CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – On Friday, fans in attendance at “The Eagle’s Nest” witnessed an instant classic, as Northeast hosted Kenwood in a District 10-AAA matchup.
With 30 seconds remaining in regulation and the game coming down to the wire, Isaiah Farrior skied for an offensive rebound on a missed Eagle free throw before being fouled and sent to the charity stripe to shoot a pair.
The junior then proceeded to knock down two clutch shots to give Northeast a four-point advantage and help seal the eventual 58-54 win.
“Honestly I work on my free-throw shooting a lot,” Farrior said. “This week in practice, my teammates have been on me because I haven’t had confidence in myself. When I went to the line, I knew we had to have them. It changed the game and I feel like after that we were going to win it.”
In the two team’s previous meeting this season, Farrior hadn’t yet gained playing eligibility after transferring and had to look on while his team fell 48-42.
Despite being unable to contribute by playing actual minutes the first time around, Farrior did however find a silver lining in the loss.
“We didn’t execute like we were supposed to,” Farrior said. “While I was watching, everything the coaches have been telling us we weren’t benefiting off of. I saw it in the game and saw the mistakes that we made. Looking back on it, it was really a good loss. It made us come down to earth a little bit.”
The energy from the crowd was contagious throughout, causing tensions to run high at times on the court.
Northeast boys basketball coach Sam Young believed the raucous environment was as intense as any regular-season atmosphere he’d previously coached in.
“It was electric tonight,” Young said. “I’ve been in a lot of big-time games from sub-state games, regional games and state tournament games, but as far as regular-season games go, this is probably one of the best crowds I’ve ever been a part of.”
Eagle guard Marcus Averhart helped set the tone for his team by connecting from downtown on the game’s opening possession and to begin the second half of play. He finished 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc and was instrumental for the Eagles down the stretch.
“Every time he gets his hands on the ball, I feel like it’s going in,” Young said. “That’s what you want for a shooter that you have. He’s a quality player. We run a lot of stuff for him and just him being on the floor changes the game. I liked what he brought to the table tonight. I’m really proud of him.”
Northeast’s next four opponents on the schedule all currently sit at the bottom of the District 10-AAA standings. Young hopes to see his group carry over their recent play as of late into the upcoming weeks.
“Just stay consistent,” Young said he wants his team to remain. “That’s what we’re preaching. We’ve had three good days of practice and we’re going to continue doing what we’re doing.”
For Farrior, the next matchup for the Eagles isn’t just another game on the docket. It’s much more significant than that.
“Everything,” Farrior said on what a win against his former school would mean to him. “It’s no hard feelings or anything, but I just can’t wait to play them. I have a lot of family over there and my brother goes to school there. I’ve been playing with them boys since middle school. We won a state championship together. After what happened last year, I just want to show them that they messed up.”
Farrior led the Eagles with 19 points. Averhart scored 14 points while Josh Alexander also finished in double figures with 11 points.
James “Scooter” Williams had 16 points followed by Jaylen Washington with 15 points. Zak Kramer, Kevin McIntosh and Malik Brooks all added eight points each for the Knights.
Kenwood (7-2, District 10-AAA) travels to Memphis to compete in the Lausanne MLK Classic on Monday.
Northeast (7-2, District 10-AAA) will take on district foe Northwest Tuesday on the road.