The Gatlinburg Pittman Highlanders historic season, and bid for a TSSAA State Championship came to an end on Wednesday afternoon, after falling to the Westview Chargers in their "Elite Eight" matchup 61-45. "We fought, we could have probably executed the game plan a little better, but I'm extremely proud of how they continued to fight.", spoke GP coach Rashid Moore. The Highlanders came into Wednesday's contest riding a 13-game winning streak, which included wins in the dis

For the first time since 1973, the Gatlinburg Pittman Highlanders advanced to the TSSAA State Basketball Tournament, after they defeated Tellico Plains 63-60 to win the Sectional Championship. The Highlanders now look to make history after a 53-year absence from the state tournament. Coach Rashid Moore and the team enter their 'Elite 8' matchup against Westview with something to prove—to themselves and the competition. In addition to their impressive winning streak (13 games)

In what will go down as one of the best defensive performance runs in state tournament history, the Sevier County Bearettes claimed the 2026 TSSAA Class 4A State Championship after knocking off Cookeville 61-43 on Saturday afternoon in Murfreesboro, on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. Led by junior Kaliyah Burden who was named tournament MVP with 24 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals, the Bearettes stymied a veteran Cookeville team with team defense,

The Gatlinburg Pittman Lady Highlanders entered Friday afternoon's contest with the chance to advance to the TSSAA State Championship game against York Institute and a chance at revenge, however that was not to be after the Huntingdon Fillies knocked off the Lady Highlanders 65-42. Gatlinburg Pittman would get off to a hot start with a pair of three's from senior and AA Miss Basketball Maliyah Glasper, but early foul trouble and turnovers turned the tide and Huntingdon poured

Story & Photos by Montana Findley MURFREESBORO – Facing a 32-0 nationally-ranked Bradley Central team in the quarterfinal round of the Class 4A state tournament, you’d expect shocked expressions and elated celebrations from Sevier County after pulling off a 52-34 win. Bradley Central entered the state tournament having won 49 consecutive games, and were looking for a fourth consecutive state championship. However, coach Jonathan Shultz and the Bearettes were cool as could be

The Gatlinburg Pittman Lady Highlanders defeated Gibson County on Wednesday afternoon inside the "Glass House" Murphy Center on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University 60-55, to advance to their third straight "Final Four" appearance. The Lady Highlanders came out with a sluggish start, shooting a woeful 1-15 from the floor, to trail the Pioneers by 12 after the first quarter at 15-3. After a much better second quarter, the Lady Highlanders found themselves down by 10

Hear from Coach Daryl Randles after his teams 5-2 victory over Seymour on Tuesday afternoon. I unfortunately forgot to start my mic and missed the first part of the interview. Rookie mistake, that I'll correct the next time.

On an overcast Tuesday afternoon, the Northview Academy Cougars hosted the Seymour Eagles and came away with a 5-2 victory over Coach Kyle Koeneman's Eagles. Northview would send Junior pitcher David York to the mound to face the Eagles, York would deliver an impressive performance, holding the Eagles to only 2 runs on the afternoon on an impressive 77 pitches. Seymour would go three up, three down in the top of the first inning after York induced two fly balls and a foul ti

The Highlanders were led in scoring by Senior Jayden Barton who had 28. Quinn Coykendall chipped in 11, while Craig Huskey added 10. The Highlanders move to 26-4, and will play in next week's state tournament.

The Smoky Bears were led in scoring by Junior Parker Newman who poured in 19, while Senior Nick Doughtery contributed 14. Sevier County ends the season with a 19-9 overall record. The Region 1AAAA champions tied the game at 35 with 1:47 remaining in the third but failed to jump out front, with Farragut pulling away in the final minutes.

We were able to catch up with Coach Moore following the Lady Highlanders game on Saturday evening, we asked about what the region championship meant, as well as his thoughts on their opponent on Monday evening, the Tellico Plains Bears among other things.

On a Saturday night, when the Smoky Mountain Rain was falling outside of Jack A. Parton Gymnasium, the Lady Highlanders were scorching hot as they defeated the Kingston Lady Yellowjackets 70-58 to advance to their fifth straight state tournament which will kick off on Wednesday March 11th. The Lady Highlanders would control the opening tip and start the game on a 11-0 run after their first basket 1:25 into the game. Kingston would quickly call a timeout with 6:04 remaining on

On what turned out to be a beautiful evening for a game, after being delayed nearly an hour due to a thundershower that passed over the Bearettes softball team from Sevier County defended their home field and defeated the visiting Pigeon Forge Lady Tigers by a score of 23-0 in a run-rule shortened three inning contest. Freshman Joselyn Hubbard started in the circle for Sevier County. She made quick work of the Lady Tigers in the first inning, with shortstop Jade Hubbard retir

Led by senior Jayden Barton, the Gatlinburg Pittman Highlanders claimed their first region title since 2000. The Highlanders defeated Unicoi County by a final score of 75-65. They will now host the Tellico Plains Bears, in a sub-state matchup on Monday with a 7 PM tip.

The Sevier County Smoky Bears came out strong in Thursday night’s Region 1-AAAA tournament championship game, setting the tone early and never looking back with a 68-59 win over the Maryville Rebels. The Smoky Bears were led in scoring by junior Parker Newman with 26 points, 18 of those came in the second half. They will now host Farragut on Monday evening, with a 7 PM tip.

"After trailing by two at the half, the Bearettes emerged with renewed determination in the second half. They took the lead at the end of the third quarter and ultimately defeated Morristown East 46-40, claiming their 5th Region Championship in the last 6 years.

Locked in a 23-23 tie at halftime, Gatlinburg Pittman surged ahead in the second half and held on after a furious comeback by Pigeon Forge. The Lady Tigers led 58-57 with 30 seconds remaining. However, the Lady Highlanders capitalized on a couple of crucial steals, converting them into free throws to secure a thrilling 61-58 victory.  The Lady Highlanders will host Kingston, Saturday night at 7 PM.  Photo Courtesy of Gatlinburg Pittman Athletics

The Northview Academy Lady Cougars fell on Wednesday night to the Cocke County Lady Red 51-43 in the Region 1 AAA Title game. The Lady Cougars, led by Coach Brooke Shelley, will now travel to Daniel Boone on Saturday for a 7 PM clash with a spot in the state tournament on the line. The Lady Cougars were led in scoring by Kiley Norwood with 14, while Mikinna Russell chipped in 11.