BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – Many thought that this would be a very tough matchup for the Gatlinburg-Pittman. After all, the Lady Highlanders had to scratch and claw to get a tough 54-52 win over Moore County on Friday night. Many thought they would see a rematch of the GP-Cookeville championship game in the 2023 Christmas Classic. Lincoln County used hot shooting to thwart those plans and defeated Cookeville 69-56. The difference on Saturday evening was that Gatlinburg-Pittman’s threes were falling and the hot shooting from Friday night did not carry over for the Lady Panthers. The Lady Highlanders hit …
Lady Highlanders thrash Cordova (AL) in first round of Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic
BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – While Gatlinburg-Pittman may have been embarking on a defense of it’s 2023 Christmas Classic title, this team is much different than the one that won it a year ago. Last season, the go-to scorers may have been Maddy Newman, Leah Stinnett and Nya Burns, but all of those faces are gone now. This year’s version of the Lady Highlanders has seen three familiar faces step into new roles as dependable go-to scorers, and that is Maliyah Glasper, Addi Wear and Chloe Mejias. Maybe that’s the new ‘Big 3′ for this squad. All are juniors and …
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’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 …
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 …