Farragut knocks off Sevier County 57-50 in Sectional round
By Steve Williams
It’s a thrill when any high school basketball team qualifies to play in a state tournament, but to go after a program hasn’t been there in 43 years is mighty special.
That’s the ticket the Farragut Admirals are going to have punched this week in Murfreesboro.
Farragut, the Region 2-4A runner-up, became a surprise Sectional winner last week (March 9) when the Admirals upset the Region 1-4A champion Sevier County Smoky Bears 57-50 at Sevierville.
When asked what was the key to the win, Coach JP Burris said: “Honestly, I think it was just our seniors and their buy-in. We have five seniors that we start and that we play. And they knew how big of a game that it was going to be. They knew how big the moment would be. And I thought they did what they’ve done all year and kind of weathered the storm and did a great job following the game plan that we had and got it done down the stretch.”
Britton Lewis led the seniors with 15 points, followed by Reid Vining (12), Parker Lane (12), Aidan Foshie (11) and Daniel Lanning (3). Juniors Matthew Dickens and Connor Everly chipped in two points each.
The Admirals had a fast start and led 21-8 after the first quarter. The Smoky Bears, however, roared back in the second and third quarters and trailed by only one point (37-36).
“In a critical portion of the game in the second half they took a one-point lead, but we came down and scored the next possession and then we never lost the lead again,” recalled Burris. “It was a two-possession game there right til the end. We got one or two stops, knocked down a couple of free throws and finished it at the line.”
Farragut will play Walker Valley in the Class 4A quarterfinal round of the state tournament at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center Thursday at 11 a.m. (CDT).
It was 1983 when the Admirals last played at the state under the late Head Coach Lynn Sexton.
“I never got to meet him as his health was declining,” said Burris. “But that’s all I ever heard – just unbelievable good things about him.”
Coach Burris said getting to the state “is a culmination of a lot of hard work that this group has put in the last six months. They made that a goal six months ago that they wanted to go to the state tournament and they wanted to do it together.
“There are a lot of teams out there that will say they’re a family, but when times get rough they don’t necessarily act like a family. This group in particular has just fully embodied being a family. They truly embrace one another. They love one another. They celebrate each other’s successes. It’s by far the most selfless team I’ve ever been a part of and it’s just really cool that this group that has embodied that whole mindset of ‘Hey we’re a family’ has now got to reap the reward of getting to go to the state tournament together.”
