Basketball Game Preview: Happy Valley Warriors vs. Gatlinburg-Pittman Highlanders

The Happy Valley Warriors will head out on the road to face off against the Gatlinburg-Pittman Highlanders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Happy Valley has struggled recently with 14 defeats in a row, while Gatlinburg-Pittman will arrive with three straight victories.

Last Saturday, Happy Valley was beaten by Chuckey-Doak 56-20.

Meanwhile, Gatlinburg-Pittman posted their closest win since December 20, 2024 on Monday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 84-81 victory over Alcoa.

Gatlinburg-Pittman's win came from a few key players Happy Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Maliyah Glasper, who posted 17 points in addition to eight rebounds and three steals. She has been hot, having posted two or more steals the last seven times she's played. Chloe Mejias was another key player, putting up 22 points.

Happy Valley's loss dropped their record down to 3-25. As for Gatlinburg-Pittman, their win bumped their record up to 20-11.

Happy Valley took a serious blow against Gatlinburg-Pittman when the teams last played back in February of 2023, falling 69-24. Thankfully for Happy Valley, Maddy Newman (who to rack up 23 points and four steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.