Sports
December 10, 2025 by Bill Howard, Correspondent
It was a wild start to district play last Friday night for Farragut High School’s boys’ basketball team at Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium.
Against 4-4A rival Hardin Valley Academy, the Admirals led until late in the third, lost the lead until late in the fourth, then managed a late surge to hang on for a 69-62 win.
FHS coach JP Burris had praise for the youthful, upstart Hawks. “Credit to them,” he said. “For them being a young team, they play so hard. They’re well-coached.”
“Credit to Farragut,” Hawks’ coach Andy Arendt said. “They came back; our youth and inexperience showed up a little bit at the end.”
The teams traded baskets in the first quarter to a 14-all tie with 2:31 left in the period. The final five points – two layups and a free throw – went to Farragut, who led 19-14 after one.
HVA pulled to within two in the second – 25-23 with 3:14 left – but consecutive threes by Dan Lanning and Parker Lane gave the Admirals a 31-23 lead with 2:13 to go.
Three free throws later, the Admirals’ lead was 11, 34-23, but HVA scored the final five points of the half to cut FHS’s intermission lead to six, 34-28.
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December 10, 2025 by Bill Howard, Correspondent
In its District 4-4A opener last Friday night at Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium, Farragut High School’s girls’ basketball team had a nice bounce-back from its previous game three nights before.
In that game, the Lady Admirals mustered a mere 37 points in a loss to Maryville. Friday night against district foe Hardin Valley Academy, FHS put up 35 in the first half alone en route to a comfortable 57-40 win.
“We used our depth a lot better,” Jason Mayfield said, Farragut coach. “We haven’t played well the last two games. Practice was really good since Tuesday and we came in and made some good shots.”
“The second quarter is what really got away from us,” said Lady Hawks’ coach Jennifer Galloway. “They got a lot of second-chance opportunities and were able to capitalize. We had a few untimely turnovers.”
Galloway’s observation about the second quarter was correct. After leading 13-9 at the end of one, FHS (3-4, 1-0 District) led 17-13 with 5:33 left in the second. Over the rest of the half, the Lady Admirals outscored HVA (3-5, 0-1) 18-2 to lead 35-15 at intermission.
In the run, Farragut got six from senior guard KJ McNealy, a three-point play by senior wing Reagan Sheridan and three consecutive treys, the first two by junior guard Zoe Porter and the other by freshman wing Alorah Branam.
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December 10, 2025 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
Knoxville — Despite watching his team notch an apparent lopsided win to open District 4-4A play, Bearden High School boys basketball coach Jeremy Parrott made it perfectly clear.
The Bulldogs can play better and Parrott didn’t sound like a coach whose team kept its perfect record intact.
“I don’t know what to think about them sometimes,” Parrott said of the Bulldogs after they toppled Oak Ridge, 81-55, Friday night before a spirited house in West Knoxville. “I just think we can play much better, and I’m not talking about the score, I’m just talking about the little things that we can do better.”
Bearden (8-0 overall, 1-0 in the district) was able to avenge last year’s season-ending loss to the Wildcats in the Region 2-4A Tournament semifinals, but it fell behind early and found itself trailing, 12-9 midway through the first quarter.
But the Bulldogs couldn’t be kept down for long as they closed the inaugural frame on a 15-6 run to open a 24-16 advantage by quarter’s end. From there, they would never trail again in the first-ever meeting between the two teams as district opponents.
“I don’t ever remember us playing them in December,” Parrott said. “We’ve played in the region tournament and it seems like we’ve always ended each other’s season and I’ve been here, this is my 10th year.”
After the somewhat slow start, the Bulldogs kicked their defense in high gear and Bearden forced the young Wildcats squad in to 20 turnovers and Bearden converted those Wildcats’ miscues into points.
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December 10, 2025 by Ken Lay, Correspondent
Knoxville — Bearden High School’s girls basketball team opened District 4-4A play on a winning note late last week.
In doing so, the Lady Bulldogs exacted a little revenge against new league opponent Oak Ridge, which defeated them to win the Region 2-4A Championship last season.
Bearden (7-1 overall, 1-0 in the district) gave up the first basket of the game but wasted little time seizing control of the contest on its way to capturing a 76-36 victory at Bearden.
After the Lady Wildcats’ Se’Quari Stewart scored the game’s first basket, Bearden close the opening frame on a 22-7 run. And from there the Lady Bulldogs cruise into the win column in a truly dominant performance in its sixth consecutive victory.
The Lady Bulldogs, who extended their advantage to 36-19 by halftime, picked up stellar performance from three guards in the contest.
Senior Natalya Hodge, a Missouri signee and one of the area’s top players scored 27 points for the Lady Bulldogs, including 16 before halftime. She received plenty of help from her supporting cast as Riley Hunt had 17 points and Emma Rainey finished with 12.
And that was just what Bearden coach Justin Underwood wanted to see.
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December 10, 2025 by Bill Howard, Correspondent
It was a battle of unbeatens last Tuesday night when Farragut High School’s boys’ basketball team traveled to play Maryville High School.
Several times throughout the game it appeared the Rebels - no longer a District 4-4A rival – would run the Admirals out of the gym. But FHS hung in, and never stopped fighting.
In the end, the Rebels’ size – typified by 6-9 post Luke Sigmund – was too much. Sigmund not only scored 24 points – 22 on layups or dunks – but was a defensive menace as well, in leading MHS to a 67-54 win.
“We have a team of guys that aren’t gonna back down, they’re not gonna stop playing,” FHS coach JP Burris said. “In the second half we got stops; we just couldn’t score. We missed a lot of shots. Maybe it was tired legs. We don’t have a super defense, but that’s a really good team.”
“There’s no quit in them (FHS),” MHS coach Wes Lambert said. “They stayed active, they stayed engaged … it was a great game for both of us.”
Farragut led 4-2 early, before seven straight by the Rebels gave them a 9-4 lead. Up 9-6, MHS scored five in a row to lead 14-6 before Parker Lane’s trey made it 14-9. Maryville led 16-9 after one.
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December 10, 2025 by Alan Sloan, Correspondent
HARDIN VALLEY — It was a dominant home-opening night for both Hardin Valley Academy varsity basketball teams Tuesday, Dec. 2, as they swept Carter.
Head coach Jennifer Galloway’s Lady Hawks rolled to a 65-23 victory, improving to 3-3 to start the week.
Andy Arendt’s Hawks
built a 22-point lead before securing a 68-58 win over the Hornets, pushing their record to 5-2.
Lady Hawks 65, Carter 23
“I thought we did a good
job of moving the basketball,” Galloway said. “We were able to get out in transition.
“We showed a lot of unselfish play making the extra pass. Our girls have really bought into our defense. We did a good job of protecting and controlling the boards.”
Andree Riehn led HVA with 14 points, while Alaina Lineberry pulled down 12 rebounds.
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