Morristown East

Morristown East historic season ends at hands of Dobyns-Bennett 59-55

BY BRIAN HAMILTON DANDRIDGE – Morristown East saw its best season in school history come to an end on Tuesday night, as a barrage of 3-pointers by Dobyns-Bennett’s Jonavan Gillespie spearheaded a late 10-0 Indian run that was too much for the Hurricanes to overcome. Morristown East and Micah Simpson rallied furiously late, but ultimately, Dobyns-Bennett would win 59-55 and advance to the region championship. “Winning is not easy and Dobyns-Bennett has a great team,” Morristown East coach Alden Collins said. “I think so much of the game of basketball is determined by making shots and Gillespie gets off in …

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 …

Ainsley Pfieffer

Alcoa advances to second consecutive regional final with 73-56 win over South Greene

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – Alcoa came out hot on Monday night and never took their foot off the gas, as the Lady Tornadoes led by double digits after the first quarter and never let the lead shrink to single-digits again, winning 73-56. The win advances Alcoa to the region championship with an opportunity to face Gatlinburg-Pittman — who defeated Happy Valley later Monday night — for the fourth time this season. Both matchups in Gatlinburg, the Lady Tornadoes have lost, and Wednesday night’s game will be at the same location. “We wanted to give ourselves another shot to get …

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 …

Seymour Girls

Lady Eagles defeat Northview Academy 47-39 for first district title since 2008

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – It was a game of runs, as each team came out and traded punches in the third quarter, as Northview Academy responded to a 7-0 Seymour run with a 10-0 run of their own. The Lady Eagles dealt the final blow, however, as Seymour held the Lady Eagles scoreless for most of the fourth quarter en route to a 47-39 win and their first district championship since 2008. Seymour head coach Greg Hernandez was a sophomore center for Maryville College the last time the Lady Eagles won a district championship. Seymour defeated Gibbs 49-45 for …