Greeneville Shoots Down Unicoi To Claim Region Crown

BRISTOL – The Greeneville Greene Devils cut down the nets and raised gold once again after taking down Unicoi County 64-46 on Thursday night to become Region 1-3A Champions.

It had been three years dating back to 2002 since Greeneville’s last region title. The revenge tour continued inside of Viking Hall on Thursday night as the Greene Devils took down another opponent who ended their season prematurely in the past. Tuesday night’s semifinal win over Tennessee High was a rematch of last year’s semis when the Devils had their season cut short. A year before that, Unicoi ended their season on their way to the state tournament. In the last three days, Greeneville delivered two knockout blows to both teams on their way back to the top of the region.

Trey Thompson’s 23-point night led all scorers and helped him earn Tournament MVP honors. He was a deadeye from the three-point line knocking down five threes. “He’s a very level-headed kid and he did a great job for us,” Head Coach Brad Woolsey mentioned.

The Greene Devils were money from three-point land and tallied up eleven made three-pointers. Their experience playing inside of Viking Hall from The Classic and the district tournament helped prepare them for the kind of night they had.

“We’ve played well here this year. It was nice to come back and play the region tournament here. The guys knocked down shots and it was a good day,” Woolsey expressed.

Greeneville earned the opportunity to host Monday night’s state sectionals contest at Hal Henard Gymnasium. They welcome in Knox-Carter for a 7:00 tipoff time. The winner advances to the Class 3A State Tournament.

Woolsey said, “It feels great. Hosting is such a big deal when you get to the sub-state. We love playing at Hal Henard and we love our fans. We’ll be excited to get that going.”

Just like in their two previous wins over Tennessee High and Elizabethton they sprinted out to a sizable lead in the first quarter and rode that lead to the finish line. They made a living off catch-and-shoot three-pointers and almost couldn’t miss. Trey Thompson started the game with a catch-and-shoot three and was followed by Dominic Tweed and Jhervius Moore spraying from deep. Thompson nailed another later before Zaydyn Anderson let loose from the perimeter and sank a triple.

Greeneville drained five three-pointers in the first quarter and held a 19-7 lead.

The lead reached 19 points halfway through the second quarter. Cole Franklin laid the ball off the glass in transition, Tweed delivered an athletic layup next, and Thompson went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Taren Claridy was next up to sink a three-point bomb and did so to put the Devils up 28-9.

Another catch-and-release three reached the bottom of the net from Trey Thompson’s hands to send Greeneville into the half leading 34-18.

The most Greeneville led by was 20 points at one point in the third, but Unicoi quickly stormed back to cut it to 13 with seven-straight points from Koda Cutlip. After Zaydyn Anderson busted through the backdoor for a layup, Kaden Cutlip scored eight-straight for the Blue Devils. Jackson Simmons sank a corner three to end the quarter.

Greeneville’s lead shrunk to 49-40 after three.

“If you let down defensively, they will hurt you. They did tonight in the second half. We’ve got to be better taking care of the ball and have better shot selection,” Woolsey stated.

The lowest it got to was seven after Simmons hit a baseline floater to start the quarter. Around the six-minute mark the possessions became bigger as Greeneville attempted to chew clock and sit on the lead while Unicoi had a bit of momentum. That momentum faded in an instant as they ran out of steam and could only muster six points in the final minutes. Simmons scored all six.

Trey Thompson scored seven points in the fourth to secure Greeneville’s 64-46 win. He totaled 23 and took home Tournament MVP honors. Dominic Tweed joined him in double figures with 10 points. Eight different players scored.

Jackson Simmons led Unicoi with 18, Koda Cutlip delivered 12, and Kaden Cutlip scored 10.

Greeneville claimed their 10th Regional Championship as a program and first since 2022. Greeneville hosts Knox-Carter on Monday night at 7:00 for a trip to the state tournament on the line.