BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — The Bearden High School boys basketball team may not have been the first in-state opponent this season to knock off nationally ranked Bartlett, but the Bulldogs pushed Bartlett to the brink. Despite trailing by … [Read more...]
3A STATE SEMIFINAL: Alcoa topples Tullahoma; Tornadoes to face Fulton in 3A finale
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Alcoa athletes don't lose championship games very often. Take junior Alcoa standout Jamir Dean, for example. The Power Five football prospect has played in three football championship games. Won them … [Read more...]
3A STATE SEMIFINAL: Fulton Falcons stun defending champion Upperman Bees, 54-51
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — As the Fulton Falcons ran off the Murphy Center floor on Friday following a state semifinal win and then down into the tunnel towards their locker room, one player yelled: "They doubted us, Coach!" No doubt that … [Read more...]
Longtime girls’ basketball coach Johnny Galyon steps down at Morristown West
BY JESSE SMITHEY Johnny Galyon has rarely missed a day of work. With some 250 sick days stored up, Galyon had to take a day off, though, this week. The wake behind his decision to step down as girls' basketball coach at Morristown West … [Read more...]
4A STATE QUARTERFINAL — Bearden (37-1) overcomes Cutter Sisk challenge and Beech, 55-52
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — For the last 10 days, since the Bearden boys' basketball team won its state sectional game and learned of its first-round matchup with Beech High, Bulldogs head coach Jeremy Parrott, his staff and players have … [Read more...]
4A STATE QUARTERFINAL: Farragut falls to Walker Valley in tough fourth quarter
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Senior point guard Parker Lane drove down the right side of the foul lane early in the first quarter of Thursday's contest against Walker Valley and buried a 12-foot, mid-range jumper, giving Farragut its first … [Read more...]
CLASS 3A STATE QUARTERFINAL: Alcoa Tornadoes downs Fayette-Ware by 44
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Say this for the rims at the Murphy Center: they can take a beating. The Alcoa Tornadoes hammered home copious amounts of dunks throughout the first half Wednesday of their Class 3A state quarterfinal en route to … [Read more...]
CLASS 3A BOYS QUARTERFINAL: Nick Steen’s shooting touch powers Fulton past Portland
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Not that Nick Steen needed to write his name any more on Fulton's Class 3A state quarterfinal win Wednesday, but when the opportunity arose with 2 minutes, 55 seconds left, he took it. Steen, a 6-foot-3 junior … [Read more...]
2A BOYS QUARTERFINAL — After rally in third quarter, Gatlinburg-Pittman goes cold in fourth of 61-45 loss to Westview
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Rashid Moore, the Gatlinburg-Pittman boys' basketball coach, labels himself as a defensive-minded coach. "I really pride myself on defense, and this team has played good defense all year," Moore said Wednesday, … [Read more...]
TWIB NOTES (March 17, 2025): Stats, Team Trends, Rankings and Team Spotlight on Farragut, Grace, Oak Ridge
BY JESSE SMITHEY The high school baseball season is two weeks old, and plenty of area teams have already faced off with in- and out-of-state opponents — as well as some inconsistent weather patterns — in an effort to prepare for key upcoming … [Read more...]