Big bounce-back for Farragut girls; Lane lifts Admirals in double OT
Last Friday, Farragut High School’s girls’ basketball team lost 37-35 to Austin-East High School in the first round of the Loudon Christmas Tournament at Loudon High School.
Numerous turnovers, as well as missed shots and free throws plagued the Lady Admirals’ performance.
The next day against Scott High School in the second round brought a decisive turnaround. More than doubling the previous day’s points, Farragut’s scoring was balanced and widely distributed.
The easy, 73-36 win included 12 three-pointers and scoring from 11 different players. FHS, which led 31-20 at half, improved to 7-5.
Before the game, coach Jason Mayfield decided to change his usual starting five and to tweak the way he rotates players in and out.
“Shuffled the rotation around a little to see if the younger ones can contribute,” Mayfield said. “Rotated five in and five out. That way I was getting in 10 … played 11, just to balance things out.”
The plan obviously worked. Jayna Carbaugh, a freshman guard, led the Lady Admirals with 15. The scoring was widely distributed, very much unlike against A-E the day before.
“We shot really well,” Mayfield said. “They (Scott) played zone the whole game…our most difficult thing is to handle pressure. That made it easier.”
“I’ll definitely do it (adjust the rotation) next game until I can figure out who are my seven to nine who can contribute,” Mayfield said.
Admirals 80, Austin-East 74 (double overtime)
After cruising to an easy win in the first round, Farragut High School’s boys’ basketball team needed high drama to pull out a double-overtime win in the second round against Austin-East High School.
Down six in the first OT, Parker Lane hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to force a second overtime. The Admirals prevailed in that period, 80-74.
“We played really well in the second quarter,” FHS coach JP Burris said. “Struggled some in the second half by not closing the game out by handling pressure and knocking down free throws.”
Farragut led by 11 at halftime and by nine after three quarters, but the Roadrunners tied it at the end of regulation.
A-E took a 6 point lead with one minute to go in the first overtime, but Lane’s three at the buzzer sent the game into a second overtime.
Lane’s 32 points matched his output from the day before, when he set a single-game FHS record for most made threes.
“Britton Lewis and Parker were big for us in the second overtime,” Burris said. “Knocking down free throws and controlling the tempo.”
