3 observations from FACS’s win over Memphis East

<p>First Assembly Christian School (3-0) defeated Memphis East (1-1), 59-56, Friday night in the Memphis Hardwood Classic at Bartlett High School.</p> <p>Here are three observations from the Crusaders’ win over the Mustangs.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1021724" first="T.J." last="Thomas"] put FACS on his back</strong></p> <p>When senior wing <strong>Daniel</strong> <strong>Egbuniwe</strong> picked up his fifth foul with 5:36 left in the game, Crusaders head coach Dee Wilkes had to lean on one of his senior guards to lead the team to victory. At that point, FACS held a 49-44 lead. Two minutes later, Memphis East grabbed its first lead of the second half (52-51) after a deep 3 by junior <strong>Jamarion</strong> <strong>Harvey</strong>. Two free throws by Thomas put FACS up one, but sophomore forward <strong>Alijah</strong> <strong>Curry</strong> put the Mustangs back up by one after making his two foul shot attempts.</p> <p>With under a minute left, Thomas was able to get the switch on Curry deep on the right wing. The 6-foot-1 guard used his crisp ball handles to create enough space to put in the go-ahead 3 as Curry tried to contest it to give the Crusaders a 56-54 lead.</p> <p>Thomas iced the game from the foul line, going 3 of 4 in the waning seconds.</p> <p>Thomas is comfortable taking big shots in big games. He’s not afraid to put the team on his back. And when Wilkes calls his number, Thomas is already prepared to deliver.</p> <p>“At halftime when everyone left out of the locker room, I kept him in the locker room and said “If we’re going to win this game, you’re going to have play big in the second half,” Wilkes said about Thomas, who finished with 16 points.</p> <p>“I said ‘You had a bad first half. Let the game come to you.’ And he did that. In the second half, Daniel fouled out, and I told Thomas ‘You have to go win this game.’ And he did just that.”</p> <p>Egbuniwe led the team with 17 points.</p> <p><strong>Unusual misses from FACS</strong></p> <p>The Crusaders started off slow, trailing 17-7 in the early seconds of the second quarter. FACS was able to settle down, and went on a 25-10 run to take a 32-25 lead into halftime. The Crusaders are known for being a solid free throw shooting team. Senior guard <strong>Kobe</strong> <strong>Wilkes</strong> missed both of free throw attempts. Senior guard <strong>Corey</strong> <strong>Savage</strong> missed his lone foul shot attempt.</p> <p>Those misses were unusual from Wilkes and Savage. Yet, FACS was able to get a win over a talented Memphis East team. Savage finished with eight points and made two big 3s each time the Mustangs were trying to gain steam.</p> <p><strong>Wilkes thinks highly of Memphis East</strong></p> <p>The Mustangs are one of the most talented teams in the state of Tennessee this season. Wilkes knew it was going to be a tough game going in. He respects the talent at Memphis East and feels the Mustangs will be tough to beat towards the end of the season.</p> <p>“These guys are young, but for them to come out and play this way against a senior-led team, everybody better watch out, because once they get more games under their belt, they will be hard to beat,” Wilkes said. “I have been knowing <strong>EJ Smith</strong> for a long time. We played AAU with him coming up.</p> <p>“He’s gotten a lot better. Once he gets comfortable over there, it’s going to be some trouble. I really like [player_tooltip player_id="1213160" first="Billy" last="Richmond"]’s game. I like [player_tooltip player_id="1211912" first="Alijah" last="Curry"]’s game. Both have a chance to be really special.”</p> <p>Harvey led Memphis East with 16 points. Richmond finished with 14. Curry, who was dealing with foul trouble for most of the game, had 10.</p>