Rebels fall to Cookeville 70-60 in first state tournament since 2015

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – Nobody expected Maryville to be here in November. No one, but themselves, that is. Maryville advanced to the state tournament in 2020, but with their game against Hillsboro being scheduled on March 18, they were unable to play due to the COVID-19 shutdown. Wednesday was the first time that the Rebels were able to actually play in the state tournament since 2015, when they fell to Blackman 65-45 in the Elite 8. The result was not much different nine years later, as the Rebels fell to a sharpshooting Cookeville team 70-60, in a game that …

Morristown East - Rossview

Morristown East’s historic run ends at the hands of Rossview in the state quarterfinals

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – Both Rossview and Morristown East entered the game in unfamiliar territory, as the Hawks were playing in the school’s first Elite Eight in its 23-year history and the Hurricanes snapped a 45-year drought, advancing to state for the first time since 1979. The teams both traded punches early, but it was Rossview that took over in the second half, capitalizing on its opportunity, and picking up a 64-43 win in its first state tournament appearance. While Morristown East lost to a very talented Rossview team, the Hurricanes left the floor at the Murphy Center with …

Maddy Newman

Gatlinburg-Pittman ‘revenge tour’ books Friday night gig in semis after 54-46 win over Smith County

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – Gatlinburg-Pittman head coach Katie Moore has called it the ‘revenge tour’. The Lady Highlanders lost two games before Christmas to Sevier County and McMinn Central. Gatlinburg-Pittman avenged both losses in the second meetings of those home-and-home series. The Lady Highlanders lost their district championship to Alcoa. They responded by drubbing the Lady Tornadoes 68-53 in the region final. Moore said that the Elite 8 game was part of the revenge tour also, as GP advanced to the Class 2A semifinals with a 54-46 win over Smith County on Thursday night. “I feel like we have …

Cocke County-Heritage

Seeing Red: Lady Red advance to first Final Four since 1958

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MURFREESBORO – In March 1958, ‘Jailhouse Rock’ by Elvis and ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’ by Little Richard were near the top of the charts. Bobby Fischer won the U.S. Chess Championship at the age of 14 during that year. The Great Chinese Famine began in 1958. The Broadway musical ‘My Fair Lady’ opened in London. The New York Yankees won the World Series in seven games over the Milwaukee Braves. Cocke County advanced to the state semifinals. That’s what was going on in the world the last time the Lady Red made the TSSAA Final Four. Cocke …

Sevier County outlasts Patriots in defensive slugfest 45-35

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEVIERVILLE – Sevier County came into Friday night’s game down two starters in Jayden Barton and Bryson Hedrick, but the Smoky Bears were able to score just enough and rely on solid defense to come away with a 45-35 region win over Jefferson County. “That was a hungry team over there,” Sevier County head coach Ken Wright said of Jefferson County. “They came out and they played hard and they gave us everything they had. My hat’s off to them. They scrapped hard. They played with a lot of pride tonight and I’m glad our guys were …