Strong sectional opener, as FMS boys romp
CLEVELAND — The Farragut Middle School boys basketball team made a little history Saturday afternoon, Jan. 30.
The Admirals played their first-ever game in the TMSAA Class AAA Sectionals and came away with a 49-27 victory over Lake Forest at Cleveland Middle School.
FMS (10-1) darted out to a fast start, opening a 12-2 lead in the first quarter. First-year head coach Lynn Allen said the good beginning made a difference for his team.
“Lake Forest is a good team and they’re well-coached,” Allen said. “We came out and jumped on them, and I think we got ahead 12-2 — and we played hard.
Allen said he was pleased with his team’s effort, but the one thing stood out he wasn’t happy about.
“We played hard and we played great defense and we made plays, but I wasn’t happy with the turnovers,” he said. “We just turned the ball over too much. We had a lot of them.”
Guard Parker Lane led the Admirals with 21 points. Cooper Edwards added six while Dominic VanAcker and Brodie Roberts finished with five points each for Farragut, which was coming off its first loss of the season at the hands of West Valley Middle School in the recent championship game of the Knox County Middle School Basketball Tournament.
“I get to keep coaching these guys because they’re great, great kids,” Allen said. “Everybody’s working hard and they’re all buying in. I’ve had a great first year here and this is a great place.
“The Lord has really blessed me with the opportunity to be here, and I’m happy that we’re in the Final Four in East Tennessee,” he added.
With the win over Lake Forest, the Ads advanced to the semifinals. They were set to play Cleveland Tuesday, Feb. 2 (results not available due to press deadline).
