The King's Academy Lady Lions

Back in the saddle again: Lady Lions outlast Providence Christian to earn Final Four berth

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – They were partying like it was 2020 in Tibbets Gymnasium on Friday night, as the TKA girl’s basketball team earned its first trip to the Final Four since 2020. TKA defeated Providence Christian 71-62 on Friday night, in a neck-and-neck game that was much closer than the final score indicated. Seniors Juleigh Anne Tucker and Leah Thornton were freshmen on the 2020 team and the only two players on the roster who have experience playing in a state tournament, as reserves. This time, Tucker played a much bigger role than 2020, as her 28 points and six …

Ty Glasper

Highlanders defeat West Greene 86-66 to earn berth in region semifinals

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – The Highlanders withstood a scoring barrage by West Greene’s Leyton Frye, who finished with 33, to outlast and outscore the Buffaloes 86-66 and earn a berth in the regional semifinals next Tuesday. “We played them last year and he did the same thing last year,” Gatlinburg-Pittman head coach Rashid Moore said of Frye. “He had probably 25 or 30 last year against us. We watched their district consolation game quite a bit and I don’t know the point total, but he might have had 40. He scores at a really high rate, so the game …

Harrison Rollins

Lions fall to top-ranked Goodpasture 51-36 in state quarterfinals

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – The King’s Academy had a season for the ages this year, winning the district and region for the first time, but the Lions came up short of a berth in the Final Four, falling to top-ranked Goodpasture 51-36 on Saturday afternoon. “That’s the best team in the state,” King’s Academy head coach Sean Jones said after the game. “They’ve been number one all year and they’ve only lost twice all year. Ultimately, they did to us what they do to everybody. They’ll play you close for a quarter or two and then they get a …

TKA vs Boyd Buchanan

Rollins, Simun lift Lions to first regional final berth in school history

BY BRIAN HAMILTON WHITE PINE – A little over two years ago, Harrison Rollins sat before his coach going into his freshman season and was asked, “What do you want to get out of your four years here at TKA?” The now-junior forward responded, “I want to lead this team to a state tournament.” Rollins is now one step closer to doing just that after scoring a career-high 27 points during The King’s Academy’s impressive 64-53 region semifinal win over Boyd Buchanan on Friday night. The Lions were able to avenge a December loss to the Buccaneers and clinched a …