Austin-East takes down rival Fulton 69-67 behind Cherry’s 41

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – Austin-East’s brotherly duo of Shane and Condis Cherry finished the game with a combined 58 points (Shane 41, Condis 17), outdueling Fulton’s twin tandem of Taj and Denaj Kimber, who combined for 35 points (Taj 18, Denaj 17) for a 69-67 win, as it was a packed house with standing room only inside Jody Wright Arena on Saturday afternoon. “When I took the job, I knew (the rivalry) was big, but I didn’t know it was this big,” said second-year Austin-East head coach Denard Bertram. “It’s a testament to see the stands packed with both …

Walters State - Motlow State

Motlow State spoils Senators’ unbeaten season in overtime

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MORRISTOWN – Walters State saw its undefeated season slip away on Wednesday night, as the Senators had an opportunity to close out the game, leading by seven with just under three minutes left, but a 7-0 run by Motlow State sent the game to overtime, where the Bucks won 91-85 to hand Walters State its first loss of the Jerry Nichols era. “We just folded at the end of the game,” First-year Walters State coach Jerry Nichols said. “We had the game won, despite all the stuff that was going on throughout the game. I thought we …

Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg-Pittman routes Pigeon Forge in Battle of the Tunnel

BY BRIAN HAMILTON PIGEON FORGE – In the last edition of the ‘The Battle of the Tunnel’, Ty Glasper scored 60 points in three quarters of play, as Gatlinburg-Pittman defeated Pigeon Forge 92-45 on December 5. The junior point guard was more reserved on Tuesday night, going for almost half that total (28) in an 82-40 win over the Tigers, as the Highlanders started the game on a 24-0 run. “Since we had such a big letdown on Friday (66-61 loss to Oneida), we had to go back to the basics,” Gatlinburg-Pittman coach Rashid Moore said after the game. “We …

Alcoa vs West

Alcoa uses strong third quarter to avenge early season loss to West

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – Alcoa used a big third quarter to break open a game that was tightly contested early on, as the Tornadoes outscored West by 15 in the period and went on to preserve a 69-59 win. The win avenges a 73-71 loss in the Alcoa Thanksgiving Classic back in late November. It is worth noting that the Tornadoes were missing starters Eli Owens, Eli Graf and several other football players for that contest. “One of our key points to being successful was a fast start and a strong finish,” Alcoa coach Ryan Collins mentioned after the …

Gatlinburg-Pittman Smoky Mountain Winter Classic Champions

Gatlinburg-Pittman dominates Monroe County (KY) 105-66 in Winter Classic final

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – Ty Glasper had a huge night for Gatlinburg-Pittman, finishing just a couple rebounds and steals shy of a quadruple-double. The junior phenom finished the game with 33 points, 12 assists, eight steals and seven rebounds, as the Highlanders defeated Monroe County (KY) 105-66 to win the Smoky Mountain Winter Classic. “I didn’t even know that I had eight steals,” Glasper said after the game. “I knew about the seven rebounds, but I had no clue about the eight steals. That was a shocker to me.” The Highlanders scored early and often, with Mason Harriss converting …