Highlanders' Streak Snapped in Thriller vs Mustangs

In a battle of two of Tennessee’s top high school girls basketball teams, the Gatlinburg-Pittman Highlanders saw their impressive 5-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the Loretto Mustangs in a 55-52 thriller.

Gatlinburg-Pittman entered the matchup riding high off their regular season success with a 34-3 record, but ran into a red-hot Loretto squad that has now won 8 straight games to improve to 29-3 on the year.

It was a balanced offensive attack for the Highlanders, led by star senior Maddy Newman’s 15 points and 7 rebounds. Newman has been unstoppable lately, scoring 15 or more points in her last 30 games played. Leah Stinnett also chipped in 14 points and 3 steals in the losing effort.

But they were simply outdueled by Loretto’s Ally Weathers, who erupted for a season-high 33 points to power the Mustangs to the narrow victory. Ally Augustin aided Weathers’ big night with 10 points of her own.

Despite the disappointing loss to end their streak, Gatlinburg-Pittman can take solace in their tremendous 34-4 overall record as they likely turn their focus to playoff positioning and preparing for the postseason gauntlet.

As for Loretto, they’ll look to ride this momentum into their next big test - a matchup against the red-hot Gibson County squad on March 9th. Gibson County has reeled off 10 consecutive road wins themselves, setting up an intriguing clash of streaking teams.

While the Highlanders’ season ended on a sour note, both sides can feel confident about their postseason chances after this exhilarating battle between two of the state’s elite programs. With star talents like Newman and Weathers leading the way, Tennessee basketball fans have a lot to look forward to as the playoffs approach.