BY JESSE SMITHEY The search for a new head football coach at Greenback concluded officially on Wednesday. The school announced Zack Rayl as its new head football coach. Here’s what we know. … [Read more...]
DIVISION I GIRLS HOOPS: Bearden Lady Bulldogs rally from 16 down but Bradley Central wins at buzzer; 57-game win streak snapped
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — All win streaks ultimately reach an end, and Class 4A defending champion Bearden's 57-gamer met a heartbreaking one Wednesday morning. After not making a first-quarter field goal and after falling down by as many … [Read more...]
DIVISION I GIRLS HOOPS: Sevier County runs into giant-sized opponent at state; Bearettes fall to Bartlett, 57-37, in 4A quarterfinal
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Tried as they might, Sevier County's girls basketball program had no real way to simulate in practice the opponent it wound up facing Tuesday in a Class 4A state quarterfinal. Sure, the turnaround from Saturday's … [Read more...]
DIVISION I GIRLS HOOPS: Elizabethton Lady Cyclones oust Dyersburg Trojans in Class 3A state semifinals
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — A teary-eyed Renna Lane, the 5-foot-11 forward from Elizabethton High School, sat in the press room last year at MTSU's Murphy Center following a first-round state tournament loss to Upperman and made a proclamation … [Read more...]
DIVISION I GIRLS HOOPS: Greeneville Lady Greene Devils fall to Livingston Academy, 63-60, but closing in on elusive state tourney win
BY JESSE SMITHEY MURFREESBORO — Greeneville girls' basketball coach Annette Watts wasn't afraid this season to test her group against the state's elite. Bearden. Bradley Central. Gatlinburg-Pittman. CAK. Alcoa. Catholic. Didn't matter. … [Read more...]
5STAR PHOTOS: Greeneville Lady Greene Devils vs. Livingston Academy Lady Wildcats – Tuesday, March 7, 2023
MURFREESBORO — Check out the gallery from the 2023 TSSAA Class 3A State Quarterfinal between Greeneville and Livingston Academy on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at Middle Tennessee State. All photo galleries are presented FREE TO SEE thanks to the … [Read more...]
Alcoa Tornadoes get revenge on Tyner in Sectionals; McMinn County gets first state berth since 2011; William Blount loses on controversial ending
Eleven TSSAA boys basketball sectionals involved area teams in the 5Star Preps coverage area. While we couldn't get to all 11 with our staff, we were able to track down a ton of info on what happened in each. Here's the lowdown... … [Read more...]
THE SCORER’S BOOK: McMinn Central, Gatlinburg-Pittman, Elizabethton capture TSSAA State Tournament berths
We couldn't get to every big game on Saturday. But here's what happened in the Division I girls' sectional games we couldn't attend. We have our ways of finding out the good info... … [Read more...]
2023 DIVISION II STATE HOOPS: Knoxville Catholic alters its longtime history; Lady Irish win Division II-AA state championship over Ensworth
BY JESSE SMITHEY In three years' time, the Knoxville Catholic girls' basketball program underwent a mind-bending transformation — from a decades-long cellar-dwelling team hoping to hit .500 to a TSSAA state champion. And while it almost evolved … [Read more...]
2023 DIVISION II-AA STATE, Day 2: Webb School of Knoxville Spartans bow out in semifinal round, fall to Brentwood Academy
BY JESSE SMITHEY and DANNY PARKER COOKEVILLE — The opportunity was there. The seizing of that just didn't happen. Webb School of Knoxville, seeking to exact revenge on the team that ended its season a year ago, failed to make the second-half … [Read more...]