The Greeneville Greene Devils basketball program has long been synonymous with district tournament success. The Devils have earned a No. 1 seed every season since 2018-19, been seeded among the top two every year since 2009-10, won 16 consecutive tournament games, and made 42 championship appearances—capturing 27 titles.
This year’s squad entered the District 2-3A Tournament seeking its sixth consecutive championship after finishing the conference season 2-4. That mark placed Greeneville opposite top-seeded Cherokee in the opening round, a team it split with during the regular season. Like their previous two meetings, this one was decided late. Greeneville knocked down 13 of 14 free throws in the final period to secure a 74-65 victory.
The win sends the Devils to the championship game and guarantees them a home game in the first round of the Region 1 Tournament at Hal Henard.
“Our kids showed a lot of heart, determination and resiliency,” said Coach Brad Woolsey. “Down the stretch we could have very easily folded, but we didn’t. We made plays, didn’t turn the ball over, and made free throws when it mattered.”
Freshman Zy Neal led Greeneville with a career-tying 24 points. Yordan Mills added 16, and Braylen Kidwell chipped in 11. Cherokee placed four players in double figures, led by Elijah Carmack with 16, Braxton Markham with 15, Isaiah Jones with 13, and Landon Jeffers with 10.
The game began in unusual fashion as Cherokee was assessed an administrative technical foul before the opening tip for illegal uniforms. Mills converted both free throws, giving Greeneville a 2-0 lead it would not surrender.
Once play officially began, the Devils’ starting five came out firing. Greeneville shot 10-of-13 in the first quarter, pouring in 27 points while holding Cherokee to 13 on 4-of-14 shooting. Mills and Kidwell paced the Devils with nine points each, while Jeffers led the Chiefs with five.
“The guys did a great job of getting the ball to where we wanted it and finishing plays,” Woolsey said. “That got us off to a good start and gave us confidence. That was huge.”
Greeneville extended its lead to 16 early in the second quarter behind buckets from Mills and William Woolsey, along with a Taren Claridy dunk. But momentum shifted as the Devils cooled off, shooting 5-of-14 the rest of the period. Claridy was forced to the bench with three fouls at the 4:00 mark, and Cherokee capitalized.
Carmack scored 13 points in the quarter and Jones added seven as the Chiefs trimmed the deficit to 40-34 at halftime.
Cherokee carried that momentum into the second half. Markham opened with a three-pointer, and Jeffers followed with a mid-range jumper to cut the margin to 40-39 with 6:51 remaining in the third quarter.
Greeneville answered with a 6-0 run. Kidwell hit a jumper, Mills made one of two technical free throws, and Neal converted a three-point play that sent Jones to the bench with his third foul.
After Markham made two free throws to make it 46-41, Neal took over, scoring six straight points to push the lead back to 11 with 2:27 left in the quarter.
Cherokee closed the period on a 7-0 run, aided by a pivotal sequence in the final seconds. Claridy was whistled for his fourth foul defending a Jones three-point attempt, and before a substitution could be made, a technical foul was assessed, disqualifying him from the game. Jones and Jeffers converted at the line to pull Cherokee within four, 52-48, heading into the fourth quarter.
The teams traded baskets through the opening minutes of the final stanza, with Greeneville stretching its lead to nine on a three-pointer from Parker Quillen at the 4:53 mark.
A three-point play by Grayson Hughes cut the deficit to six, but William Woolsey answered with a jumper in the paint to make it 63-55 with 3:42 remaining.
Cherokee continued to apply pressure and completed a four-point play with 51 seconds left as Markham banked in a three and converted the free throw to cut the lead to 66-61.
From there, Greeneville sealed the game at the line, making eight consecutive free throws in the final minute to secure the win and advance to Tuesday night’s championship against Volunteer, which defeated Grainger 79-50. The title game will follow the consolation game at approximately 7:30 p.m.
