Arlington- The Arlington Boys Basketball team by far has not had a season this successful, at least within the last 5 years. Arlington’s Athletic Director Coach Melissa Mitchell stated, “I’ve been here nine years and I’ve never seen a boys basketball team have quite a season like this”. The excitement by the hosting Vikings was evident, yet also shared by the visiting Fletcher Senators, who after playing two games in two days finally saw an eastern division championship within their grasp. However, if Arlington or Fletcher were going to be crowned Eastern Division Boys Champions, they would have to collide head to head against one another at Arlington Middle School.
The game began with a moderate and leisurely start fueled with low scores and excellent defense. The first period of the divisional tie breaker game closed with Fletcher leading Arlington 7-3. The second period kicked into gear with Fletcher’s #24 Seth Allen (16pts) and #3Mason Lee pairing together to command the court. The Fletcher duo strategically moved the ball, dishing out quick passes accompanied by an even rotation amongst their teammates. Fletcher’s guards emerged within the second period pummeling Arlington with strong drives, fearlessly advancing to the goal. Also, Fletcher’s #33 Will Moon (5 points) was a big force in the paint. Yet Arlington fired back, going on a late run in the 2nd period thanks to the play of their active guards. A three pointer cut into the Senators lead, and strong defense cut into the Senator’s confidence. Allowing Arlington to get back into the game. Fletcher still led 16-14 at halftime. In the second half, the pace heated up as both teams started to find a rhythm. They began to hit open shots responding to each other’s field goals and three pointers. Suddenly a timid affair turned into a knock down drag out blow for blow battle royal with Fletcher holding on to a slim 25-23 lead heading into the 4th period. In the fourth, Arlington had several opportunities to close the gap on Fletcher thanks to their advantage in rebounding, however they failed to knock down the open three pointers needed to gain the victory. In the end, Arlington was forced to foul, which included a technical foul inside a minute in the game. Mason Lee would hit one of two free throws all but icing the win and the Eastern Division Championship for Fletcher.
Boys Basketball! 42-36 Fletcher wins Eastern division championship over Arlington advances to the Duval County playoffs pic.twitter.com/gLNsl6ekuV
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) March 9, 2018
The victory ensures that Fletcher will advance to the playoffs to face Jeff Davis Friday. They must wait to see if All Conference player #10 Lajae Jones will be available to play after injuring himself in the first shoot out game versus Kernan.
