L. Duff Memorial Gymnasium.
“When we’re shooting the ball well, we’re pretty good,” Farragut head coach Randy Swartzentruber said. “We came out and we shot well early. But then it all stopped.
“When we’re shooting well, we’re hard to beat. I’m really proud of these kids. They weathered the storm. Vine is good. They’re really tough.”
Farragut got a huge lift from sixth-grade center Alex Doerger, who made a free throw and grabbed an offensive rebound and promptly scored to give the Admirals a 45-43 lead inside the final minute.
Isaiah Smith led Farragut with 14 points. David Beaver contributed six points in the second quarter. Dillon Cosey added two huge free throws in the final seconds.
“I think we just brought more to the table and we played together well and we brought energy,” Isaiah said. “When we play well together, we’re one of the best teams in the county.”
Dillon Atwell, who finished the with 12 points, agreed. “We got ahead, but Vine is a really good team and they made a run,” he said.
“It feels great to win this game.”
