BY DAVE LINK There were plenty of Knoxville-area colors flying when the TSSAA Division I boys’ soccer tournaments finished in late May last year at Murfreesboro’s Richard Siegel Soccer Complex. Bearden won the Class AAA state championship with … [Read more...]
3A GIRLS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Heritage wins first-ever state championship 63-43 over Northview Academy
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Rick Howard, the longtime head girls basketball coach at Heritage High, finally had to silence his phone Saturday night in the postgame press conference following the TSSAA Class 3A State Championship. The pings … [Read more...]
4A GIRLS SEMIFINAL: Bearden looks good early but nationally ranked Bradley Central prevails 66-39
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — The way Friday's late-night Class 4A state semifinal began, one would have thought the Bearden Lady Bulldogs were the nationally ranked ones and the two-time defending state champions. By game's end, Bradley … [Read more...]
3A GIRLS SEMIFINAL: Northview Academy ousts 3A defending champion Dyersburg, 52-51
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Camryn Brown needed an extra second to process the moment. The final buzzer sounded in Northview's 3A state semifinal against Dyersburg, and Brown — a senior guard — admittedly thought the game was headed to … [Read more...]
3A GIRLS SEMIFINAL: Heritage wins 3A semifinal but likely loses star Swaney for title game
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Carsyn Swaney, the Heritage High senior star and Miss Basketball finalist, sat on a trainer's table Friday afternoon in a corner of MTSU's Murphy Center, peeking over her right shoulder often to see if her teammates … [Read more...]
2A GIRLS SEMIFINAL: Reese Beaty, York Institute end Gatlinburg-Pittman’s season, 60-45
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — One team had Reese Beaty. The other didn't. Not hard to sum up the the Class 2A girls state semifinal Friday afternoon between Gatlinburg-Pittman and York. Had Beaty not returned late in the regular season … [Read more...]
1A GIRLS SEMIFINAL: Van Buren hits shot in final seconds to oust Coalfield, 54-52
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Coalfield's girls basketball team should not be short on motivation next season. The Lady Jackets had a championship-game appearance within their grasp Friday at MTSU's Murphy Center, only to see it ripped from … [Read more...]
4A GIRLS QUARTERFINAL: Bearden trounces Whitehaven in Round One; Lady Bulldogs face big test in semis
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — All went stress-free for the Bearden girls' basketball team in its Class 4A state quarterfinal Thursday, but the big test is coming. Junior guard Natalya Hodge scored a game-high 19 points and senior Kendall … [Read more...]
4A GIRLS QUARTERFINAL: Late rally by Bartlett sinks Oak Ridge’s hopes in 4A tournament
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Consider it rare in high school girls basketball when you have to defend against a lob pass on an inbounds play. Despite the infrequency of it, Oak Ridge still prepared to guard against it. Oak Ridge coach Paige … [Read more...]
3A GIRLS QUARTERFINAL: Northview Academy shocks South Side 55-48 in state quarterfinal
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — She might be a sophomore by roster, but Northview Academy guard Mikinna Russell played Thursday like a seasoned vet. And what a time to do it, right? At the state tournament? Russell scored 13 points and … [Read more...]