nya burns Archives

Lady Lions suffer difficult loss to Grace Christian in district semis

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – The King’s Academy swept Grace Christian in both regular season meetings and throughout most of the game, it looked as if the Lady Lions were going to take a third game from the Lady Rams, but Grace Christian hit big shots in the fourth quarter, while TKA went cold for much of the period, falling in the district semifinals by a score of 54-51. “We just had some mental letdowns and they hit some big threes and we’ve got to respond,” TKA head coach Dante Turnipseed said after the game. “We say that basketball is …

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 …

Lady Highlanders hold off Riverside (SC) to advance to Winter Classic final

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – The Winterfest Shootout is the girls basketball tournament being played at Sevier County High School this week, but the Lady Highlanders found themselves in a winter shootout in the Smoky Mountain Winter Classic at Gatlinburg on Thursday night. The Lady Highlanders scored early and often, but so did Riverside (SC), as the two teams traded baskets throughout much of the first half. Gatlinburg-Pittman saw a 15 point lead almost evaporate before the half, due the Lady Warriors three-point shooting, but were able to push the lead back to 20 in the third quarter before having …