Lady Highlanders use hot start to rout Pigeon Forge, win district championship

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – The Class 2A District 2 championship has gone through Gatlinburg-Pittman and Alcoa the last four years, but with Alcoa moving to 3A, there was room for a new challenger. This year the championship game featured a new participant, as Pigeon Forge defeated Cumberland Gap in the semifinals to advance to the title game. Gatlinburg-Pittman wasted no time in claiming its fourth district title in five years, as the Lady Highlanders jumped out on Pigeon Forge early, building a 21-3 lead en route to a 73-38 win. The win earned Gatlinburg-Pittman its second consecutive district title. …

NVA vs Pigeon Forge

Northview Academy sweeps Pigeon Forge to open district play

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KODAK – The 2025 season arrived with high expectations for Northview Academy, as the Lady Cougars bring back most of their core and the fact that the region is much more favorable now. The last two teams to defeat NVA and deny them a shot at state were Anderson County and Gibbs, who are both now in Class 3A. Pigeon Forge opened the season hoping to turn the corner, after a 10-13 2024 campaign and 4th place district finish. The Lady Cougars did not disappoint on Tuesday night, however, sweeping the Lady Tigers 25-16, 25-17, and 25-19. …

Noel Meza-Flores

Eagleton escapes after Pigeon Forge second-half rally falls short

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MARYVILLE – Eagleton picked up a crucial district win on Monday night, as the Royals held off a Pigeon Forge comeback for a 70-63 win. Eagleton saw a 14-point lead midway through the third quarter dissipate to a 1-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but resiliency was what helped the Royals come away with the win. “We didn’t cover the middle, but Pigeon Forge did a lot of stuff to make that happen,” Eagleton College & Career Academy head coach Scott West said after the game. “They spaced it well and (Chris) Fudger’s a real nice …

Kylie Norwood

Lady Tigers defeat Eagleton 70-37 behind Norwood’s 38

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MARYVILLE – Pigeon Forge did not shoot well in the first half, but freshman Kylie Norwood was able to keep the Lady Tigers afloat by scoring 19 first half points. The team’s shooting improved in the second half, as leading scorer Makaylee Stalcup finally got on the board in the third quarter. Norwood finished the game with a career-high 38 points as Pigeon Forge would go on to defeat Eagleton College & Career Academy 70-37 in an important district contest. “Kiley wouldn’t get her 38 without her teammates,” Pigeon Forge head coach Paul Reagan said after the …

Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg girls

Lady Highlanders weather slow start to defeat Pigeon Forge 61-21

BY BRIAN HAMILTON PIGEON FORGE – Gatlinburg-Pittman had trouble getting shots to fall early on, as senior Maddy Newman started the game on the bench. Pigeon Forge was able to stay within striking distance in the first quarter, trailing only 8-4, but Newman began to make her presence felt once she entered the game, as the Lady Highlanders cruised to a 61-21 win in the ‘Battle of the Tunnel’ on Tuesday night. “She missed shootaround and didn’t go to the game Friday (at Oneida) because she was sick,” Gatlinburg-Pittman coach Katie Moore said of Newman coming off the bench. Makaylee …