Preparing to enter 2021 ...

Ads dust off HHS, Tribe, fall to S-Hill

  • Ryan Neal, Ads junior guard, brings the ball upcourt against HHS. - Photos courtesy of Carles Reveiz/crfoto.com

  • Carter Mayfield (14), Farragut High School junior guard, puts defensive pressure on Heritage guard Parker Rothery during this Admirals versus Mountaineers District 4-AAA clash in FHS’s Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium on Senior Night Tuesday, Dec. 8. Farragut won in a rout, 63-32. - Photos courtesy of Carles Reveiz/crfoto.com

  • Jake Bishop, Farragut senior wing, looks to make a pass, or make a move to the basket, against Heritage Tuesday night, Dec. 8, on FHS Senior Night in Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium. - Photos courtesy of Carles Reveiz/crfoto.com

JOHNSON CITY — Following an emotional Senior Night, with Farragut senior guard Mason Motley center stage (see feature in Dec. 24 issue), the Admirals headed to the Tri-Cities for two games before the Knox County Schools-mandatory sports break was imposed until Tuesday, Jan. 5.

After a resounding 63-32 Senior Night and District 4-AAA victory against Heritage, Farragut (3-4 overall, 1-1 in district) would earn a split in the Tennessee Roundball Classic Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-12, at Science Hill High School.

Admirals skipper Jon Higgins said his team “competed in a way that we hadn’t competed all season” in a 65-58 victory against Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett Friday.

A pair of junior guards led the way offensively versus KDB: Dillon Atwell scoring 21 and Ryan Neal adding 12.

“I thought we played exceptionally well. Dobyns-Bennett is a really good basketball team,” Higgins said. “... It was a physical basketball game. It was a tough basketball game.

“We stayed focused on the task at hand and we played together down the stretch,” he added. “Throughout the entire second half I felt like we had a good control of the game.”

Science Hill 40 FHS 38

One day later, the Admirals fell to host Science Hill 40-38.

“It was a really tough game. I didn’t think we played necessarily well — especially compared to how we played the day before,” Higgins said. “We had a lot of turnovers; we missed a lot of shots we normally make.”

However, “I thought defensively we were pretty good,” the Admirals skipper added. “If you give up just 40 points, that should be good enough to win.

“We didn’t give ourselves enough looks at the basket. Just the sheer number of turnovers that we had.”

Isaiah Smith, junior wing, led Farragut in scoring with 10 points.