Lady Ads fall to Chargers
In the first round of the Dental Implant Center 2025 Thanksgiving Classic last Monday night at Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium, Farragut High School’s girls’ basketball team picked up an important win over District 2-4A foe Maryville High School.
Tuesday night against McMinn Central High School, the Lady Admirals couldn’t sustain the previous night’s momentum, and lost 42-35. They fell to 2-3 on the season.
FHS coach Jason Mayfield thought the Lady Chargers wanted the game more than his kids did.
“McMinn Central really wanted to win that game and we looked like we didn’t,” Mayfield said. “We played really well last night. I just had the feeling that last night was the game they were focused on.”
“You hold that team to 35 points, that’s a heckuva defensive job,” MC coach Dakota Stone said.
The game was scrappy, with numerous turnovers and tie-ups. MCHS was better at getting into the paint, scoring on layups nine times, to FHS’s five. Farragut’s final layup came with 2:13 left in the game with the team down by 10.
Lady Admirals’ senior guard KJ McNealy also laid the blame on the team’s effort. “I have to say our effort was pretty bad,” she said. “I think, honestly, since yesterday we got a good win, we came into it hoping it would happen again. You have to actually do the work for it, and I don’t think we did.”
FHS led 6-4 at the end of one, but MCHS started the second period strong, scoring eight in a row to lead 12-6. The teams traded baskets to the end of the half, which ended with McMinn up 17-14.
Six straight by the Lady Admirals to start the third gave them back the lead, 20-17, with 6:12 left in the period. But the Lady Chargers then went on a 9-2 run to lead 26-22. The final five in the quarter gave MC a 31-24 lead after three.
Four to start the final period made it 35-24, a deficit FHS couldn’t overcome. Four straight by post Trinity Curry cut the gap to seven, but it was too little, too late.
Curry was high for Farragut with 14. McNealy added eight. Malea Masingale led the Lady Chargers with 13.
“(Getting it into Trinity) has always been our best play,” McNealy said. “Good things happen when we get it in down low.”
“I think we need to be stronger with it and have the heart to win every single possession,” FHS guard Lily Mullins said.
“Wasn’t very well executed,” Mayfield said. “It was clunky from the beginning. We just weren’t on our game for sure. They gave a lot more effort than we did.”
