The 1A Lady Eagles were the first to hit the court yesterday in the AHSAA State Basketball Tournament's round of 16. They faced a tough Ider team, who came into the Northeast Regional with 28 wins and just 4 losses. The Lady Yellowjackets got off to a good start, outscoring Appalachian 19-5 in the first.  While Appalachian added 10 to their total before the break, Ider scored another 18 for a 37-15 advantage at the break. They posted 31 points over the final two quarters, holding the Eagles to 14. Ider advanced to 1A's Elite 8 with a 68-29 win.
Appalachian's Karen Erazo led the team in points with 11. She hit 4 of her 6 shots, sinking three 3-pointers and finishing with 5 rebounds, 3 assists,  and 1 steal. Nora Driggers led the team in rebounds with 6. She also finished with a block. Graci McGuire finished with 10 points. She sank two 3s and was perfect from the free throw line. She also had a block and a steal. Charlie Payne had 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal; Trinity Day finished with 2 points, 4 rebounds, and a steal; Lyla Cleveland had 1 point, 1 rebound, and 1 assist; Mia McCay had 2 rebounds and a steal; Kylee Owens had 2 rebounds and a block; Madelyn Bryson and Britlyn Bryson both finished with with 1 rebound; and Denise Molina finished with a steal.
The loss dropped the Eagles to 17-10 for the season, but they have much to be proud of: another regular season area title, area tournament title, and a second straight Sweet 16 appearance.
(Appalachian photos by Mandy Moore)

Susan Moore's Lady Bulldogs were next to hit the court. There opponent In the 2A Northeast Region Semifinal was Pisgah, who came in with an 18-8 record. The Bulldogs were looking for win number 20 and another Elite 8 appearance, but it was Pisgah who notched another win to improve to 19-8. Both teams shot well in the opening quarter with Pisgah scoring 17 and Susan Moore 16. In the second quarter, however, Pisgah began to pull away, adding 19 points for a halftime lead of 36-25. The Bulldogs kept pace with Pisgah after the break, but couldn't narrow the gap. They posted another 20 points, while Pisgah scored 22. After three quarters of play, the Bulldogs were down 45-58. Pisgah held Susan Moore to 8 fourth quarter points and added another 13 to their total, bringing the final to 71-53.
Mallorie Holland led the Bulldogs on the board with 23 points, sinking three 3s and shooting 4-4 from the free throw line. She added 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Cesa Hernandez finished with 16 points, sinking two 3s and shooting 6-7 from the free throw line. She also had 1 assist, 1 block, and 2 steals. Victoria Calderon had 6 points, 4 rebounds, and a steal; Ally Holland had 4 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, and 2 steals; Tamia Woody had 2 points, 4 rebounds, and an assist; Alaina Bryant had 2 points and a rebound; Ava Lackey had 4 rebounds; Ella Augustine had 1 rebound and 1 assist; and Ava Glenn finished with 1 rebound.
This was the Lady Bulldogs first season under new head coach Drew Faile. Faile coached the girls to another regular season area title, their seventh straight area tournament championship, and sub-region win.
Faile shared after the game, "The girls finish this season 19-11. It may not have ended exactly how we wanted, but we went down fighting! Love these girls and this program. Enjoyed this year and learning from them. Thank you to the ones who supported and believed in us this season. Thank you Coach Wilson and Britani for all your help!"
(Lady Bulldogs photos: SM Girls Basketball/FaceBook)

Susan Moore's boys (10-13) hit the court immediately following the girls. Their opponent was also Pisgah, who came in with a 12-9 record. Pisgah started fast, building a big first half lead. They outscored Susan Moore 22-15 in the first and 16-6 in the second for a 38-21 lead at the break. The Bulldogs settled down after the break, out scoring Pisgah 39-36 in the second half, but the Bulldogs couldn't overcome their first-half deficit. Susan Moore posted 20 points in the third and 19 in the fourth, while Pisgah scored 18 in each of the last two quarters. The final was Susan Moore 60, Pisgah 74.
Corbin Hamric led the Bulldogs on the board with 20 points. He sank three 3s, hit 7 of 8 free throw attempts, pulled down 4 rebounds, and had 1 assist, 1 block, and 2 steals. Sam Garrison's 9 rebounds led the team. He also finished with 18 points, going 2-2 from the 3 point line and 6-8 from the free throw line. Garrison also had 1 assist and 1 block. Payton Pannell finished with 14 points, a rebound, an assist, and a steal. Vincente Morales had 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists; Fabian Zavala had 2 points and an assist; Lucas Beard finished with 3 rebounds and a steal; and both Jesus Cervantes and Derrick Hudgins finished with a steal.
While the game marked the end of Susan Moore's season, this Bulldog team overcame a slow start to finish area play tied for first, to finish second in the area tournament to advance to subregionals, and to win on the road in subregion play to earn their second straight trip to the round of 16.
Following the game, head coach Adam Wilson shared, "This group of young men have led me on a journey that I can’t really describe this season. This locker room was so unique and so much fun. This group loved each other so much in the locker room from the beginning, but were so far apart on the court… until they weren’t. This group kept showing up, kept trying to figure things out, and when they did, they led this program on a journey no one thought possible 4 four weeks ago.
"We came up short tonight, but just like the season, they never quit. I’ve learned a lot from them. There is not one person in this locker room that has not helped make me a better man. Thank you! To the seniors – Corbin, Baller, and, Andrew – thank you for what you mean to me and SM Basketball. You will all be successful in life. I’ve seen you grow from boys to great young men. For that, I am so proud.  Thank you to Coach Jennings, Coach Faile, and Coach Patterson for investing time in these kids, but also in me. I love you all!"
(Susan Moore photos: SM Boys Basketball/FaceBook)

Southeastern's girls and boys closed out opening day of the Northeast Regionals. The Lady Mustangs hit the court first, facing the 21-11 North Sand Mountain Lady Bison. The Bison started strong, sinking six 3 pointers in the opening quarter to build a 24-11 lead. Southeastern added eight to their total in the second quarter and held the Bison to 6 for a half time score of 30-19. But, after the break, North Sand Mountain caught fire again, sinking six more 3s. After three quarters of play, the Bison had built a 55-28 lead. Neither team shot well in the closing quarter, scoring a combed 14 points. The final score was  North Sand Mountain 64, Southeastern 33.
Alyssa Freeman finished with a double-double, scoring 18 points and rebounding 16 balls. She also had 4 steals and a block. Isleigh Hicks scored 7 points, pulled down 11 rebounds, and had 1 block. Savannah Cherry finished with 4 points and 1 rebound, while both Jenny Pendley and Payton Pendley each finished with 2 points. Payton recorded 4 rebounds and Jenny finished with 2 rebounds, a block and 3 steals.  Emma Fortenberry finished with 3 rebounds and a steal; Audrey Freeman had 1 rebound; Emma Ziegenbein had 1 rebound and a block; and Taylor Moon finished with a steal.
These Southeast Lady Mustangs have much to be proud of – regular season and area tournament runner up, a subregion win, and the first varsity girls team to reach the Sweet 16.
After the game, head coach Alex Cole shared, "UNITY! This group is special. We were one. The things this group went through this year brought them closer than they already were. They appreciated the small things. They showed up and let me coach them hard. They have continued to build the basketball program from past players at Southeastern. They have set a new standard. They got after it on the court even when the cards were stacked against us. The amount of game film I pushed them to watch and to study the game of basketball, they did just that. I’m so proud of this group! I didn’t want to see it end. It was a fun ride and I can’t wait to watch yall in your next stages of life. I love you girls forever!"
(Lady Mustangs photos: Alex Cole)

The final game of the night at JSU featured Southeastern's boys (13-13) and the 22-6 Section Lions. The Lions sank two 3s in the opening minute and didn't slow down. They went on to score 20 points in the first and another 30 in the second for a halftime lead of 50-16. Southeastern posted 12 points in the third quarter and held Section to 18, but neither team shot well over the final 8 minutes and Section came away with a 78-31 win.
Jericho Pendleton was Southeastern's top scorer with 13 points, going 2-2 from beyond the arch. He finished with 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Kannon Hudson scored 5 points, pulled down 4 rebounds, recorded 2 assists, and stole 1 ball. Both Landon Davis and Cole Ziegenbein finished with 3 points. Landon also had 2 rebounds and a block, while Cole had an assist. Logan Davis, Braxton Beasley, and Kameron Williams finished with 2 points. Logan added 4 rebounds and a steal, Williams added 3 rebounds. Bryan Soto finished with 1 point, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 2 steals, while John Sprayberry and Hunter Wilson both finished with a steal.
While the season ended earlier than Southeastern wanted, these Mustangs won their area tournament championship and subregion game to earn the program's second trip to the Sweet 16.
 Head coach Tyler Cole shared after the game, "Tonight did not go our way at all. However, let me take a minute to tell you about this team and our six seniors. Last year we lost in the sub regionals and had nine seniors. I can’t tell you how many people talked to me/us about “rebuilding” this year. No one ever believed this team would achieve as much as they did but themselves! These guys won an area championship for just the second time in school history, they made the Sweet 16 for just the second time in school history, and they carried themselves as great role models for our younger basketball players that got to watch them 'over achieve' what was believed and expected of them and show them what is possible with hard work, dedication, and determination.
"To Kannon, Landon, Cole, Bryan, John, and Braxton, thank you for all that you did for the basketball program and for allowing me to coach you guys hard. I love you and I’m proud of you for the young men that you are becoming! To the younger basketball players in our program, keep working hard and chasing your dreams of playing on the 'big stage.'"
(Southeastern photos: Rosa Noles)

Blount County has one more team left to play in their round of 16. Hayden plays in the 5A Northeast Region semifinals Friday. They'll face the Ramsay Rams at 1:30 p.m. Friday at JSU.