Sevier County

Bearettes jump on Jefferson County early to repeat as District 2 champs

BY BRIAN HAMILTON DANDRIDGE – Sevier County took an early 19-2 lead over Jefferson County and never looked back, as the Bearettes defeated the Lady Patriots 57-34 in the Class 4A District 2 title game Saturday night. The championship was Sevier County’s second straight, one year after replacing all five starters to graduation. “We talked about it today during our pregame; when we start fast, we tend to win,” Sevier County coach Jonathan Schultz said after the game. “On Monday night, when we played here, we didn’t play a great game and I just thought we got outworked, so we …

Clevenger

Cocke County unable to overcome big third quarter by Greeneville in district semis

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GREENEVILLE – Cocke County got off to a hot start, but could not overcome a third quarter, which saw them fall into a 14-point deficit going into the fourth. The Lady Red cut the deficit to two with just over a minute remaining, but it was too little, too late, as Greeneville came away with a 60-56 win and a trip to the Class 3A District 2 title game. “We just quit picking up the ball and they were able to make a bunch of shots and take advantage of what we were doing wrong,” Cocke County …

Heritage-Farragut

Strickland, Rogers have big night to propel Farragut over Heritage in district semis

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MARYVILLE – Heritage kept the Farragut scorers at bay for most of the game, but once Avery Strickland and Keeleigh Rogers got things going in the second half, the Lady Admirals pulled away for a 59-52 win and a third shot at Bearden in the district championship. “We played them in the regular season, tooth and nail, and they beat us by four both games because we didn’t hit a few shots to win the game,” Heritage coach Rick Howard said. “I thought tonight we just missed some crucial layups and a couple threes that you’ve gotta …

William Blount

Bearden routs Lady Govs 68-28 in District 4 semifinal

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MARYVILLE – William Blount hung with Bearden for the first two minutes in Friday’s Class 4A District 4 semifinal, but the Lady Bulldogs enforced their will in the first quarter, turning a 5-5 tie into a 21-5 lead and the rest was history, as Bearden advanced to the district championship game on Monday night. “It’s just of those things where I felt like we had some clean looks and had some good looks and they don’t go down and they’re off to the races,” William Blount coach Jason Kallenberg said. “I told the kids at halftime — …

Seymour-Carter

Lady Eagles hold Carter to single digits in district semifinal

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – The Lady Eagles jumped out to a 23-0 lead before surrendering a basket to Carter in the teams’ district semifinal matchup on Thursday night. Seymour went on to win 56-8 and advanced to the District 3 championship on Monday night. Thursday night was a milestone, as it was the lowest total Seymour held an opponent to since at least 2000. The next lowest totals came in an 82-10 win over Berean Christian on November 20, 2006, and a 67-11 win over Carter on January 29, 2004. When Emma Collins banked in a three pointer with …

Northview

Lady Cougars overcome poor shooting night against Gibbs to advance to District 3 title

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – Northview Academy jumped out to an early 12-0 lead and never looked back, as the Lady Cougars went on to win 43-28 over Gibbs in the District 3 semifinals, despite shooting just 25-percent on the night. “We had great looks; it just came down to, we weren’t ready to play,” Northview coach Brooke Shelley said. “I’m very disappointed and I’ll apologize to all of Cougar Nation because we didn’t come out doing what we’re supposed to do tonight, and we absolutely have to be better.” A layup by Reagan Brown, followed by four straight points …

McMahan

Lady Patriots’ comeback falls short at Morristown-West

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MORRISTOWN – Nina Lovelace set the tone early for Morristown-West, as the senior finished with 23 points in a narrow 54-53 win over Jefferson County. The Lady Trojans held a sizeable lead in the second half, but the Lady Patriots were able to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Morristown-West was able to escape narrowly with a 55-54 win. “I thought we controlled it, I really did,” Morristown-West head coach Johnny Gaylon said after the game. “It seemed like in the fourth quarter, we tried to run the clock out and that probably messed us …

Seymour-Carter

Seymour girls score 38 straight to defeat Carter 52-17

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – After a first quarter where Seymour and Carter played to a draw, it looked as if fans were in for a classic Class 3A District 3 battle. That’s before the Lady Eagles embarked on a 38-0 run to put the game out of reach, winning 52-17. “I didn’t realize it was 38-0, but I did realize they hadn’t scored in a while,” Seymour head coach Greg Hernandez said after the game. “Mentally we weren’t focused at the start, but we did a good job of waking up and making things a lot harder for them.” …

TKA-KCS

Lady Lions route Knoxville Christian behind 26 from Tucker

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – The Lady Lions welcomed Knoxville Christian to their home court on Friday night — a night that many local games were postponed due to the threat of winter weather — and the Lady Knights probably wished this contest was postponed, as TKA jumped out to a 29-7 first quarter lead, en route to an 87-18 win. Junior Juleigh Anne Tucker paced the Lady Lions in the first quarter with 19 points, finishing with a game-high 26. “She’s one of the ones that we try to go to early and get going early,” TKA head coach …

Bailey McCoy

Seymour overcomes slow start to defeat Cosby 45-32

BY BRIAN HAMILTON COSBY – Seymour was able to overcome a slow start, as the Lady Eagles trailed Cosby throughout the first quarter but managed to grab the lead and coast to a 45-32 final behind the scoring of sophomore Kalyn Jarvis. The Cosby Lady Eagles jumped out to an early 13-9 lead over Seymour, thanks in part to two three-pointers by Shylee Shelton and one triple by Gracie Johnson. After falling behind in the first quarter, Seymour would outscore Cosby 36-19 the rest of the way. “I was happy with our defensive effort from there on,” Seymour head coach …