When Westinghouse snapped Farragut’s 20-game winning streak two weeks ago in the Public League semifinals, the Admirals were hoping to get a another shot at the Warriors.
They got that shot Friday night in the Gordon Tech sectional final and made the most of it, cruising to a surprisingly easy 76-54 victory that puts the No. 6 Admirals one victory away from a trip Downstate.
“We wanted to prove that we should have won the last game too,” Farragut coach William Nelson said. “After we got out to a lead, we weren’t going to let them back into the game this time.”
The Admirals, who also won a six-point decision against No. 3 Westinghouse (28-4) on Super Bowl Sunday, broke open a 19-19 tie after the first quarter with a 20-4 second-quarter blitz to take a 39-23 halftime lead. By time the fourth quarter arrived, the cushion had swelled to 58-32, with much of the credit going to the Admirals’ front line, which helped Farragut (28-3) to a 37-18 rebounding advantage.
“They outrebounded us in the last game, so we wanted to come into this one with a bang,” said Farragut senior Ollie Bailey, who scored a game-high 26 points to go with nine rebounds.
While Bailey and fellow big men Emmanuel Little (11 rebounds) and Johnnie Logan (seven rebounds) took care of the interior, sophomore point guard Chris Singletary was steady in running the Admirals’ offense. It’s a role he has embraced, particularly since an ankle injury suffered Feb. 2 at Marshall has hindered his cutting ability.
“Since coming back from the injury I haven’t been able to be as much of an offensive threat,” said Singletary, who chipped in with 10 points despite early foul trouble.
“I’m just playing the point and even though I’m a sophomore, the other guys have no problem getting behind me as a leader.”
After the tight first quarter, it looked as if the game would be decided in the final minutes, like the first two games between the teams. But Bailey scored nine straight points to end an 18-2 run that began the second quarter, and Westinghouse center DeAndre Thomas (10 points) sat out most of the quarter with foul trouble, softening the inside for the Admirals.
With Thomas on the bench, the Warriors’ offensive load was left to Jamarcus Ellis (25 points), but he wasn’t able to match the Admirals’ effort by himself.
Now that the Westinghouse hurdle has been surmounted, Farragut will need to get past another Public League obstacle, Von Steuben, to punch its ticket to Peoria.
