Newman

Lady Highlanders lose heartbreaker in overtime to York Institute despite Newman’s 31 points

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – Sometimes a bad bounce can determine the outcome of a basketball game or be the difference between rewriting a program’s history. The Gatlinburg-Pittman players and fans saw that first-hand on Thursday night, as the Lady Highlanders’ star center Maddy Newman saw her layup bounce off the front rim with a chance to send GP to its first championship game in school history. “I didn’t know how much time I had left, so I just kind of tried to get it up there, but I missed it,” Newman said. Newman didn’t sulk after missing the potential …

Yates

Scotts Hill no match for Lady Highlanders, as Gatlinburg-Pittman advances to second Final Four in school history

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – Gatlinburg-Pittman was slated with an early tip-off at 10 a.m. for their Elite 8 matchup with Scotts Hill, but the early tip didn’t affect the Lady Highlanders, as they never trailed, going on to a 68-32 win. “I think the biggest thing we saw on film, was that no one we saw them against really pressured the basketball very well,” Gatlinburg-Pittman coach Katie Moore said. “I think that was something that helped us tremendously. I don’t think they ever got into an offensive flow, just because we were changing defenses and they couldn’t handle our …

Alcoa

Freshmen come up big to help Tornadoes win region championship at Gatlinburg-Pittman

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – Eli Graf hadn’t attempted a shot for nearly 29 minutes on Thursday night, but with under three minutes remaining in the Class 2A Region Championship, the freshman hit a three to tie the game at 54-54 and then put Alcoa up 57-54 and ahead for good with under two minutes left with another triple. Freshman Eli Owens also pulled down crucial rebounds and made timely baskets throughout the game. “Eli Graf hadn’t taken a shot all game and comes out and sticks two in that big moment, right there, unbelievable,” Alcoa coach Ryan Collins said. …

Kayle Yates

Gatlinburg-Pittman takes down Happy Valley 70-47 in regional semis

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – Leah Stinnett has been having a district tournament for the ages with the first triple-double in school history against Chuckey-Doak on Friday night. The sophomore guard followed that up by leading Gatlinburg-Pittman in scoring — with 20 points — and helping propel the Lady Highlanders to the district finals with a 70-47 win over Happy Valley. Gatlinburg-Pittman got off to a great start in the fourth quarter and lead after the Lady Warriors pulled to within six early in the second quarter, GP went on a 10-0 run and never looked back. “I thought that …

Gatlinburg-Pittman

Gatlinburg-Pittman defeats Alcoa 81-56 for back-to-back district championships

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – Gatlinburg-Pittman jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never trailed, as the Highlanders won 81-56 to win their second consecutive district championship. Gatlinburg-Pittman withstood a heavy punch by Alcoa in the second quarter, before going on a 14-0 run to lead by 16 at the half. The Highlanders blew the game open in the third quarter, leading by as many as 31 points. Four starts graduated from last season’s district championship team, with Houston Byrd as the only holdover in the starting lineup. One year later, with a retooled starting lineup, and a freshman phenom …