Region Championship Recaps (Part 1)
In this article:
We look deeper into Lorretto vs Summertown, GP vs Alcoa, and the rivalry of the night: Farragut and Bearden. Lorretto defeated Summertown (44-40) for the Region Championship. Lorretto (26-3) was trailing 17-12 at the half, but came out hot in…
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Continue ReadingWe look deeper into Lorretto vs Summertown, GP vs Alcoa, and the rivalry of the night: Farragut and Bearden.
Lorretto defeated Summertown (44-40) for the Region Championship. Lorretto (26-3) was trailing 17-12 at the half, but came out hot in the 2nd. Ally Weathers Ally Weathers 5'8" | SG Loretto | 2025 State TN scored 18! of her 22 in the 2nd half. Summertown came out aggressively switching everything in the 1st half, and it threw the Lorretto offense out of sorts, but they hit a big 3rd quarter run, and held off a late Summertown surge. Ally Weather had 22, Emily Cozart Emily Cozart 5'11" | C Loretto | 2024 State TN had 6, and Jenny Clifton Jenny Clifton 5'8" | SF Loretto | 2024 State TN had 5.
All Tournament Team: Suzanna Crews Suzanna Crews 5'10" | SF Cascade | 2026 State TN , Cascade; Abilyn Teter, Canon County; Emily Brazier Emily Brazier 5'6" | SG Summertown | 2024 State TN , Karlie Campbell, Summertown; Ally Augustin Ally Augustin 5'8" | SF Loretto | 2027 TN , Jenny Clifton Jenny Clifton 5'8" | SF Loretto | 2024 State TN , Emily Cozart Emily Cozart 5'11" | C Loretto | 2024 State TN , Loretto
MVP — Ally Weathers Ally Weathers 5'8" | SG Loretto | 2025 State TN , Loretto
The Region Tournament MVP put on a 2nd half show scoring 18 of her 22 in the second half. She also scored 9 of Loretto’s final 14. Ally Weather’s put her team on her back and refused to let them lose. Defensively, the efforts of Cozart and Clifton locking down the Summertown offense really helped cement the win in the 4th. Ally Weathers Ally Weathers 5’8″ | SG Loretto | 2025 State TN is a winner.
Gatlinburg Pittman (32-3) avenged a loss to Alcoa last week by dominating the Region Championship game 68-53. Miss Basketball finalist Maddy Newman Maddy Newman 6'2" | C Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2024 State TN dominated inside in the first half establish the tone early. GP continued to go to Newman in the post, and Alcoa had 10 early turnovers, giving GP an early lead they never gave up. Maliyah Glasper Maliyah Glasper 5'6" | CG Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2026 TN , ’26, was named tourney MVP as she scored 22. Maddy Newman Maddy Newman 6'2" | C Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2024 State TN finished with 21. Leah Stinnett Leah Stinnett 5'8" | SG Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2024 State TN had 14, Addi Wear Addi Wear 5'5" | PG Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2026 State TN 7, and Nya Burns Nya Burns 5'7" | CG Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2026 State TN 4.
For Alcoa, Amelia Pfeiffer Amelia Pfeiffer 6'2" | C Alcoa | 2024 State TN had 12, Gwen Carrol 9, Halle Bailey 9, Bella Daughery 9, Kara Pitts 6, Maddy Stewart Maddy Stewart 5'10" | SF Alcoa | 2025 State TN 5, and freshman Jacy Cox Jacy Cox 5'8" | PG Alcoa | 2027 TN with 3.
MVP — Maliyah Glasper Maliyah Glasper 5'6" | CG Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2026 TN , 2026
Early in this season, we called Glasper GP’s “x factor.” GP knows what Newman will give them, but for a team to truly compete for a state championship, you need multiple reliable and consistent offensive threats. When Glasper and Nya Burns Nya Burns 5’7″ | CG Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2026 State TN and Leah Stinnett Leah Stinnett 5’8″ | SG Gatlinburg-Pittman | 2024 State TN give GP the secondary scoring around Newman they need….it brings them to a new level.
And Glasper leveled up in the region tourney. Scoring 22 in the Region Championship, while knocking down three 3s, she’s turning the corner into an athletic scoring wing that can score from all 3 levels. If GP wins a state championship, Glasper will continue to play a huge role.
Highlights
The Farragut Lady Admirals defeated Bearden 56-49 for a Region Championship….and in a super hostile environment. Farragut’s season has been a fascinating one (they were 7-10 on December 30th) of adversity, injuries, losing streaks, winning streaks–but Coach Mayfield kept his crew steady and they aren’t scared of Bearden…proven by the fact they split. Farragut will host Dobyn’s Bennett.
For Farragut, KJ McNealy KJ McNealy 6'0" | SG Farragut | 2026 State TN ’26 was named tourney MVP. She finished with 16 and 10. Annie Priest Annie Priest 5'7" | SG Farragut | 2025 State TN had 14. Jaci Neubert Jaci Neubert 5'5" | PG Farragut | 2025 State TN 8, Mya Johnston Mya Johnston 5'7" | SF Farragut | 2024 TN 6, freshman Trinity Curry Trinity Curry 5'11" | C Farragut | 2027 TN had 5. Total team win for this Farragut club peaking at the right time!
For Bearden (30-3), they will now travel to Sevier County for their substate game. Natalya Hodge Natalya Hodge 5'7" | CG Bearden | 2026 State TN had 24, Aisha Patel Aisha Patel 6'0" | PF Bearden | 2025 State TN 8, Kendall Murphy 6. Bearden just couldn’t produce enough secondary scoring around Hodge…..and that will continue to be the test for them.
MVP — KJ McNealy KJ McNealy 6'0" | SG Farragut | 2026 State TN , 2026
My goodness, KJ McNealy KJ McNealy 6’0″ | SG Farragut | 2026 State TN just cemented herself as a premier ’26 wing in TN. She’s the epitome of a modern wing with a diverse skill set. She was tremendous on both ends for Farragut throughout the tournament, and has really leveled up as a consistent scorer. She scored 12 of her 16 last night in the 4th. Her rebounding numbers are off the charts–and rebounds are the most translatable stat from one level to the next.
I can guarantee KJ McNealy KJ McNealy 6’0″ | SG Farragut | 2026 State TN will be a high level rebounder in college one day….it’s just who she is. I’ve spoke to multiple coaches that simply rave over her ability to be a high level instinctual rebound. Like Dennis Rodman, she just know where they ball will be. She just “2nd jump explosion” to go after tipped balls. She has long arms. She’s aggressive. She has “it.” I expect her stock to skyrocket. How many 5’11 wings are out there that can do what she does? I watch basketball everynight….and I just don’t see many kids like KJ.
Priest is the heartbeat of Farragut. She’s everything you’d hope for in a PG–a vocal leader, uber competitive, fearless, coach’s kid with high IQ. When Annie Priest Annie Priest 5’7″ | SG Farragut | 2025 State TN is playing well….she unlocks Farraguts other scorers. They don’t have any one kid that scores 20….but a bunch of kids that can score 10-16 points.
And Priest is the engine that makes them go. And on top of that….she knows when she needs to be the scorer. She is a fearless shot maker (I’ve seen lots of “shot takers” but very few “shot makers”. Annie Priest Annie Priest 5’7″ | SG Farragut | 2025 State TN was a shot maker last night finishing with 14.
Priest set the tone from the get go. She was the aggressor and the Lady Admirals fed off her energy and confidence. She scored 9 first half points.
Highlights
I believe that Trinity Curry Trinity Curry 5’11” | C Farragut | 2027 TN is going to be really, really good. The freshman post was patient has she earned her way into the Farragut rotation. Coach David Mayfield won’t put you on the floor unless you’re a varsity caliber defender, and Curry had to take some time to catch up to the speed of the varsity game–which is normal.
But since Christmas, she’s been different! She doesn’t look to score much (but I watched her in MS AAU…and the kid can score), but instead she simply stars in her role. She’s a really gifted passer that sees the floor well, and she’s turned into a weapon against zone….as her hi/low passing is superb. She takes pride in being a plus defender and rebounder, and being a high IQ offensive ball mover that takes what the D gives. I’ve really enjoyed watching her stay patient, trust the process and coaching staff, and then take advantage of her oppurtunities.
Patel had 8 last night for Bearden….and I thought looked great. When teams double the Hodge ball screen, Patel inevitably finds a lot of open looks, and she’s begun to bury them with confidence. She hit 2 big threes in a late Bearden push, but ultimately the Bearden defense wasn’t enough.
For Patel….the sky is the limit. She’s a 6’0 wing that is turning into a lights out three point threat. That’s a matchup nightmare, as with her length, she’s so hard to get a true contest of her shot. She’s a modern wing if I’ve ever seen one!