Sequels are rarely better than the original.
But the Fulton boys basketball team had no problem at all Saturday with its rematch with Austin-East being a total snoozer; that only meant that they won with ease.
The Falcons got 19 points apiece from Tyler Lee and Denaj Kimber, and Dexter Lewis added 13 points, as Fulton trounced host Austin-East 68-52.
Fulton and Austin-East played four times last season. But since they are no longer in the same district, Saturday afternoon’s matchup was the final between the two for the 2023-24 season.
Austin-East won the first meeting on Jan. 13, as junior guard Shane Cherry electrified a packed Jody Wright Arena at Fulton with 41 points in a 69-67 win.
Fulton (24-2) didn’t let him get loose this time around.
Cherry finished with just 19, and the Falcons have won six games in a row since that defeat to A-E. Cherry had eight in the first half and seven points in the third, but that’s when Fulton outscored Austin-East 23-12 to break away.
The Roadrunners were peaking just a few weeks ago, it seemed. They had wins over District 2-2A rival Alcoa and the Jan. 13 win over Fulton. But the near-two-week hiatus because of snow has siphoned all their momentum. A-E is 2-3 since returning to action Jan. 26.
See the highlights of Saturday’s game below…