Dylan Loy

Pigeon Forge uses 14-run inning to advance to district championship in Guinn’s 500th win

BY BRIAN HAMILTON PIGEON FORGE – Mike Guinn picked up his 500th win as a head coach on Monday evening, as Pigeon Forge used a 14-run third inning to build an 18-1 lead over Alcoa in the second round of the Class 2A District 2 tournament. The Tornadoes would battle back, scoring four runs in the top of the 5th, but the Tigers would prevail 18-5, cutting the game short due to the 10-run rule. Guinn began his career at Anderson County but has picked up the majority of the 500 at Pigeon Forge, where he won a state championship …

Ryan Hudson

Hudson signs with Welch, becoming second Maryville Christian basketball player to sign scholarship

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MARYVILLE – Ryan Hudson transferred to Maryville Christian from Maryville after the first semester of his freshman year and the rest is history. The shifty and reliable point guard inked a scholarship to play at the next level on Tuesday afternoon, signing with Welch College to become the second Maryville Christian basketball player to do such. “It means a lot. I came here from Maryville (High School) halfway through my ninth-grade year and I wanted to prove that I could play basketball at a high level, and I wanted to do it with this school,” Hudson said. …

Alcoa-Westview

Alcoa’s magical run ends with 44-32 loss to Westview in Final Four

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – Alcoa got off to a fantastic start in its first Final Four game since 1984, as the Lady Tornadoes led Westview 12-5. Jada Harrison got hot early, however, scoring all nine points in the first quarter, as Alcoa could only muster two points in the second quarter. The Lady Tornadoes would retake the lead early in the third, but Harrison and Westview would be too much in the end, as the Lady Chargers would go on to win 44-32 and advance to the Class 2A state championship game. As far as playoff experience is concerned, …

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 …

Macie Ridge

Alcoa snaps Westmoreland 25-game win streak to advance to Final Four

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – Alcoa came into the game as an underdog in the eyes of many, as the Lady Tornadoes were matched up with Westmoreland, winners of 25 straight. The Lady Tornadoes didn’t view themselves as an underdog, however, as they led for all but 21 seconds of the game and handed the Lady Eagles their first loss since December 3. The Final Four berth will be Alcoa’s first since in 38 years, when the Lady Tornadoes made it to the championship before losing to York Institute 65-34 in 1984. “Dawn Marsh’s team back in 1983-84 made it …