ROUNDUP: Volunteer fights off Greeneville in OT for second district crown in four years

RUTLEDGE — After seven district championships in a row, a run of Greeneville supremacy came to an end. And for the second time in four years, Volunteer took home a district tournament title at the Grizzly Den Tuesday night, outlasting the Greene Devils 69-66 in overtime. The Falcons survived a late regulation bucket from Taren Claridy to win their first district championship since 2023, when they were in District 1. Griffin Head led Volunteer with 21 points in a balanced attack. Amarion Graves had 15 and Jeremiah "Jerry" Jones added 14 more. Zy Neal posted a game-high 24 points for the Greene Devils. Claridy chipped in a baker's dozen, Braylen Kidwell scored 11 and Yordan Mills added 10. Consolation Cherokee 68, Grainger 63 The Chiefs were the beneficiaries of 10 missed Grainger free throws. Meanwhile, Cherokee only missed three of them. Landon Jeffers led the Chiefs with 16 points, 10 in the second half. Elijah Carmack racked up a dozen while Grayson Hughes had 11, all after the half. Carter Williams led all scorers with 25 points for the Grizzlies. Jackson Trent posted 14 points. Region 1D Play-In Rye Cove 77, Northwood 55 CLINCHPORT — After leading by four points at halftime, the Eagles out-paced Northwood 40-22 over the final 16 minutes. Carter Roach-Hodge erupted for 32 points while Ty Hood posted 24 more. Roach-Hodge netted three of Rye Cove's four made 3's on the night. Brody Waddle's 15 points were a team-high for Northwood. District 1-1A Unaka 61, Hampton 51 ELIZABETHTON — It was a night well worth the wait for Unaka on Tuesday night. The Rangers beat Hampton in the District 1-1A Championship at Bayless Gymnasium, the first district title since 2013 for the program. Just eight days after falling to the Bulldogs by 31 points in the regular season finale, the Rangers exacted revenge to end Hampton's 14-game winning streak. Unaka scored the first five points of the game and worked its lead out to nine by halftime, thanks in part to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Zach Wallin. He finished his night with 13 points. The Rangers grew their lead out to 12 multiple times, including in the fourth quarter with a 52-40 advantage. Hampton then went on a 5-0 spurt until a Justius Wallin fast break layup quelled Bulldog momentum. Tournament MVP John Hardin led the Rangers with 17 points. Cooper Smith had 14 more. Chase Davenport was Hampton's leading scorer with 16 points. Colby Clark netted a dozen and Tuff Robinson scored 10. Consolation North Greene 72, University High 60 The Huskies grabbed an early lead in the first quarter, 17-9 after the first six minutes, and had control of the affair from there. After the Bucs cut the deficit to six points, North Greene out-paced UH 11-5 over the final 2:46. Jaiden Bailey led all scorers with 22 points for the Huskies. Thomas Darnell had 17, Tyler Britton netted 15, and Havoc Fair scored 11 as part of a strong offensive night. For UH, both Mekhi Yocum and Ty Templin each had 13 points. Zulum Aninyel chipped in a dozen and Mason Francis had 10. One-time transfer rule signed into law It's now official — Gov. Bill Lee has signed Senate Bill 16 into law. Known widely as the "one-time transfer rule," the law goes into effect July 1. The law allows student athletes to transfer schools one time without having to make a bona change of address to keep their eligibility. The rule applies so long as the transfer occurs during the summer months between school years, and eligibility requirements are met. "Approximately 60% of our member school principals surveyed indicate that a one-time transfer between school years is a better alternative to the current conditional transfer system, which relies on the 'sending' school's discretion regarding athletic or disciplinary standing," TSSAA executive director Mark Reeves said in a statement. "While the 'one-time transfer' law represents a significant shift, we are grateful for the opportunity to have been 'at the table' during the drafting process." Under the law, athletes can make one such transfer in grades 6-8 and then 9-12. But student-athletes cannot transfer more than once during those time periods unless they make a bona fide change of address or receive a hardship waiver. If the student athlete is ineligible due to TSSAA academic or disciplinary reasons, or there's been a violation of the TSSA's recruiting or coaching link rules, age-limit or semester rules, then the transfer would be restricted.