The Bearden girls basketball team is only three games away from starting postseason play, and next up is rival Farragut.
The Lady Bulldogs (24-4, 8-0 District 4-AAAA) won the first meeting of the season 49-48 on Jan. 17, a scoreline that serves as a fitting barometer for the rivalry in recent years. Since Bearden beat Farragut to win the 2022 state championship, the Lady Bulldogs still hold a 6-2 advantage in the series, but all but one of those games has been a single-digit win.
Bearden travels to Farragut (18-7, 7-1) on Friday for a 6 p.m. tip. A Farragut win would see the Lady Admirals tied with Bearden at the top of the district standings.
Bearden enters the game having lost to Morristown East 60-58 on Monday and beating Cleveland 56-37 on Tuesday.
The loss to Morristown East broke the Lady Bulldogs’ eight-game win streak; however, senior Caitlin McVeigh’s confidence remains undeterred. McVeigh said the loss provided the team with a chance to reground themselves and ignite their competitive drive.
“Sometimes when you are on a winning streak, it is easy to think you will win regardless of the competition, so losses can help us refocus,” McVeigh said.
Added junior Emma Rainey: “Sometimes the wakeup call is just what we need.”
This bounce-back mentality has become integral to Bearden’s longstanding success. Bearden and Farragut went back and forth in the 2023-24 season with each team winning two games, after a rather one-sided rivalry in preceding seasons – Bearden at one point winning 19 straight.
“Obviously Farragut is not a game we ever want to lose, but our team has gotten really good at taking losses and using it as motivation,” McVeigh said. “It reminds you of what it feels like to lose to Farragut, and that’s a feeling you definitely don’t want to have.”
Coach Justin Underwood said he is confident in the team’s ability to take down their rivals for a second time this season regardless of a grueling schedule.
“Fatigue can definitely play a part in their performance, but our girls are very locked in and very ready to play,” Coach Underwood said.
Learning from their earlier face off, the girls hope to have more offensive success, but they know they’re going into a hostile environment.
“The fans, the student section, and even the coaches get into it,” Rainey said.
Added Coach Underwood: “It doesn’t get better than this [referring to the Bearden-Farragut rivalry].”
Farragut got the best of Bearden in the region title game last year, and the Lady Bulldogs then ended their season with a loss to Sevier County in a sectional game. Bearden is hoping to get back to the state tournament in Murfreesboro this year.
“Our team chemistry this year is the best it has been since I have been here, and our relationship off the court have made us stronger than ever,” McVeigh said.
Rainey values the team’s ability to cover players positions who are out of tune.
“If someone’s having a bad game, the team immediately picks them up,” she said.