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 …

Tyler Lee

Smoky Mountain Sports Boy’s Preseason Top-10

Preseason Boys Rankings Preseason Boys Rankings Fulton (18) Bearden (1) Alcoa (1) William Blount Farragut Sevier County Gatlinburg-Pittman Austin-East Morristown West Morristown East

Jahvin Carter

Alcoa overcomes 17-point second half deficit to defeat #6 Fulton

BY BRIAN HAMILTON ALCOA – Fulton came into Alcoa on Thursday night and led the Tornadoes by as many as 17 in the third quarter, but Jahvin Carter score 24 of his 32 points in the second half to pull out a 57-56 come from behind win over the Falcons, who came in as the 6th-ranked team in Class 3A. “We’ve had our struggles the whole season and we’ve been down and out and given into frustration,” Alcoa head coach Ryan Collins said. “I’m so proud of the kids tonight, because they didn’t take that path tonight. They chose a …