Admirals battle top competition at Winter Classic
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Farragut’s Reagan Sheridan (12) drives past a Hardin Valley defender on Dec. 5, 2025. Sheridan was one of multiple standouts for the Lady Admirals during their Smoky Mountain Winter Classic showing at Rocky Top Sports World Dec. 28-31. - Ellie Hatmaker
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Farragut senior Britton Lewis (11) drives past a First Baptist Academy defender during the Admirals’ game on Nov. 25. Lewis helped the Ads reach a 2-2 mark during their Smoky Mountain Winter Classic showing at Rocky Top Sports World Dec. 28-31. He scored 16 points on two separate occasions in that four-day span. - Ellie Hatmaker
From Dec. 28 to 31, both Farragut basketball programs took part in the Smoky Mountain Winter Classic at Rocky Top Sports World in Gatlinburg.
The Admirals (11-6, 2-2 in District 4-4A) finished fourth overall as they went 2-2 with four games in three days.
On the girls side, FHS (9-7, 3-0 District 4-4A) went 1-2 to finish sixth overall in their bracket.
Seniors lead FHS in packed slate
Farragut boys coach J.P. Burris added an extra game on the first day of the tournament, setting up a four-game run in three days.
But the Admirals answered admirably, going 2-2 against stiff competition.
Senior Parker Lane averaged 15.7 points per game while Britton Lewis came in at an average of 12 points across those four contests.
Lane paced FHS with 31 in a 73-56 win over Section (AL) in the second game of Farragut’s doubleheader on Dec. 29, while Lewis totaled 16 in the previous game, a 63-47 win against Grant County (KY). Lewis also nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer against Cincinnati Oak Hills, turning a four-point loss into a 68-67 result.
“Those guys are two of our three captains, and they’ve done a phenomenal job of leading,” Burris said. “Parker has been our leading scorer on the year, but on most nights, Britton will guard the other team’s best player. The fact that he has to do what he does on defense then produces on offense is just a testament to the basketball player and leader he is. They’ve both played really well this year and in the tournament.”
He noted the same of Reid Vining, who scored 17 in one game, and Dan Lanning, who poured in 14 against Oak Hills.
“We went back-to-back on Monday, and going two straight is kind of unheard of,” Burris said. “So I was really proud of our guys for getting two quality wins, and we relied on some of our guys to play more minutes than they normally would with that, too.”
That may have resulted in some fatigue for the Ads’ Dec. 30 matchup, as Farragut let an early lead slip away in a 51-49 overtime loss to Warren Central (KY).
“With going back-to-back, you kind of wonder if that took something out of our legs and caused us to run out of steam Tuesday when we lost to Warren Central in overtime,” Burris said. “They’re obviously a really good team, and we had a chance to win in regulation. Just didn’t get a shot off in time and then had a layup roll off the rim.”
Burris added that senior Aiden Foshie played his best game in an Admiral uniform that afternoon, totaling 12 points, though he did not get a chance to finish it after leaving with a head injury late in the fourth quarter.
“You have two games that come down to losing by one possession, and I didn’t do a great job putting us in a position to win in either one of those last two possessions,” Burris said. “A lot of that falls on me. But I was proud of how we played, and we faced good competition that will help us for district play for sure.”
Lady Ads go 1-2
in Gatlinburg
At Rocky Top Sports World, the Lady Ads dropped two games with a 41-36 win against South River, Maryland, the defending Class 3A state champion in that state.
Against Salem, Virgina, the top 4A team in the Commonwealth, FHS lost 70-48 but competed more closely with Cherokee Bluff, Georgia, the defending 3A state champion from the Peach State, in a 49-44 tournament-opening loss.
Senior KJ McNealy tallied 10.3 points per game, while junior Reagan Sheridan averaged 9.6 per outing through the three-game span.
In the win over South River, Maryland, the Lady Admirals bounced back from a 12-3 deficit and outscored their opposition 30-20 in the middle two quarters to take the lead for good.
Even with the positive result Tuesday, head coach Jason Mayfield cited a difference in his team’s performance from one day to the next.
“I know we lost Monday, but we played better than what we did Tuesday,” he said of the Cherokee Bluff and South River games, respectively. “We’ve had a few other games like that, where I feel like we’re better than the other team but end up playing flat for whatever reason. So just knowing how to tough one out Tuesday was certainly a positive.”
Against the Virginia program, FHS saw 14 points from Zoe Porter with 7 from Lily Mullins.
Their output has helped anchor the team in the absence of players like Gabby Vanacker and Rayna Styles, who have been out with injuries.
“We’ve played however many games without those players, so there’s times I feel like we should be better,” said Mayfield. “But we still need to work on filling those roles.”
He noted that Porter has stepped up with her shooting, while Curry is learning to be more vocal along with McNealy.
