For the first time in 30 years, the Boyd Buchanan boys’ basketball team has advanced to the state semifinals.
The next stop for the third-ranked Buccaneers is Clarksville, where the TSSAA Division II-A semifinals take place next Friday at Austin Peay State University’s F&M Bank Arena, after junior Ian Allen scored 23 points to lead Boyd Buchanan to a 77-65 home win over Lausanne in a a quarterfinal matchup Saturday at Jett Gymnasium.
Allen was a force driving to the basket all evening, with the 6-foot-3, 195-pound small forward finishing with authority as he went up and under for several scores. The left-hander also converted a three-point play assisted by junior teammate Luke Lusk to build a 10-point lead with just more than five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Allen’s star performance came at a much-needed time as he went from his typical sixth-man role to a part of the starting lineup to fill in for an injured starter.
Although the semifinal pairings had not been announced as of Saturday evening, Boyd Buchanan (23-11) will play at either 2:30 or 6 p.m. Eastern on Friday. The other three DII-A boys’ teams that qualified and will play Friday are Battle Ground Academy (a 60-47 quarterfinal winner over Harding Academy), Providence Christian (71-38 over Lakeway Christian) and St. George’s (45-37 over Christian Academy of Knoxville).