H-Valley trips Karns after win at Farragut
KARNS — Friday night at Karns High School, Hardin Valley Academy’s boys’ basketball team led by 10 late in the second quarter — and seemed to be in command.
The Beavers then roared back, and for the next quarter it was a back-and-forth affair with lead changes and momentum swings both ways.
Late in the third, the Hawks turned it back around, and held on for an 89-79 hard-fought rivalry win Dec. 16. The victory upped HVA’s record to 7-2 starting this week.
“We had the first-half lead, but then got down in the second half,” Hawks head coach Andy Arendt said. “I’m really proud of the way they hung in and fought back.”
It proved to be a big week for the Hawks — on the road no less — having ended a seven-game losing streak versus rival Farragut, winning 67-56 Tuesday, Dec. 13, at FHS.
HVA senior post Jack Smith’s 15 points led the way offensively (read more details at farragutpress.com)
HVA 89 Karns 79
Down 6-4 early in the first, the Hawks ran off 10 straight to lead 14-6. The quarter ended with HVA up 22-14.
An 11-0 Beaver outburst gave KHS its first lead, 37-36, with 1:16 left. The half ended 41-39 Hawks.
Tied at 43 with 5:49 left in the third, Karns used a 6-0 run to lead 49-43 midway through the quarter.
But the Hawks finished the third on a 20-6 explosion — including five three-point baskets, two each by Smith and senior guard Hakeem Rashid — and led 63-55 after three.
HVA sophomore Ben Brophy scored 10 in the final period.
Smith was one of four double-digit scorers for Hardin Valley with 25. Rashid added 20 while Brophy got 18 and Barron Sheetz added 10.
“It was a fun game and real competitive,” Smith said. “I played AAW with JJ (Faulkner, Karns’s standout guard). “So we’re always real competitive with each other.”
“They beat us last year, so we really wanted to get back at them,” Rashid said.
Faulkner led all scorers with 34. The super-speedy guard repeatedly drove to the basket to score and/or draw fouls.
“JJ is a heckuva player,” Arendt said. “That kid can really play.”
Jaylen Roberts scored 14 for Karns, while Bubba Faulkner added 10.
