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BY DAVE LINK
Bearden junior point guard Natalya Hodge had a huge game Monday night and helped her head coach, Justin Underwood, reach a milestone victory.
Hodge scored 37 points as the No. 1-seeded Lady Bulldogs beat No. 2 Farragut 56-43 for the District 4-4A tournament championship at Hardin Valley Academy.
Underwood, in his 14th season as Bearden’s head coach, won his 400th career game.
“I’m very proud of him,” said Hodge, who was chosen MVP of the district tournament. “He pushes us. Both of our coaches (Underwood and assistant Josh Suttles) push us a lot. Even though they jump our butt a lot, we still believe in everything they say.
“We continue to grow and continue to listen to them and play ball how they teach us. I’m very grateful and our team is very grateful for our coaches.”
Bearden (29-4), ranked No. 3 in the state by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association, defeated rival Farragut (22-9) for the third time this season.
Both will play at home Friday in the Region 2-4A elimination quarterfinals.
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