Admirals clamp down, move on
Knoxville — Defense and rebounding netted the Farragut Middle School boys basketball team a spot in the 2026 Knox County Middle School Basketball Conference Class AAA Tournament late last week.
The Admirals overcame some offensive struggles as they defeated Powell, 38-24, Friday night in the tournament semifinals at Bearden Middle School. The victory earned Farragut a berth in the upcoming state sectional tournament.
The Admirals, the No. 1 seed from the West Division, will play East Division champion Knoxville Halls, which eliminated the host Bruins in Friday night’s other semifinal tilt.
Time and site for the championship contest were not available at press time and will be determined when Knox County students return to school following the weekend’s winter storm. Classes were canceled on Monday, Jan. 26, due to inclement weather.
Farragut coach Shane Wells said the title game likely would be contested the day the students return to school.
In Friday’s game, Farragut had its share of offensive woes but still managed to come out on top against Powell, a team that is traditionally among one of the county’s best squads.
“We played good defense and we rebounded well,” Wells said. “We did not play well offensively but the kids knew the importance of the game, but we just weren’t that good offensively.”
The Admirals didn’t have a player post double figures in the scoring column against Powell. Harrison Holmes was Farragut’s top scorer as he finished the contest with seven points. He also pulled down a game-high 19 rebounds for Farragut.
Jay Hampton and Matthew Massey scored six points each for the Admirals.
Farragut has advanced to the upcoming TMSAA Class AAA Sectional Tournament but Wells said that the Admirals still have a bit of unfinished business to take care of.
“This is a great league and you have great coaches,” Wells said. “Powell was a tough out.
“They’re always a tough out and (coach) Tyler Howell does a great job with them. Winning the league (tournament) is the goal.”
