Let it rain: Admirals snap 43-year state tournament drought
And that is exactly what J.P. Burris walked into Monday night, as his Farragut players doused him with water after their 57-50 win over Sevier County High School in the Class 4A Sectional round on March 9.
With the win, the Admirals snapped a 43-year drought to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 1983.
It is the fourth state tournament berth in program history, as all three others occurred within a six-year span: 1978, 1980 and 1983.
Now, after more than four decades, the Admirals will return to the pinnacle of high school basketball in Tennessee.
And they will do it with five seniors who have led the way all season long.
“We’re just a brotherhood here,” senior Britton Lewis said. “We have shirts that say family, and Coach Burris has done a great job with that. We knew that was our goal, to go to state. And he’s kept us accountable to that.”
“Man, that means the world to me because it’s my group,” Burris added with a smile. “I hope that doesn’t sound selfish, but this is the group that came in with me. They bought into what our staff asked, telling them they would reap the benefits. And tonight they did.”
Lewis led the Ads with 15 points on the night. Fittingly, four of them came during two straight fast breaks during the run that put the game away.
“Britton is just Britton,” Burris said. “That steady hand, he guards the other team’s best player, and he can go get you a bucket when you need one. I thought he was really big when we put together that run to end it. You trust him, and he delivers.”
Two other seniors, Parker Lane and Reid Vining, delivered too with 12 points each. Lane knocked down a 3-pointer to break a 40-40 tie and hit multiple free-throws late, while Vining nailed a layup as part of the Admirals’ final push.
Fellow senior Aidan Foshie added 11 points of his own, including a clutch 3-pointer and a free throw that marked the last point of the game. And Dan Lanning scored three points, two of which came amidst Farragut’s first run when they responded to a 6-2 deficit with a 19-2 run to close the first quarter.
Altogether, those numbers put all five seniors as the Farragut’s top five scorers on their biggest night in Admiral uniforms.
Yet even in an evening when they reached new heights, Farragut’s players found familiarity in their circumstances.
After jumping out to a 21-8 lead, the Admirals withstood a second-quarter push from the Smoky Bears to take a 31-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Still, Sevier County was not done. Far from it, in fact.
The home squad staged a quick 11-4 run out of the break, tying the score at 35 to send the purple-clad gym into bedlam.
Lane regained the lead with a pair of free-throws, only for Sevier County’s Parker Newman to hit a 3-pointer for the Smoky Bears’ first lead since the first three minutes of game time.
Foshie coolly responded with a triple of his own, but Sevier County knotted the score at 40 once more.
That set the stage for one final push — and this time, Farragut took firm control with a 17-10 run to salt the game away.
“They weathered the storm again,” Burris said. “This team has been so resilient all year.”
As the clock plummeted toward zero, players and fans began jumping around and hugging one another.
Farragut girls basketball starter Trinity Curry waved a blue flag, causing Vining to duck to avoid contact.
Lanning and Lane bear-hugged near the claw logo at mid-court, and Lewis embraced multiple assistant coaches.
Finally, after the players returned to the locker room, Burris walked in and tore off his shirt — an eager acceptance of the shower he knew about from the moment he stepped in the door.
The liquid soaked the navy “STATE BOUND” shirts each player wore, but no one cared.
All that mattered was what the water represented and, now, what lies ahead next week: a date with Walker Valley at 11 a.m. CT inside the Murphy Center next Thursday, March 19.
“It’s more than just basketball with this group,” Burris said. “They’re good people, and I’m so glad they have earned this opportunity.”
