Milestone run ends in region semifinal
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Anderson County’s Emerie Bullock drives into the lane past Seymour’s Natalee Adkins during Friday night’s region quarterfinal matchup. - Tony Cox
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Macy Basford poured in 23 points to pace Anderson County High School to a 51-39 victory over visiting Sey- mour High School. - Tony Cox
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Anderson County’s Bethany Lowe battles for a takeaway against Seymour during the Lady Mavericks’ home tour- nament game Friday night. - Tony Cox
The 2025-26 Region 2-AAA tournament delivered a milestone for the Anderson County High School girls basketball team as the Lady Mavericks advanced to the region semifinals for the first time since 2022.
But Monday night’s matchup with Cocke County proved to be the defining chapter of the season, as Anderson County couldn’t overcome a sluggish start in a 52-26 loss to the Lady Red at Clinton High School’s Don W. Lockard Gymnasium.
Anderson County (14-15) managed just three points in the first quarter and added only two more in the second against Cocke County (31-4), which entered the contest riding a seven-game winning streak and victories in 18 of its previous 19 games.
The Lady Mavericks’ defense kept them within striking distance early, limiting the Lady Red to 19 first-half points. But the offense never found a rhythm. Julia Owens scored three points in the opening half, while Macy Basford added two.
“When you score five points in the first half, you’re not going to win many ballgames,” ACHS Coach Mitch Cupples said. “Cocke County has a good team and a great program, but if we score 15 points in the first half instead of five, then it looks a lot different.
“I told the girls after the game that we compete and we all want to win, but at the end of the day, there’s only going to be one Class AAA state champion. There are always bigger things, and I’d put the character of my team up against any other team in the world.”
Owens led Anderson County with eight points. Basford finished with five in her final high school game.
The Lady Mavericks will say goodbye to two seniors: Jaycee Phillips, who battled through an injury-plagued season, and Basford, who leaves the program as one of its most-prolific scorers.
Anderson County reached the semifinals with a 51-39 victory over Seymour in the quarterfinals at ACHS.
“This was the third straight year that we’ve played Seymour in this round of the region tournament,” Cupples said. “They’ve beaten us the last three years at home.”
Basford poured in 23 points against the Lady Eagles, while Bethany Lowe added 14. Owens and Addison Grooms chipped in six points each as the Lady Mavericks secured their milestone win.
