Fayette boys only local team still alive in region playoffs

“This game (the second round region tournament playoff game) is always the hardest,” said Fayette County head boys basketball coach Andre Flynn after his Tigers narrowly avoided an upset to the Starr’s Mill Panthers.

The second round game is for one of the four spots from the region to the state tournament and that can lead to all sorts of things - teams playing loose and playing their best ball of the season or teams tightening up and leaving their opponents hanging around.

The tournament action on Wednesday saw a little bit of everything. In the end, only Fayette’s boys will enter the state playoffs next week.

McIntosh’s varsity boys basketball team kicked off the second round Wednesday afternoon and got hammered by Banneker. Due to a combination of McIntosh shots not falling and the Trojans outrebounding the Chiefs, Banneker built a sizable lead and cruised through much of the second half on their way to a 72-51 win. Josh Ball led McIntosh with 20 points while Preston Hodge added seven.

The second game pitted Fayette County and Starr’s Mill and fans got a great game. The Tigers led 18-10 at the end of the first quarter but Starr’s Mill started the second quarter with a 10-0 run to take a lead. In all, there were six lead changes in the first half. Fayette County surged ahead in the second half, leading by 11 heading into the final quarter, but the Panthers kept coming and trailed by one with just over 20 seconds to play. Anthony Harper hit two huge free throws towards the end and Starr’s Mill’s attempts to tie the game with a three pointer were unsuccessful. Fayette County won 57-54.

“Wins like this make us tough,” said Flynn. “We’re battle tested. I’m proud of this team.” Flynn also had praise for Harper, a senior. “He’s grown up. We told him he would need to make shots and he did. He kept trying out for this team and never game up, now he’s an integral part of this team.”
Harper finished with 14 points, while the Tigers were led by Adam Smith’s 26.

Fayette County has now made the state playoffs nine years in a row.

“We almost had them,” Starr’s Mill head coach Brandon Hutchins said. “We settled down towards the end and established the pace. I’m proud of this team. We had a great season and set the standard.” Starr’s Mill set a school record for wins this season and will return eight players from the roster.

Sandy Creek gave Mays all they could handle as well but the Raiders kept the Patriots at bay and won 60-54.

Fayette County will now take on Mays in the region 5-AAAA semi-final on Friday at 8:30 p.m.

There are three girls teams from Fayette County still playing in the region tournament. McIntosh and Sandy Creek tangle for one of the four state playoff spots this afternoon at 4 p.m. and Fayette County takes on Northgate at 7 p.m.