#1 Franklin 78 #8 Dickson County 28
They needed two courts, but the top-seeded Franklin High School boys basketball team cruised into the Distinct 11-AAA semifinals on Monday. After building a 30-5 lead against Dickson County in the district quarterfinals, the game had to be moved from FHS because of a gas leak. No additional information was provided in regards to the leak, but after an evacuation of those in attendance, the game was moved and picked up at Independence High School about an hour later. The Admirals didn’t cool off too much and led 49-18 at the half. Reed Kemp scored 19 points to lead the way for Franklin. Kemp netted 10 points in the first quarter alone and Matt Thurman scored nine of his 10 points in the frame as well. Tom Fortner dropped in 16 points for the Admirals – all in the third quarter – and both Aidan Smylie (16) and Taylor Spierto (10) also reached double figures. Mason Jones added seven points for Franklin, which will host Page Tuesday night for a district title berth. Dickson County defeated Spring Hill 51-40 earlier Monday at Franklin to advance out of the district play-in game. Josh Cope scored 21 points in that contest to lead the Cougars, who outscored the Raiders 19-9 in the fourth to advance. Jamison Barum scored 12 points to lead Dickson County in the later game.
Source: Williamson Herald
#2 Brentwood 39 #7 Summit 32
With Summit High School boys basketball coach Jim Fey sidelined with a positive test for COVID-19, assistant Ben Parker took over the head coaching duties for the Spartans. His debut did not end as well as he would have hoped, however, as Brentwood defeated Summit 39-32 in the District 11-AAA quarterfinals. The loss ends Summit's season without a return trip to the regional tournament, following a sectional berth last season. "Not a whole lot changed. We had a game plan, and we’d been in communication with (Coach Fey)," Parker said. "We fully expected to come in here and win the game. We had a good chance the last time out against these guys. "Our guys tried to execute that game plan – we just couldn’t get the ball to go in the basket." In a brief flash of things to come in the first quarter, Summit won the tip and Tre Hunter darted down the left side of the lane, but missed the layup. The Spartans struggled to finish at the rim. "Early on we dug ourselves into a hole, and against a team like Brentwood – especially on the road – it’s hard to fight back against that," Parker said. "I’m proud of our team. They battled a lot of adversity this year and they played hard – just couldn’t get the big shots to go in tonight." Much of Brentwood's success in the first half came from second-chance points, as the Bruins dominated the glass on both ends of the floor. Brentwood coach Greg Shirley was grateful for those points, though it isn't the method he prefers. "I kind of like it when we make shots the first time, so I’d rather not have any offensive rebounds. But I was really proud of the way we started the game tonight," he said. "The second shots early definitely helped that." Brentwood held a 17-5 lead after the first quarter, and did not outscore the Spartans in any other frame. The offense played well enough to maintain the lead, but it was the defense Shirley was most proud of in the win. "Being able to hold a potent and talented offense to 32 points says a lot about us," he said. "We talk about defense sometimes having to pull you through, and that’s what happened tonight." Brentwood shot the ball well in the first quarter against the Spartans' zone pressure, and following a timeout after a pair of Bruins' 3-pointers, the Spartans matched up man-to-man. Brentwood made quick work of that as well, continuing their offensive outburst with seven more points before Hunter got a bucket and a foul to stop the bleeding. In the second quarter, Summit returned to their zone defense, and was able to force Brentwood into more difficult shots from the perimeter. Destin Wade then opened the quarter with a long ball, and Hunter converted another 3-point play to cut the lead to 19-11. John Windley and Davis White extended the lead with six straight points, but Summit battled to make it 27-16 at the break. "Early in the game, it was just the effort to get on the offensive glass. We talked about it at halftime, and made some adjustments," Parker said. Coming out of the locker rooms, Summit was determined to force the Bruins into tougher shots and the Spartans increased their effort on the defensive glass. Summit was on a 9-0 run before Brentwood finally got a bucket with a little more than half the quarter gone. The Bruins scored just four points in the third frame, but held Summit at bay. The offensive output from Summit wasn't enough to overcome the early deficit, but the Spartans certainly gave it all they had to give themselves an opportunity late. "Give Summit credit, they played hard and they made plays when we didn’t," Shirley said. "I’m proud of this team for moving on and qualifying for regionals. You had two teams out there tonight who really wanted it." Brentwood will host Ravenwood in the district semifinals Tuesday.
Source: Williamson Herald
#3 Ravenwood 58 #6 Centennial 44
The Raptors earned a third shot at rival Brentwood with a quarterfinal win over visiting Centennial on Monday. Noah Clifford scored 17 points to lead Ravenwood and Ben Bonga added 10 more. The Raptors built some separation from the Cougars with a 17-4 run before the half. Alex Williams added nine for RHS. Pat Garrett netted 20 points, knocking down six 3-pointers, to pace Centennial. Lincoln Aholt tossed in six points. The Cougars ended the season with a 9-19 record.
Source: Williamson Herald
#4 Page 58 #5 Independence 55
Page High School boys’ basketball coach Aaron Howard learned three lessons in Monday night’s hard fought 58-55 District 11-AAA opening round win over Independence in Rudderville. “One, you’ve got play four quarters. Two, other teams play as hard as you do. And three, we found a way to win," he said. None was more important than the third, as the fourth-seeded Patriots watched a 15-point lead fizzle away in the final 10 minutes, making what appeared an easy advancement to the semifinals, and a spot in the Region 6-AAA tourney next week, a nail-biter. “I have a lot of respect for that Independence team, as hard as they play," Howard said. "They could have wilted at any time when we had them on the ropes, but they just kept throwing haymakers.” And the smallest kid on the floor threw the biggest punches. Eagles guard Jett Montgomery poured in 23 of his game-high 30 points in the second half. Just a freshman, Montgomery nailed 9-of-11 shots he took in the final 16 minutes, including 4-of-5 3-pointers. “I can’t wait to see what the future holds for that kid,” said Howard. “If you could make fantasy trades in high school, I’d be trying to make that trade. But they ain’t trading him.” On the other side of the coin, Howard isn’t interested in trading any of his guys, either. Thomas Seaman led Page with 18 points, showing soft hands around the paint for most of the night before ramming home a thundering two-handed dunk with three minutes left in the third to lift the Patriots lead to 15. He was hit with a technical foul after officials ruled he kept his grasp on the rim a little too long, though. The extra free throws ignited Indy, which went on a 21-8 run over the ensuing eight minutes, cutting the lead to 52-50. The teams swapped field goals before Grant Snider sealed the deal for the Patriots with a free throw with just .7 seconds left. Seaman got support from Andres Casella (12 points) and Jaime Hernandez (10 points) in the win. The loss ended the season for the fifth-seeded Eagles despite the efforts of Montgomery, River Katina and Tyus Anderson. “I thought the kids played great, just gave it all they had,” said Independence interim had coach Jeff Parker as he hugged every player on the way out of the locker room. “I told them just to give it everything they had. They did, and it gave us an opportunity to win the end of the game. “We’ve got a lot of guys coming back. Those guys got a taste of what it means to play in a meaningful game and the ones coming back are looking forward to it.” The Patriots will travel to Franklin Tuesday after the Admirals bested Dickson County 78-28 Monday night in a game that started at Franklin but moved to Independence after a gas leak was suspected at the Hillsboro Road school. It is the first time since 2014 that Page has advanced past the first round of the district tournament.
Source: Williamson Herald
