BY BRIAN HAMILTON
KNOXVILLE – Bearden entered the contest having won seven straight against Farragut, with the last loss coming on January 27, 2023. If the Admirals were going to overcome that deficit, they were going to have their work cut out, facing a 21-1 team whose only loss was a 3-point loss to St. Thomas Aquinas in the Classic at Tennessee High Quarterfinal. Farragut looked up to the task in the first quarter, but Bearden’s hot shooting and defense proved to be too much, as the Bulldogs prevailed with a 71-31 home win over their arch rival.
Brendan Murphy (0) sinks one of his two threes made during Bearden’s 71-31 win over Farragut. Photo by Brian Hamilton
“You never count on (a blowout) in a rivalry at all,” Bearden head coach Jeremy Parrott said after the game. “We’ve got a lot of respect for their program. They’ve played big in some games this year and knew we had our work cut out for us.”
Both teams had trouble putting the ball in the hoop in the early going, but that ended when Sean Capshaw sank a midrange jumper for Bearden, giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. Farragut’s Parker Lane answered with a layup, however, tying the game at 2-2 with 5:34 left in the first quarter.
A steal and layup by Brendan Murphy, followed by a steal and alley oop from Capshaw to Justin Nordin, would put the Bulldogs in front 6-2 with 2:27 left. Lane would answer with a corner three, which made the score 6-5 with 1:27 to go in the first.
Murphy sank a jump shot to make the score 8-5 with 48 seconds left, but Nordin drained a three-pointer with four seconds left, giving Bearden an 11-7 lead after one quarter. Nordin and Murphy scored nine of Bearden’s 11 first quarter points, while Lane scored six of Farragut’s seven.
Nordin hit a three pointer to open the second quarter to give Bearden a 14-7 advantage. A pair of free throws by Damian Cullom would push the lead to 16-7 with just over six minutes remaining in the half. A rebound and putback by Carson Asbaty would make the score 18-8.
A three by Murphy would give the Bulldogs a 21-10 lead midway through the second quarter. Matthew Dickens hit a much needed three pointer for Farragut, cutting the Admirals’ deficit to 21-13 with 3:29 left in the first half.
Bearden answered with a triple by Cullom to push the lead back to double digits, at 24-13. A floater by Murphy stretched the lead to 26-13, but Reid Vining scored on a driving layup and was fouled, but missed the free throw, making the score 26-15 with 1:03 left. A basket by Capshaw with 3 seconds remaining sent the Bulldogs to the half with a 31-16 advantage.
Bearden opened the second quarter with a barrage of three-pointers, as Nordin, Capshaw, and Murphy all sank triples to send the Bulldogs on a 9-0 run and increase the lead to 40-16. Farragut’s Vining made a layup to end the bleeding, making the score 40-18.
Bearden head coach Jeremy Parrott instructs his team during a second half timeout. Photo by Brian Hamilton
Nordin would score on a fast break dunk with 2:14 left in the third quarter, which was followed by a Vining dunk for Farragut, as the Bulldogs continued to lead 53-25 with 1:42 left in the period. Bearden would lead 60-25 after three quarters.
The fourth quarter would begin with a running clock, as Bearden led by 35 entering the final stanza. A Cullom layup, followed by a reverse layup by Jack Ferraris made the score 66-27, before Parrott cleared the bench for the Bulldogs.
The crowd erupted as junior reserve Jayceon Blair made a basket and was fouled, converting the three-point play, which gave Bearden a 69-31 lead with 1:36 remaining. The Bulldogs would go on to win 71-31.
“We just had shots go in,” Parrott said. “They came out in a zone and made us a little stagnant. We thought they might (play zone), but we didn’t do a very good job executing early against it. Our defense kind of carried us through that offensive lull, but once we started making some shots, it changed the game. We’re not a big team, so we try and utilize space all that we can, so when the ball is moving, we’re at our best.”
Senior and Navy commit Justin Nordin led all scorers with 17 points, while Brendan Murphy finished with 16. Carson Asbaty added 12 for the Bulldogs.
Bearden’s stifling defense did not allow a double-figure scorer for the Admirals, as Reid Vining led Farragut in scoring with nine, while Matthew Dickens and Parker Lane finished with seven apiece. The Bulldogs only allowed Lane to score one point in the final three quarters, as the senior guard finished the first quarter with six.
Bearden (22-1, 6-0 Disctrict 4) will travel to Oak Ridge (11-7, 4-2) on Tuesday night. The Wildcats ended the Bulldogs’ season last year in the region semifinals, but the two teams are now in the same district. Bearden defeated Oak Ridge in their first matchup this season 81-55 on December 5.
“Let’s just say this, I didn’t let them forget about our malfeasance down the line,” Parrott said of Bearden’s 2025 shortcomings. “We’re in that game last year at Oak Ridge in the semifinal and we’re up three and have the ball with a couple minutes left. (We had) two critical turnovers back-to-back and handed that game away, so we remind them of little things all the time. You can look at the big picture, like it’s a mission, but honestly, it’s just trying to win each day.”
The Bulldogs are off to their best start since the 2020-21 season, when the team started 24-1.
“I’m happy they’ve had this great start, but 6-0 (in district) is the most important thing,” said Parrott.
Farragut (14-7, 4-2 District 4) will travel to Hardin Valley (12-8, 2-4) on Tuesday.