Barton scores 29 in second-half to fuel Highlanders’ win over Northview

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – The Highlanders used 29 second-half points from senior Jayden Barton to take down Northview Academy 82-68 on senior day in Gatlinburg. The win felt like retribution for a 65-59 loss in Kodak one week after Gatlinburg-Pittman got its football players back following the state championship game. “First and foremost, I’m thankful for Northview being willing to reschedule it,” Gatlinburg-Pittman head coach Rashid Moore said of the game’s rescheduling due to inclement weather. “They could have gotten out of it if they didn’t intentionally make it a point to play. It was one that we had …

Smoky Mountain Sports Boys Basketball Top 10 Rankings (2/8/26)

Bearden (27-1, 11-0 Class 4A District 4) Maryville (20-3, 4-0 Class 4A District 2) Alcoa (14-9, 7-0 Class 3A District 5) Austin-East (14-10, 6-1 Class 3A District 3) Fulton (16-8, 9-1 Class 3A District 3) Gatlinburg-Pittman (18-4, 6-0 Class 2A District 2) Heritage (19-6, 6-2 Class 3A District 5) Sevier County (12-6, 3-1 Class 4A District 2) Farragut (19-8, 8-3 Class 4A District 4) Seymour (15-7, 4-2 Class 3A District 3)

Boy's Top 10

Smoky Mountain Sports Boys Basketball Top 10 Rankings (2/1/26)

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)

Gatlinburg-Seymour boys

Gatlinburg-Pittman takes down Seymour behind Barton’s 40 points and 10 assists

BY BRIAN HAMILTON GATLINBURG – Gatlinburg-Pittman picked up their 12th win in the last 13 games with a 73-54 drubbing of Seymour on Thursday night, as Jayden Barton went off for 40 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, along with three steals and three blocks. Seymour kept the game close and had an early lead, as the teams were tied at 16-16 after one quarter, but Barton scored 33 of his 40 in the final three quarters, as the Highlanders pulled away. “(Barton) had 35 earlier in the year but that’s definitely been his most in a while,” Gatlinburg-Pittman head coach …

Cocke County - Northview Academy Boys

Northview outlasts Cocke County behind 70 points from Stolz, Pickel

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KODAK – Tuesday night was Northview Academy coach Cory Harkleroad’s birthday and it did not disappoint, as seniors Jaylen Stolz and Ben Pickel gift wrapped 70 points, between the two of them, to propel the Cougars to an 88-78 win over Cocke County. Stolz finished with a career-high 36 points, while Pickel, who had 34, came up one point shy of his career-high of 35, which he set last week against Austin-East. “I know Ben and Jaylen both had in the 30s, but we were looking at our stats and a lot of our made baskets — …

Fulton-Seymour

Fulton holds off Seymour in overtime to clinch district regular-season title

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 …

Bearden vs Farragut

Bearden defeats Farragut 71-31 behind Nordin’s 17 points

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – Bearden entered the contest having won seven straight against Farragut, with the last loss coming on January 27, 2023. If the Admirals were going to overcome that deficit, they were going to have their work cut out, facing a 21-1 team whose only loss was a 3-point loss to St. Thomas Aquinas in the Classic at Tennessee High Quarterfinal. Farragut looked up to the task in the first quarter, but Bearden’s hot shooting and defense proved to be too much, as the Bulldogs prevailed with a 71-31 home win over their arch rival. “You never …

Noel Meza-Flores

Eagleton escapes after Pigeon Forge second-half rally falls short

BY BRIAN HAMILTON MARYVILLE – Eagleton picked up a crucial district win on Monday night, as the Royals held off a Pigeon Forge comeback for a 70-63 win. Eagleton saw a 14-point lead midway through the third quarter dissipate to a 1-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but resiliency was what helped the Royals come away with the win. “We didn’t cover the middle, but Pigeon Forge did a lot of stuff to make that happen,” Eagleton College & Career Academy head coach Scott West said after the game. “They spaced it well and (Chris) Fudger’s a real nice …

Devyn Martin

Rebels take down Morristown West behind Martin dunkfest

BY BRIAN HAMILTON KNOXVILLE – Devyn Martin dunked the first two points of the game. Then he dunked the next two. The senior standout dunked frequently on Monday night, totaling five slams in the contest. Morristown West had no answer for Knox West’s size, as Martin and fellow senior Kevin Jack were able to have their way in the frontcourt and on the glass, as the Rebels came away with a 74-53 win. The win was a huge morale builder for West after having over one week off to bask in its last minute defeat in the Sevierville Winterfest Shootout …

Sevier County

Sevier County defeats White County for third place in Winterfest Shootout

BY BRIAN HAMILTON SEVIERVILLE – Sevier County was coming off a controversial loss to Lipscomb Academy in the semifinals of the Winterfest Shootout and could have hung their heads going into the third-place game of a holiday tournament. With the game at home and the stands packed with local supporters, the Smoky Bears came out strong and dominated White County 64-30 to place third in the tournament. Nate Griffin opened the scoring with a three to put White County in front 3-0, but Sevier County countered with a three of their own to tie the game at 3-3. Reed Ownby …