Red Bank’s Tory Sewell drives to the basket past Brainerd’s Malik Hymon in a December game at Red Bank’s Susan Ingram Thurman Gymnasium. The Lions are also hosting the District 6-AA tournament.With four players on the Red Bank boys’ basketball team who can throw down a windmill dunk, senior guard Tory Sewell hopes his final high school postseason is filled with powerful slams and a piece of the net.
However, the Lions’ high-flying bunch must survive a gantlet inside their Susan Ingram Thurman Gymnasium to climb the ladder by the end of the District 6-AA tournament.
“I am a big competitor, and our district is full of others, too,” said Sewell, who has averaged 18 points and four assists per game this season. “Any team can show up and win. Every night is a battle and a dog fight. Our team can win it all, but we have to lock in together.”
Red Bank (17-10) is seeded fourth for the tournament, but its notable wins in 2018-19 include a sweep of 6-AA regular-season champion Brainerd, a Christmas tournament victory over Brentwood High School in Nashville – the Bruins have won 21 games so far this season – and a recent victory over Howard that ended with a Lucas Brown Jr. dunk that spread like wildfire on social media.
The Lions received a bye in the district tournament, so they’ll tip off their postseason in the 6-AA quarterfinals Friday at 7 in an elimination game against East Ridge (16-12). The two split their regular-season meetings, with the Pioneers winning 72-43 at home on Jan. 25 but losing a four-point lead in the final 54 seconds Feb. 8 at Red Bank as the versatile, 6-foot-2 Sewell made a 3-pointer, forced a steal on an inbounds pass and dunked to help the Lions win 59-56.