Bearden squads post impressive showings
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Bearden’s Natalya Hodge (2) dribbles while being guarded by Upperman’s Cassie Crouch (3) during the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies’ Classic championship game on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. - Jake Nichols
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Bearden’s Justin Nordin (10) goes to shoot over an Oak Ridge defender during their game on Dec. 5, 2025. Recently, Nordin and teammate Carson Asbaty were named to the All-Tournament team after their performances in The Classic in Bristol. - Jake Nichols
GREENEVILLE — Both Bearden basketball programs can take lessons into the New Year, having put forth notable performances in their post-Christmas showcases.
The Lady Bulldogs finished as the runner-up in the 36th annual Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies’ Classic, falling 59-50 against Upperman at Hal Henard Elementary School on New Year’s Eve.
On the boys side, Jeremy Parrott’s squad upended North Mecklenberg — one of the top teams in North Carolina — 62-52 to claim fifth place at The Classic, a renowned tournament at Viking Hall in Bristol.
Lady Bulldogs run out of gas in Greeneville
In the girls matchup, Bearden’s loss brought a sour ending to an otherwise impressive showing in one of the top tournaments across the region.
Prior to the loss, BHS (15-3, 3-0 District 4-4A) reeled off a 3-0 record in four days with wins over Coalfield (80-60), Greeneville (85-57) and Grace Christian — when Bearden gritted its way to a 66-63 double-overtime win.
That set the stage for Wednesday’s championship game, as Bearden took a 29-25 lead into halftime.
But the Lady Bees stung back, outscoring BHS 17-5 in the third quarter to take a lead they would not relinquish in the final stanza.
“We knew physical fatigue would be an issue, having played such a tough matchup last night,” Bearden coach Justin Underwood said Wednesday. “This tournament is just as tough as the
state tournament, if not tougher. So I told them I was proud of them.
“But we have to be better, one through 12, and pick it up when maybe some other kids are hurting. We had some injuries, some kids playing through tough situations, and had some really tired legs.”
That was reflected in the final box score. Bearden senior Natalya Hodge led the team with 18 points, 12 in the first half, after averaging 34 points through the previous three contests. Meanwhile, Emma Rainey finished with 8 points for BHS after tallying a career-high 23 two nights earlier against Greeneville. Both Hodge and Rainey were named to the All-Tournament team.
“Those two are our glue,” Underwood said. “They can both score at all three levels, and both those kids played 40 minutes against Grace. So they gave everything they had, but you’ve got to hope you can dig and maybe have other kids give you some stuff.
“We had a couple 3s off the bench, and we’re proud of that, but we need to be better defensively and do better on some things that are typically staples of ours.”
But even with the result, Underwood noted how much his team ultimately can learn from this experience.
“You want to be in those situations, three games in four days, and I’m proud of our girls,” he said. “They fight like crazy. You want to be the last one standing, but if we can grow from this and take some things from it, it will definitely help us in February and March.”
Before diving back into district play, Bearden also took down Creekside (GA) 73-51 in the She Got Game Classic in Atlanta on Jan. 3.
Dawgs show out in Bristol
Parrott’s Bulldogs saw a similar output in Bristol, where Bearden (17-1, 3-0 District 4-4A) went 4-1 over a six-day span.
The Bulldogs finished by claiming the aforementioned fifth-place spot, taking home some hardware for the first time since they won the entire event in 2018.
As a program, Bearden is now 17-6 all-time in six appearances, per Bristol Herald-Courier reporter Tim Hayes.
“It’s more about simulating a state tournament type of environment,” Parrott said of The Classic. “We took three trips before now where we sleep in other beds and get in other routines. The Classic is the best because you get the travel arrangements, the shooting background in the arena, and then you add in the nationally-ranked teams. It’s a no-brainer to hone or measure your team.“
The Bulldogs began with a 79-28 win over University High, jump-starting their stay by forcing 31 turnovers on Dec. 26.
From there, Navy signee Justin Nordin led the team with 20 points and eight rebounds in an 81-67 win over Calvary Baptist Academy, one of the top teams in Louisiana. Sean Capshaw added 18 more points, while Carson Asbaty totaled 13. Nordin and Asbaty were both named to the
All-Tournament team, as Nordin totaled a tournament-high 26 points against North Mecklenberg.
A Dec. 29 performance against nationally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas pitted the Bulldogs against a couple blue-chip recruits, and they went toe-to-toe before falling 59-56 for Bearden’s first loss this season.
Bearden lost that one on a buzzer-beater, Parrott noted, before bouncing back to beat Upperman 57-42 and handing North Mecklenberg a loss to clinch fifth.
