FHS boys RecruitMe win
It was an impressive opening game for Farragut High School’s basketball team Monday night, Nov. 20, in the Farragut RecruitMe Thanksgiving Tournament in Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium.
The Admirals used ball quickness and strong defensive pressure to roll over McMinn County 68-46. The win sets up a semifinal game Friday, Nov. 25, against the winner of Karns versus Greenback, who played Tuesday night, Nov. 21 (after deadline).
“I feel like we played more as a team tonight than we have been,” said J.P. Burris, FHS head coach. “‘We had a pretty good energy level throughout.”
“I thought we played very well, thought we played as a team tonight,” Admirals junior small forward Dom Vanacker said. “Good ball movement tonight. I thought we were ready to play.”
Farragut built a 20-12 lead with 1:51 left in the first, but the Cherokees finished the period with five straight to make it 20-17 after one. Five of McMinn’s six buckets were threes.
Up only 27-25 with 3:02 left in the half, the Admirals (2-2) went on an 11-2 run the rest of the period and went into intermission up 38-26. Nine of the 11 were scored by senior power forward Claudio Song.
A jumper by Brady Mullins and a layup by Andrew Brown brought the ‘Kees to within nine, 39-30, with 4:57 left in the third.
But 11 straight by FHS — two treys, three free throws and a layup in less than four minutes — made it 50-30. The third ended 50-32.
McMinn had one last punch left when, down 53-34 with 5:22 left in the game, they ran off nine straight to cut the lead to 10, 53-43.
The Admirals then threw the knockout punch. Berkeley Naro’s jumper started a 15-1 run in less than three minutes to make the score 68-44. Brown’s tip-in with 47 seconds left was the final basket.
“Our guys realize we can’t stop playing hard,” Burris said. “They did a good job of responding.”
“I think we were on the bench too long,” Vanacker said about the Cherokees’ fourth-quarter run. “We executed in the last couple minutes.”
Vanacker led the Admirals with 18 points. His older brother, senior wing Aiden Vanacker, tossed in 14, nine in the second half. Sophomore guard Parker Lane got 12, and Song added 11.
Mullins led all scorers with 21.
“We’re very deep,” Burris said. “We got several guys who didn’t even get minutes tonight that in any situation if we need them, we’re comfortable throwing them in there.”
The Ads have rebounded from losses to Knox Central and Science Hill, by a combined five points, to open the season.
