Bearden basketball got defensive in the Dawghouse on Friday night, sweeping a doubleheader against rival Farragut before a sellout crowd.

They were convincing victories by the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs, who both maintained first place in the District 4-4A standings.

Bearden’s boys held Farragut to single-figure scoring in all four quarters on their way to a 71-31 victory in Friday’s second game.

In the opener, senior guard Natalya Hodge scored 21 points and the Lady Bulldogs pulled away in the final three quarters for a 72-41 victory.

Here’s a look at how Bearden pulled off the sweep:

NORDIN, MURPHY LEAD DAWGS

Senior guard Justin Nordin had 17 points and junior guard Brendan Murphy scored 16 for Bearden (22-1, 6-0 in District 4-4A), which is ranked No. 2 in the state by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association.

Bearden has won six straight games since a 59-56 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) in the Dec. 29 championship of The Classic in Bristol.

Bearden coach Jeremy Parrott said a challenging schedule helped prepare his team for Friday’s postseason-like atmosphere.

“That was a great crowd, honestly, probably bigger than it’s been in the last few years with first place in the conference on the line,” Parrott said. “I do feel like our schedule leading up to this point has helped us in an environment like that. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough tonight.”

Farragut (14-7, 4-2) trailed 11-7 after one quarter, and it only got worse for the Admirals after that.

“I didn’t expect we were going to win by that much,” Nordin said, “but at the Dawghouse, with this team, that’s what we should do.”

Nordin and senior guard Carson Asbaty were both 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Asbaty finished with 12 points.

Murphy was 2 of 3 from 3-point range.

Bearden shot 50 percent on two-point shots (16 of 32) and 50 percent on 3-point shots (10 of 20).

“When we’re within ourselves and we’re sharing the basketball,” Parrott said, “and the basketball’s moving and not sticking, we’re a harder team to guard. We’re not a big team, so we try to utilize space all we can, so when the ball’s moving, we’re at our best.”

Farragut was led in scoring by senior center Reid Vining with nine points.

Parrott credited assistant coach Tyler Place with the defensive game plan against the Admirals.

“Tyler Place did a great job with that scout,” Parrott said. “He came with me here in 2016. He’s done a phenomenal job.”

Leading by four after one quarter, Bearden outscored the Admirals 20-9 in the second quarter for a 31-16 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs made their first five 3-pointers of the second half – two by Asbaty and one each by Nordin, Murphy, and Sean Capshaw – for a 50-20 lead after Asbaty’s 3 with 3 minutes and 50 seconds left in the third quarter.

At one point, Nordin ran down the court with both arms raised, hand-signaling ‘3s’.

“I was just thinking, ‘We cannot miss right now,’” said Nordin, who’s signed with Navy.

Farragut, meanwhile, was 2 of 13 from 3-point range (15.3 percent).

It wasn’t the type of game Parrott was expecting.

“You never count on that in a rivalry at all,” he said. “We had a lot of respect for their program. They’ve played in some big games this year. We knew we had our work cut out for us and tonight we got the better end of it, but it’s just one game.”

The Bulldogs have no time to relax.

They play Tuesday at Oak Ridge, which ended their season in the Class 4A sectionals last spring.

LADY ADS FADE AFTER 1ST

Bearden coach Justin Underwood said his team made some adjustments and settled into the big-game atmosphere after the first quarter.

“I thought defensively we did a fantastic job,” Underwood said.

Bearden (18-3, 6-0 in District 4-4A) won its fourth straight game with the victory over Farragut (12-8, 6-1).

“I think at the end of the day, it’s one game,” Underwood said. “I’m proud of us because I think we showed what we’re capable of doing.

“(Farragut) won’t be like that throughout the season. They’ve been on the uptick the last few games in general, and they’ll continue to be better. But for tonight, that’s a great start for us to get the lead as far as the district goes.”

Bearden, ranked No. 2 in the state, had a 14-13 lead after one quarter and outscored Farragut 13-3 in the second quarter.

Farragut was 1 of 10 from the floor in the second quarter, going 0 for 5 from 3-point range.

It didn’t get much better for the Lady Admirals in the third quarter.

After missing its first shot after halftime, Bearden made nine straight shots (including two free throws) while going on an 18-0 run.

Hodge, a Missouri signee, made three 3s during the run.

Her back-to-back 3s gave the Lady Bulldogs a 48-18 lead with 4:20 left in the third quarter.

Sophomore post/wing M.C. LeMarbre came off the bench and scored 13 for Bearden, while junior point guard/wing Riley Hunt had 10 points and senior guard/wing Emma Rainey scored nine.

Senior guard K.J. McNealy led Farragut with 23 points. She was 4 of 6 from 3-point range.

Farragut shot 27.2 percent from two-point range (9 of 33) and 22 percent from 3-point range (4 of 18).

Bearden shot 47.2 percent from two-point range (17 of 36) and 37 percent from beyond the arc (10 of 27).

Bearden plays at Farragut on Feb. 6.

Article written by Dave Link/5Star Preps. To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc., visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code New2025 for 30% off your first year or month subscription.

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