- January 17, 2026
FPC's Nate Perry goes up for a shot in the lane as Fletcher's Aaron Garrard (12) blocks his path. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Nate Perry goes up for a shot. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Anthony Hampton drives on the baseline. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC coach Greg Shirley talks to his team during a fourth-quarter timeout. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Nateshawn Royal takes a shot. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Tucker Flynn sinks a 3-pointer from the corner late in the first half. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's seniors and coaches pose on Senior Night. From left: Assistant coach John King, Siah Sanders, Tucker Flynn, Nate Perry, Anthony Hampton, Jack Wronowski, Nateshawn Royal, Benjamin Marks, Zac Murphy, head coach Greg Shirley and assistant coach Johnny Hampton. Courtesy photo
FPC's Nate Perry (2) takes a shot. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Nate Perry (2) drives to the basket. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC senior Anthony Hampton's left Nike green Sabrina blew out during practice, so he made a temporary fix with an older right shoe. Photo by Brent Woronoff
The Fletcher Senators' basketball shoes display a rainbow of colors. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Senior Night was emotional, Flagler Palm Coast’s Anthony Hampton said.
“It was really exciting walking out with everybody I grew up playing with,” he said. “And being on the court one last time with them as a senior, it really meant a lot.”
Hampton was one of eight seniors honored before the Bulldogs’ boys basketball game with Neptune Beach Fletcher on Friday, Jan. 16. The others were Siah Sanders, Nateshawn Royal, Zac Murphy, Jack Wronowski, Nate Perry, Tucker Flynn and Benjamin Marks.
The Bulldogs have at least one more home game this season, the Flagler County rivalry game against Matanzas on Friday, Jan. 23. But rivalry games are emotional enough. Senior Night is supposed to start and end on a happy note. And this one almost didn’t end that way.
FPC entered the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead and then hung on to defeat Fletcher 49-47.
The Senators went into a full-court press in the final minutes, fouling the Bulldogs immediately as they inbounded the ball. Then, Fletcher scored quickly on the other end.
“No time was running off the clock,” Shirley said.
But, fortunately for the Bulldogs, they hit 9 of 12 free-throw opportunities in the quarter to escape with the victory and improve to 13-6 heading into an MLK Classic game against Wekiva on Monday, Jan. 19, at Spruce Creek High School.
Hampton, who finished with 11 points, sank 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch.
Making our free throws was big. If we didn’t make our free throws, we would probably be in overtime right now, maybe worse. We could have lost on Senior Night.
— ANTHONY HAMPTON, FPC senior
“Making our free throws was big,” he said after the game. “If we didn’t make our free throws, we would probably be in overtime right now, maybe worse. We could have lost on Senior Night.”
The Senators (7-11) scored 23 points in the fourth quarter after scoring 24 through the first three quarters. Fletcher’s Kenny Matty dropped in a driving layup with 17 seconds remaining to pull the visitors to within two points at 45-43.
But Sanders and Hampton each went 2-for-2 at the free throw line in the final 10 seconds to hold off the Senators.
“They scored a lot of points in the fourth quarter, and that’s something we have to work on,” Shirley said. “We did not play with the sense of urgency, like we did in the first three quarters.”
Perry led the Bulldogs with 12 points. He went 8-for-8 from the free-throw line in the first half. FPC converted 18-of-24 free-throw attempts in the game. Sanders added nine points, while Royal scored eight.
Shirley said he is excited about the postseason which begins on Feb. 5 with the District 1-7A semifinals. The Bulldogs were ranked fourth in Region 1-7A as of Jan. 13. Eight teams, including four district champs and the next four highest ranked teams, make the regional tournament.
“I'm excited for what we can do,” Shirley said. “I’d love to be able to take this group to the regionals and do our best to make a run out of it.”
