Lady Admirals slow start, rout Jefferson County
But the second half righted the ship.
Leading by only two at half, 18-16, the Lady Admirals pulled away in the second half, winning comfortably at 55-35. The non-district win improved FHS to 6-4 overall (3-0 district).
Senior guard KJ McNealy led all scorers with 27,
including four three-pointers. Junior post Trinity Curry added 12.
“Defensively, we finally put together a full 32 minutes,” Farragut coach Jason Mayfield said. “Up 18-16 at half … we were getting good shots, but sometimes that happens. But, they stayed focused and we put together a pretty good second half.”
“First half, we should have been winning by a lot more than we were,” McNealy said. “He (Mayfield) says I need to set the tone, so we came out and I got that first steal, and we were fine.”
A bright spot for the Lady Admirals this season, especially on offense, has been the emergence of Zoe Porter as a threat from outside. Against Oak Ridge, the junior connected six times from long range.
“She’s always been able to shoot like that,” Mayfield said. “Just a matter of her getting a little quicker and improving her ball-handling a little bit. With all the injuries it’s given her an opportunity and she’s taken advantage of it.”
Mayfield was asked with what he was most pleased at this point in the season. “Role players sliding into some spots that weren’t expected and them developing,” he said. “Anna (Corum) and Lily (Mullins), who are starters and seniors, are still role players. Their roles have had to expand a lot.”
“We turn the ball over a lot,” Mayfield said when
asked about how his team needs to improve. “And, trying to find ways to get scoring from everyone. When
the focus is on KJ and Trinity, how are the others gonna step up?”
Three Lady Admirals are out with injury, one of whom — Gabby VanAcker — would start if she were healthy. Mayfield hopes to have the junior wing back in January, but her timeline is uncertain.
“Last year, she averaged eight or 10 a game,” Mayfield said. “She would have increased that. She’d have been 12 to 15 a game.”
Sophomore guard/wing Livy Slagle went down in the first game and is out for the season. Freshman wing Raina Styles hurt her knee but is
expected back at some point. “If we can get two of those players back, we’re in much better shape,” Mayfield said.
McNealy likes where the team is at this point in the season. “I think we’ve gotten better as the season has gone on,” she said.
“We’ve progressed, and I think we’re figuring out how to play together. I think we’ll continue to get better.”
