Ads, Dawgs sectional bound
For Farragut, Saturday, March 7, will mark the first sectional appearance since 2024. For Bearden, it’s a seventh straight sectional appearance. But before those unfold, the teams will meet Wednesday, March 11, in the region championship for their fourth clash this season.
To reach this point, each team has experienced a very different journey. At 30-3, the Lady Bulldogs have blitzed through their schedule. They have won 19 games by 20 or more points, even winning their last two games by a combined score of 148-53.
So focused was Bearden that, after a 70-30 win over Powell in the region semis, players barely cracked smiles as they headed to the locker room.
Natalya Hodge poured in 25 points while Emma Rainey and Baylie Myers scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.
“I think they’re locked in, and this is their expectation,” Bearden coach Justin Underwood said. “Extremely proud of how they defended tonight. Powell has a lot of kids that can score it, so I thought we were great defensively.”
So did Farragut, though the Lady Admirals found more success at the free-throw line in a 54-47 victory over Oak Ridge. That win is one part of a 23-10 campaign that began with a litany of injuries last summer — yet could end in the team’s latest state tournament berth.
In their push to get there, the Lady Admirals shot a whopping 29 free-throws against the Lady Wildcats. They hit 20 to give themselves a bit of a cushion.
Oak Ridge did not go away easily, taking multiple leads throughout the night. But then again, that is what FHS has come to expect from an ORHS team that eliminated Farragut in this same round last season.
“Anytime you play a team you lost to, season-ending or not, it’s a lot more motivation,” senior KJ McNealy said. “And two years ago, we beat them here and sent them home on the same court. It’s a lot of repetitive stuff, but it always feels good to beat a team we’ve lost to.”
McNealy led the Lady Ads with 20 points and 16 boards while Trinity Curry totaled 14 points. The seniors worked together to overcome an Oak Ridge team that saw 35 points from Evaiya Mitchell with no more than five from anyone else.
“She’s really, really good,” FHS coach Jason Mayfield said of Mitchell. “She had 26 on us and 17 before tonight. Anna Corum was doing a really good job on her.”
FHS also did a good job converting when necessary, as a poor shooting night did not determine the final result.
“Earlier in the season, we lost these games when we shot the ball like this,” Mayfield noted. “We’re a lot more determined now but we still struggled around the rim. We just couldn’t buy anything. But we’ve had these weird games since Christmas, just toughing things out. We have to perform better, but a win is a win.”
And with these wins, both teams will regroup for Wednesday while readying for their biggest tests yet on Saturday night.
Bearden will look to punch its fifth state tournament ticket in the last six years, while FHS will be looking for its first Murphy Center visit in two years.
Altogether, the paths and teams may be different for these west Knoxville rivals — and that will certainly be the case Wednesday.
But after that, each team has the same goal for this weekend: win one more.
“We’ve played in this round twice since I’ve been here, so it’s always good to know you’re one game away,” McNealy summarized. “Win or lose on Wednesday, we are one game away from state. I know it would be great to have my season end in Murfreesboro. It would mean a lot for this group with as much as we have overcome.”
