By: Lee Ramsey
lee@seymourherald.com
The Seymour Eagles Middle School basketball team recently completed a highly successful season by winning the County Championship and finishing 2nd in Area 2 regular season play.  The Area 2 includes Seymour, Sevier County, Carpenter, Heritage, Maryville and Union Grove.  
They also defeated cross county rival Sevier County 3 times in 10 days which included the regular season game, the County Championship game and the first Area 2 tournament game.
Their overall record was 16-7.  The three Sevier County games were key wins.
Head Seymour Middle School Basketball Coach Scott Norman spoke about their success over Sevier County, “The wins were special because they are a tough team to beat, and always talented.  It’s always a big rivalry for our players, coaches and fans.  We love to beat each other.  It’s a big rivalry especially since we are both in the IMAC now in high school.”
After winning the County Championship and finishing 2nd in the Area 2 tournament at Heritage, the Eagles advanced to the Sectionals played in Sevierville where they lost to Robbinsville of Oak Ridge to end their great season.
 “We had an outstanding year because we peaked at the end of the season.  Our most exciting game of the season was against Sevier County in the County Championship game in Sevierville,” Norman said. “We were down 10 at one point in the game but we came back.  With 14 seconds to go, Austin Rice got fouled and hit his free throws and we packed it in and tied the game in regulation.
“We scored 6 in the first minute of the overtime and the game was all but over.”
A few of his top players the Coach mentioned were Austin Rice, Douglas Maples, Braxton Dockery, Cameron Ogle, Tanner Webb and Peyton Pressley as well as others.
After 20 years of coaching, this was Coach Norman’s last season.  He has decided to give it up.
When asked why he responded, “I want to be able to watch my daughter Kasey play basketball at the high school (Seymour) for the next three years. As things are now I have to rearrange practice and games.  It just doesn’t work very well.  Twenty years is a long time to coach middle school basketball.  Middle school is a kid’s first year of competitive school ball and it’s tough.”
Norman has been a great asset to the Seymour Middle School basketball program over the years. He has coached many of our kids and it won’t be the same without him.

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