Gatlinburg-Pittman

Barton out-duels Unicoi’s Simmons, helps bring Highlanders first region crown since 2000

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – When most folks were looking for a region championship game to attend Thursday night, it was hard to look past the matchup between Gatlinburg-Pittman and Unicoi County. This matchup featured two Class 2A Mr. Basketball finalists, in Jayden Barton from GP and Jackson Simmons from Unicoi. The game lived up to its billing, as Simmons started the game hot, scoring the first nine points for the Blue Devils. The Highlanders would push back and hold a second quarter lead before Unicoi opened the third quarter with a 13-1 run. At that point Barton took the …

Sevier-Morristown East

Bearettes overcome early deficit to defeat Morristown East for 5th region championship in six years

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEVIERVILLE – The last two meetings between Sevier County and Morristown East were in the district and region championship games last season, with the Lady Hurricanes winning both. TSSAA realignment moved Sevier County to District 2, while Morristown East stayed in Region 1, and the two teams had not met since. Bearettes coach Jonathan Shultz said that he was eager for the possibility of this matchup once he saw the region tournament brackets. “When the (regional) bracket came out and we were both the 1-seeds, I saw that there was a good opportunity for us to try …