BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Kaliyah Burden toed the free-throw line Thursday afternoon with 1 minute, 3 seconds left in a Class 4A state quarterfinal against three-time defending state champion Bradley Central, as a throng of Sevier County … [Read more...]
CLASS 3A GIRLS QUARTERFINAL: Wheeler’s second half propels Cocke County to 59-44 win
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Ava Wheeler got down on herself pretty hard at halftime of Wednesday's Class 3A state quarterfinal against Liberty Creek. The Cocke County High 5-foot-7 sophomore guard, who is known for her perimeter touch, had … [Read more...]
CLASS 3A Girls Quarterfinal: Alcoa storms back to take the win, 48-44, over Tullahoma
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — From Harper Stinnett's vantage point on the floor Wednesday night, the final-second heave by Tullahoma star McLayne Bobo looked good. "I was so nervous," said Stinnett, an Alcoa freshman … [Read more...]
CLASS 2A Girls Quarterfinal: Gatlinburg-Pittman rallies from 16 down to down Gibson County
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — By her own admission, Cheyenne Byrd's role for the Gatlinburg-Pittman girls' basketball team isn't always to shoulder the scoring load. "A lot of games, I score, like, two points — at most," she quipped. But … [Read more...]
McMinn Central falls to Loretto in 2A state quarterfinal
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — During former McMinn Central girls basketball coach Johnny Morgan’s 47-year tenure, many Chargerette teams arrived at TSSAA state tournaments built for a possible run at a title. Under first-year coach Dakota … [Read more...]
Two area standouts named 2026 TSSAA Miss Basketball; see statewide Mr. & Miss Basketball winners
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Two area high school basketball standouts were named TSSAA Miss Basketball on Tuesday evening at a ceremony at MTSU's Tucker Theater, as Mr. and Miss Basketball winners were unveiled for the 2025-26 … [Read more...]
2026 BOYS STATE SECTIONAL RECAPS, presented by SmartBank
BY JESSE SMITHEY For some area high school boys basketball teams on Monday night, longstanding state-tournament-appearance droughts came to an end. For others, they fulfilled their promise as programs expected to return to Murfreesboro to … [Read more...]
5STAR PREPS 2026 HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SEASON PREVIEW
2026 BASEBALL PREVIEW Since our debut in Spring 2018, 5Star Preps has covered 13 baseball state champions from our coverage area. Had Covid not wiped the 2020 season, the total likely would have been more. Still, the 2026 season offers hope … [Read more...]
2026 TSSAA State Basketball Tournament Scores & Schedules
TSSAA BlueCross State Basketball Championship Schedules Murphy Center, MTSU, Murfreesboro All Times Central DIVISION I BOYS Murphy Center, MTSU, Murfreesboro All Times Central Wednesday, March 18 CLASS 2A QUARTERFINALS Loretto 44, East … [Read more...]
2026 Girls State Sectional Basketball Recaps, powered by SmartBank
BY JESSE SMITHEY Seasons continued and seasons concluded Saturday night. Here's a glance and info on which area high school girls basketball teams won state sectionals to reserve their spots in next week's TSSAA Division I State Tournament … [Read more...]