Bearden (25-1, 9-0 Class 4A District 4) Maryville (19-3, 3-0 Class 4A District 2) Alcoa (14-9, 7-0 Class 3A District 5) Fulton (15-7, 9-0 Class 3A District 3) Austin-East (13-10, 5-1 Class 3A District 3) Gatlinburg-Pittman (16-4, 5-0 Class 2A District 2) Heritage (17-6, 4-2 Class 3A District 5) Sevier County (11-6, 2-1 Class 4A District 2) Farragut (18-7, 8-2 Class 4A District 4) Seymour (14-7, 3-2 Class 3A District 3)
BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – If you haven’t noticed, this isn’t your usual Seymour boy’s basketball team. The Eagles have already clinched their first winning season since the 2012-13 campaign and went toe-to-toe with Fulton at Jody Wright Arena back on December 16, falling 50-48. While many probably thought that was a fluke, the biggest question coming into Tuesday night’s contest was if Seymour could push the perennial basketball power to the brink for a second time. The Eagles answered those questions emphatically, battling back from a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to send the game to overtime at 51-51 on …
BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEYMOUR – Seymour entered Tuesday’s contest with Fulton with a district record of 2-1 and looking to stay alive for a top-seed in the district tournament. The Lady Eagles were able to do that thanks to a strong second half, as Seymour outscored the Lady Falcons 35-14 en route to a 69-38 win. “We just started focusing on our defense,” Seymour head coach Lindsey Koeneman said of the second half surge. “Defense is such a big priority to us and we talk about that a lot in practice, so when we get our defense going, our offense …
BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – Austin-East’s brotherly duo of Shane and Condis Cherry finished the game with a combined 58 points (Shane 41, Condis 17), outdueling Fulton’s twin tandem of Taj and Denaj Kimber, who combined for 35 points (Taj 18, Denaj 17) for a 69-67 win, as it was a packed house with standing room only inside Jody Wright Arena on Saturday afternoon. “When I took the job, I knew (the rivalry) was big, but I didn’t know it was this big,” said second-year Austin-East head coach Denard Bertram. “It’s a testament to see the stands packed with both …
BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – It might not be too rare to see a team go scoreless in the first quarter, but for a team to go scoreless in the first half and for almost three quarters, it is definitely a rarity. That’s what happened at Jody Wright Arena on Thursday night. The Lady Kees had multiple shots and layups that just seemed to either bounce or roll off the front rim. For most of the game, it appeared that there was some supernatural force diverting South-Doyle’s shots anywhere but through the net. Credit Fulton’s swarming defense just as much …
