3 takeaways from First Assembly Christian School’s win over Webb School

<p>First Assembly Christian School (24-2) defeated Webb School (20-11) Saturday afternoon, 59-44, to advance to the semifinals round of the Division II-A Boys’ State Tournament.</p> <p>This is the Crusaders’ second trip to the final four in three years.</p> <p>Here are 3 takeaways from their win over Bell Buckle.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1006435" first="Evan" last="Eursher"] made tough shots</strong></p> <p>The senior combo guard made tough shots over defenders on Saturday. FACS head coach Dee Wilkes put multiple defenders on Eursher, but that didn’t seem to keep him from scoring and keeping his team in the ball game.</p> <p>Webb School trailed 26-9 midway through the second quarter before it went on a 14-0 run to get within three. Eursher scored 12 of those points, connecting on four 3s to spark an offense that managed to score only four points in the first quarter.</p> <p>And each shot made was contested.</p> <p>That was the best offensive performance displayed by Bell Buckle as Eursher mustered only three points in the second half, but for a three-minute stretch before the break, Eursher did what he could to keep his team’s season alive for, at least, one more game.</p> <p>“Dude is a great player. I told my team before the game ‘He’s going to make some shots while we defend, but for each one he makes, he’s going to miss one or two of them,’” Wilkes said about Eursher, who led Webb School with 20 points. “So, when he misses one or two, get the rebound and go down and get a layup.</p> <p>“We had a 16-point lead, and they were able to cut it down to 3. He made some tough shots. I don’t think anyone else we played this year can make those kind of shots.”</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1021724" first="T.J." last="Thomas"] did his usual</strong></p> <p>After a score by junior power forward <strong>Stephen</strong> <strong>Olowoniyi</strong>, the Crusaders led 28-25, then, out of nowhere, senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1021724" first="T.J." last="Thomas"] made back-to-back 3s before connecting on two more to push his team’s lead to 40-29 late in the third quarter.</p> <p>Senior forward <strong>Daniel</strong> <strong>Egbuniwe</strong>, who had 12 points, pushed the lead to 45-30 after a made 3 from the right wing.</p> <p>Thomas’ scoring burst was needed as Bell Buckle gained confidence after their leading scorer got them within striking distance.</p> <p>This isn’t the first time Thomas, who led his team with 24 points, has had to carry the offensive load. He has always been willing take shots in big games. Luckily for FACS, he took big shots Saturday afternoon and made them.</p> <p><strong>Webb School’s 1-3-1 didn’t bother the Crusaders</strong></p> <p>For most of the game, Bell Buckle sat in a 1-3-1 zone, with Olowoniyi (6-foot-7) and junior forward <strong>Hector</strong> <strong>Larrson</strong> (6-8) at the top of it after senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1021722" first="Corey" last="Savage"] got going early with three made shots from beyond the arc. FACS didn’t get rattled by the zone defense. The Crusaders remained patient on offense, moved the basketball, forced the bigs to come further out to guard before finding a great shot.</p> <p>“Any guy can beat you on this team,” Wilkes said. “Corey (Savage) made three 3s in the first half, then T.J. made four in the third quarter. In the next game, it might be <strong>Alex</strong> <strong>Harris</strong>. It might be Daniel. It’s next man up. You take one of our guys away, we got five to six guys that can make shots.</p> <p>“I’m confident in everyone on the court to make shots.”</p> <p>Here’s the updated bracket for the Division II-A Boys’ State Championship.</p> <p>Friday, March 4</p> <p>FACS vs. Clarksville Academy</p> <p>Goodpasture vs. University School of Nashville</p>