Perfection!

A swarm invaded the campus of N.C. State Saturday, March 12, as hundreds of Hayesville Yellow Jacket fans descended on Raleigh to cheer on their undefeated basketball team in the 1A championship game. Hayesville entered the game with a 27-0 record while representing the western region and public schools. On the other end of the court sat Chatham Charter from Siler City. The Knights’ 32-1 record led them to the title game as the eastern region representative. Four quarters weren’t enough to crown a champion, but by the end of the overtime period it was clear who runs this state as the black and Vegas gold brigade embraced at mid-court with a 54-43 championship victory.

Dolly Parton herself couldn’t have imagined the roller coaster ride that was the championship game. After Hayesville’s big man Jake McTaggart won the opening tip-off, the drop was quick and steep. Chatham Charter gained possession and turned that into a 7-0 run to open the first quarter. With just 3:34 left in the opening stanza, McTaggart found the bottom of the basket to put the Jackets on the board. By quarter’s end, McTaggart had 4 points and sophomore Taylor McClure added 2. The quarter ended with Hayesville trailing 11-6, but showing no signs of panic.

In the second quarter, the Jackets’ all-star point guard Kolbe Ashe, who had been a main focus of the Knights’ defense in the first quarter, finally broke through to help Hayesville’s cause with 3 points. McTaggart added 3 more of his own and Kyle Lunsford battled under the goal for 2. While the Jackets had several good looks at the basket, they just couldn’t get the ball to fall through the hoop. Meanwhile, on the other end of the floor, Chatham Charter seemingly couldn’t miss. Wild, off-balance shots bounced their way around the rim, eventually falling in. When the halftime horn sounded, the Knights led 21-14, but Hayesville entered the locker room with a business as usual demeanor. 

As the third quarter played out, scoring was still minuscule. Just like the first half, Hayesville was able to get openings, but shots wouldn’t fall. McTaggart battled for a hard 2 points and Ashe quietly added 4 to the scoreboard. Logan Caldwell brought Jacket Nation to their feet with a 3-pointer from the corner. Although the point total was not what the Jackets were accustomed to, their strong play on defense helped them narrow the gap. Hayesville coach Michael Cottrell adjusted the Jackets’ approach and implemented a 1-2-2 defense. The change seemed to confuse and frustrate Chatham Charter, as the Knights managed just 7 points, which cut their lead to 28-23 with one quarter to go.

The body language of the teams spoke volumes as the players huddled to receive instructions from the coaching staff. Hayesville’s players walked to the sideline with heads up and encouraged while several of the Knights seemed frustrated and a bit panicked. The facility might as well have been The Hive as Hayesville’s fan base enveloped their team with cheers and chants.

Although the score was close, one couldn’t help but feel that something drastic needed to happen. That drastic thing indeed did happen and its name was Kolbe Ashe. After being contained in the first three quarters, the senior took control. Ashe started driving to the basket which resulted in either 2 points or trips to the foul line. After trailing by as many as 11, with 6:50 left to play in the game Ashe drained a free-throw to tie things up 28-28. From that point forward, it was a back and forth affair.  The Jackets would fight hard for a jumper in the paint and Chatam Charter would answer with a long-range 3 pointer. 

With the final seconds ticking off the clock and tied 37-37, Hayesville had possession of the ball and chose to hold it for one shot. The Jackets jockeyed for position and McClure planted himself under the basket when the ball came sailing towards him. He handled the pass and went up for a potential championship-winning shot when a Knight defender came flying in just in time to get a pinkie on the ball and change the trajectory of the shot. The horn sounded and fans of both teams collectively took a breath. McTaggart had 3 points in the quarter.

A season’s worth of hard work and emotions had been extended by four minutes. Once again, the difference in body language was noticeable as the teams returned to the floor. Chatham had watched their momentum and lead be chipped away while Hayesville’s work horse attitude had paid off and given them a chance to win it all.

Just like the initial tip-off, McTaggart was victorious for the Jackets. It quickly became obvious what Hayesville’s plan was ­— get the ball in Ashe’s hands. Hayesville’s swarming defense forced the Knights to take ill-advised shots which were no longer finding the bottom of the basket. Yellow Jacket rebounds immediately were passed to Ashe who showed why he has been Hayesville’s floor general for four years. Ashe would wait until an opening developed and charge toward the basket which would either result in a bucket or a foul. 

Putting the state record holder for consecutive free-throws made on the foul line was not what Chatham Charter wanted to do, but due to Ashe’s plan of attack and time dwindling down, the Knights really had no choice. Ashe might as well have had a welcome mat at the stripe as he took advantage of the fouls for 13 overtime points. While battling down low, McTaggart also drew fouls and added 4 points to Hayesville’s score. 

The defensive swarm for the Jackets was too much for Chatham Charter, who was relegated to throwing up long-range shots of desperation. It wasn’t enough and time ran out, ending the season and giving the Hayesville boys basketball program its first state championship since 2004.

In his post-game press conference, coach Cottrell said, “I’ll start by saying we give all the glory to God.” He continued with, “This team has been on a special journey. We’ve been challenged to get better in the playoffs. We just couldn’t seem to get here and I think these guys have definitely done that.”

On the lack of early-game scoring, Cottrell gave credit to Chatham Charter. “They had a great game plan, they’ve done it all year. They get you out of rhythm and Kolbe is a rhythm player, just like anybody else and so is Jake,” he said. “It just took us some time to settle down and figure things out and make some adjustments.”

When asked about his mentality going into the overtime period, Ashe answered with, “Just whatever it takes to win really. I’m going to do it and I know my teammates will too.”

McTaggart was asked about his season away from Hayesville and if the state title run was the reason he came back. The big man answered with, “Hayesville is definitely my home. I grew up here. Me and Kolbe have been playing together since third grade and I felt like if I moved back we could really make a run at this thing. That’s what we did. We got it done.”

Cottrell talked about the fan base that wears the black and Vegas gold, saying, “These people were ready to follow a team and they really bought into what we were doing and we’re just very, very humbled by the showing and support we got. It really brought our community together.”

The state championship wasn’t the only hardware to make the long trip back to Hayesville. Ashe was recognized as the Charlie Ashe 1A Most Valuable Player, McTaggart was named Most Outstanding Player and Cade Denton received the 2022 1A Sportsmanship Award from the NCHSAA and Farm Bureau.

On Sunday, March 13, the Jackets returned to the HHS campus and were greeted by hundreds of fans cheering them and welcoming the champs home. 

Cottrell, his staff and his players usually begin planning for the next season as soon as the current one ends. Just this once, a few days to celebrate is understandable.