Resilient Lady Ads fall one game short of state
A season that began with so much adversity ended just one game short from the TSSAA Girls Class 4A State Tournament.
That was the main takeaway for Jason Mayfield on Saturday, March 7, as his Farragut Lady Admirals lost 61-45 against eventual state champion Sevier County in the Class 4A sectional round.
The Lady Ads were still playing without Livi Slagle while still adjusting to the return of Gabbie VanAcker and Raina Styles. All three suffered devastating injuries, two in the summer and one in the season-opener.
For VanAcker, those included a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and meniscus while also dislocating her right knee.
For Styles, a torn posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) left her on the bench to start the season.
And for Slagle, it was a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus in the opening matchup against Alcoa.
Yet here the Lady Ads stood, having won 14 of their last 19 games in their first sectional appearance since 2024.
“Us being here is a result of those kids in that locker room just busting their tail to try and overcome all those things,” Mayfield said that Saturday. “We lost some bad games before Christmas, games we should have won. And now the only two teams we’ve lost to since Christmas are at the state tournament. That’s a really good Sevier County team. They don’t make mistakes; they can handle the ball, and they hit open shots. They’re really well-coached.”
The Bearettes proved that early, jumping out to a 15-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. Farragut responded with a 10-3 run to cut the lead to four, but SCHS extended the lead to seven at the break and led by 14 in the third to take full control.
“I thought we could defend them a little better; but when you start out like that, it makes it tough,” Mayfield said. “Our kids dug in, cut it to four, then they extended it back out. I know we can play better, but us being here is the result of their hard work.”
VanAcker scored 12 points for the Lady Ads in their final game in 2026 as she and Styles both made their return for the Lady Ads in January. Meanwhile, Trinity Curry led Farragut with 14 points.
They are part of a junior class that Mayfield will turn to after losing seniors Anna Corum, Lilly Mullins and KJ McNealy — who will continue her career at Grand Canyon — as well as manager Ella Schlomer.
Notably, McNealy ended her career as the program leader in rebounds, having also surpassed the 1,500-point mark.
“Those four, whenever our next workout is, it will be tough not seeing them there,” Mayfield said. “Lilly and Anna are almost like sisters, and they have been a joy to coach.
“KJ, obviously, we got a good four-year rental with her moving in from Phoenix then going back there. Even though she’ll be a long way away, I know we’ll stay tight. Then Ella is my next-door neighbor, so it will be easy to stay in touch. Awesome kids, and I’m very privileged to coach them.”
