Hold Up

Defending champion Heritage isn’t quite done

In junior Kenley Coker, far left, senior Aleyah Smith, third from left, and juniors Katelyn Graves and Faith Morris, the defending Class 3A champion Heritage Lady Mountaineers return four of five starters from last year’s title game.

By Stefan Cooper
Editor
Blount Press Row

Heritage took as big a hit to graduation as a team can take after last season’s historic state championship run.

The Lady Mountaineers became Blount County’s first ever champion in the full-court era of girls basketball in Tennessee when they routed Northview in the Class 3A title game at Middle Tennessee State University.

Afterward, Heritage bid farewell to senior Carsyn Swaney, the school’s second all-time leading scorer, who was off to MTSU to play her college ball. Also not returning for the title defense was fellow senior Chloe Heath, the third all-time leading scorer in program history, who signed with Carson-Newman.

The pair were last season’s co-district MVP.

The Lady Mountaineers are likely far from done, though.

Swaney missed last season’s title game when she injured her ankle in the previous day’s semifinal. Four of the five starters from that championship game — senior Aleyah Smith and juniors Faith Morris, Kenley Coker and Katelyn Graves — are all back.

Morris and Smith were both named to the all-state tournament team along with Heath, the tournament’s most valuable player, and Swaney.

Can Heritage run it back?

From the looks of things at the Blount County basketball jamboree, the Lady Mountaineers sure look as if they can.