Lady Jackets struggle in first round

HIAWASSEE, GA. — Hayesville's varsity Lady Yellow Jacket team made the familiar trip across Lake Chatuge Thursday, Dec. 26 for the first day of the annual Battle of the States basketball tournament held at Towns County High School in Hiawassee, GA. The Lady Yellow Jackets went into the Christmas break with an overtime victory over Robbinsville and looked to stay on the winning side of things as they opened the tournament against the Lady Eagles of Hokes Bluff, AL. In and odd game that saw scoring droughts for both teams, Hokes Bluff managed to came away with the 53-46 victory.

Sloppy passing early on put Hayesville in chase mode as the Lady Eagles went on a run. The Lady Jackets couldn't get any shots to fall and with four minutes left in the first quarter, Hayesville coach Chad McClure called a timeout trailing 12-0. Following the stop in play, the Lady Jackets started driving to the basket, drawing contact and giving them shots from the free throw line. Hokes Bluff struggled with moving the ball against a full court press and the Lady Jackets were able to force turnovers.

As Hayesville started making a run, the Lady Eagles' head coach was called for a technical and as Lila Payne approached the line to take the shots, the officials called another technical, this time against a Hokes Bluff player. Payne went 3-4 at the line to make the score 12-8 in favor of the Lady Eagles. Scoring then stalled for each team until Payne again found success from the foul line with 45 seconds left in the quarter. Those were the final points of the opening stanza which ended with Hayesville trailing 12-10 and all of their points courtesy of foul shots. 

Hokes Bluff slowed gameplay to open the second quarter, utilizing ball movement to open up the lane. The teams exchanged possessions and fouls as points were at a minimal. Hayesville was able to manufacture looks at the basket but struggled to get the ball to fall. As the quarter ticked down, the song of the officials' whistles became the dominant sound on the floor with the Lady Eagles using free throws to extend their lead. The Lady Jackets struggled against a full court press defense which resulted in turnovers. With less than two minutes left in the half, Hayesville cut the lead down to 6. After Hokes Bluff missed a pair of free throws, Jade Patterson found herself at the stripe for the Lady Jackets and drained both shots. Hokes Bluff took a 3-point shot at the buzzer that missed everything, making the score 26-22 in favor of the Lady Eagles at the half.

Neither team wanted the ball to open the third quarter as steals ate up the first minute of play. The Lady Jackets continued to struggle shooting, failing to capitalize on open looks. Hayesville continued to try to pound the ball down low to Brianna Foster but the Lady Eagles made sure not to leave Foster open. Even with their struggles, the Lady Jackets found themselves down just 3, points, 30-27, at the halfway mark of the quarter. Things then got sloppy on both ends of the floor as the teams rushed shots. The quarter ended with a Hokes Bluff knocking the ball out of bounds to protect their lead.

It was apparent from the start of the final quarter that the Lady Eagles' plan was to run down the clock. The Lady Eagles played keep away for more than a minute before Hayesville was able to force a turnover. The sense of urgency grew but the Lady Jackets could never really make a run on the lead and with three minutes left in the game, Hokes Bluff continued to maximize their time of possession and Hayesville's frustration showed in the form of fouls. 

With just over two minutes to play, McClure called a timeout to go over a plan with his team who trailed 44-35. On defense, the Lady Eagles clogged up the lane and played close on the perimeter to limit Hayesville's looks at the basket. In order to try to limit damage, the Lady Jackets were forced to foul and Hokes Bluff used the free throws to grow their lead. Hayesville refused to go away and Payne nailed a 3-pointer with 1:12 on the clock to cut the lead to 49-40. Following a timeout, the Lady Eagles went back to burning the clock which forced the Lady Yellow Jackets to foul with under a minute left. Although Hayesville kept fighting, including a -pointer at the buzzer by Patterson, the Lady Eagles advanced to the semi-final round with a 53-46 win.

The Lady Jackets will play at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27 in the consolation bracket.

Leaders vs Hokes Bluff

Jade Patterson: 14 points

Lila Payne: 9 points

Brianna Foster: 6 points

Lizzy Brusini: 5 points