BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Jahvin Carter had to document the moment for himself Saturday night. The Alcoa senior point guard, who had just led the Tornadoes to a second consecutive state championship, took his cellphone with him when he and … [Read more...]
CLASS 3A BOYS SEMIFINAL — Fulton turns up defensive notch in 52-30 win over Upperman; Falcons advance to 3A Championship
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — The postgame question might have been directed towards Class 3A Mr. Basketball and Fulton senior forward Tyler Lee on Friday night, but fellow senior Taj Kimber had no problem chiming in with his answer before Lee … [Read more...]
2024 CLASS 2A STATE SEMIFINALS: Jahvin Carter scores 40 and Alcoa reaches 2A title game with 69-64 OT win
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — When it comes to Jahvin Carter, you can just sense that he has a job-is-not-finished mentality this week at the Class 2A state tournament. Case in point: Alcoa had just won a 69-64 overtime thriller Friday night … [Read more...]
CLASS 3A QUARTERFINALS: Defending champion Fulton grinds out 56-49 win over upset-minded Fayette-Ware
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — By no means did Jody Wright, the longtime Fulton head boys' basketball coach, expect an encore performance this week of what his players reeled off in the 2023 state tournament. Yes, essentially the entire roster … [Read more...]
CLASS 2A QUARTERFINALS: Alcoa begins 2A title defense with cake-walk win, 74-40
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — The last time the Alcoa boys basketball team graced MTSU’s Murphy Center, they had the place rocking. On Thursday, they rocked the arena to sleep. The defending state champion Tornadoes opened their Class 2A … [Read more...]
CLASS 2A QUARTERFINALS: Austin-East throws scare into unbeaten Douglass but falls 72-49
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — The final statistics were almost too scary on paper to contemplate. And the much-anticipated Austin-East vs. Douglass matchup in the Class 2A quarterfinals never materialized into the heavyweight showdown most … [Read more...]
2024 BOYS 1A QUARTERFINAL: Jellico goes cold in second half of Class 1A quarterfinal; Frank Hughes rallies for 77-62 win
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Carson Bolton, the standout senior guard at Jellico High School, squatted over in a corner of the court late Wednesday night at MTSU's Murphy Center, just trying to compartmentalize all that had just happened. He … [Read more...]
2024 BOYS 4A QUARTERFINAL: Rossview (25-9) pushes past Morristown East in second half for 64-43 win
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Checking out of his final high school game with 3 minutes, 32 seconds to go, most certainly wasn't how Kyle Cloninger expected to go out. The Morristown East senior guard — the program's all-time leading … [Read more...]
2024 BOYS 4A QUARTERFINALS: Cookeville (31-3) ousts Maryville, 70-60, with second-half surge
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Perhaps Maryville High School senior center Alex Akard, with that booming voice of his that emits from a 6-foot-9 frame, said it best Wednesday, following the Rebels' first-round loss in the Class 4A state … [Read more...]
TSSAA announces 2024 Mr. and Miss Basketball Winners
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — To say East Tennessee was well represented Tuesday at the 2024 Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards at MTSU would be a tremendous understatement. Not only was the list of finalists littered with area talents, but the … [Read more...]