Gatlinburg-Pittman

Gatlinburg-Pittman defeats Alcoa 81-56 for back-to-back district championships

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – Gatlinburg-Pittman jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never trailed, as the Highlanders won 81-56 to win their second consecutive district championship. Gatlinburg-Pittman withstood a heavy punch by Alcoa in the second quarter, before going on a 14-0 run to lead by 16 at the half. The Highlanders blew the game open in the third quarter, leading by as many as 31 points. Four starts graduated from last season’s district championship team, with Houston Byrd as the only holdover in the starting lineup. One year later, with a retooled starting lineup, and a freshman phenom …

Seymour Girls

Lady Eagles defeat Northview Academy 47-39 for first district title since 2008

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – It was a game of runs, as each team came out and traded punches in the third quarter, as Northview Academy responded to a 7-0 Seymour run with a 10-0 run of their own. The Lady Eagles dealt the final blow, however, as Seymour held the Lady Eagles scoreless for most of the fourth quarter en route to a 47-39 win and their first district championship since 2008. Seymour head coach Greg Hernandez was a sophomore center for Maryville College the last time the Lady Eagles won a district championship. Seymour defeated Gibbs 49-45 for …

Morristown-East

Morristown-East sets school record for most wins during district championship win over Sevier County

BY BRIAN HAMILTON DANDRIDGE – Morristown-East trailed for much of the game, but when the Hurricanes needed their leader Micah Simpson to answer the call, the senior calmly stepped to the free throw line and knocked down crucial shots. “I was just trying to get to play with the confidence they’ve had all year and reminding them that we’ve won 26 games and we’ve played a tough schedule and have been in adverse situations before,” Morristown-East coach Alden Collins said. “This isn’t anything that we haven’t seen, and we’re prepared for this moment. We have to go out with confidence …

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 …