Two wins, no doubt
The Farragut High School boys basketball team held on to second place in the District 4-4A basketball standings with a pair of league victories last week.
The Admirals improved to 18-7 overall and 8-2 in district play with lopsided victories over Lenoir City and Rhea County.
Farragut opened the week with a 76-49 victory over the Panthers on Thursday night in the friendly confines of the Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium.
The contest was originally scheduled for Tuesday, Jan.27, but had to be postponed and subsequently rescheduled due to winter weather that forced the closing of Knox County Schools.
The Ads were also unable to practice on when classes were canceled early last week and they got off to a slow start against Lenoir City.
“You can’t afford to get off to a slow start against a team like Lenoir City or anybody else in our district,” FHS coach J.P. Burris said. “Lenoir City is a good team.”
The Panthers feature one of the area’s top post players in Ben Barr. Barr can be a dominant inside force, but he can also handle the basketball and bury clutch 3-point shots when called upon. His 6-foot-7 frame causes match-up problems for opponents.
He had a quiet night. He did score 13 points but found himself in foul trouble, and picked up his fifth foul and was disqualified early in the fourth quarter.
“Barr is a great player and for the most part, we did a good job against him,” Burris said. “Reid (Vining) did a good job against him, but we fell asleep a few times and he hit a couple of threes.”
Despite the slow start, the Admirals held a slim 13-12 lead. From there, Farragut kept building its advantage, opening a 35-25 lead by halftime and extending its advantage to 58-38 heading into the final frame.
The Admirals boasted a balanced and potent offensive attack and 13 proved to be a lucky number for Farragut against Lenoir City. Four Ads, including Vining, Parker Lane, Daniel Lanning and Matthew Dickens each tallied 13 points. Britton Lewis and Aidan Foshie scored eight points each.
On Friday, Farragut made the long trip to Rhea County and notched a 77-49 victory in Evensville. Five Admirals posted double figures against the Golden Eagles. Lewis led the way with 15 points. Vining and Lane added 14 apiece, while Lanning and Foshie finished with 12 points each.
