By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Hayesville’s Lady Yellow Jackets matched last season’s 16 wins with an exciting, 43-32, Smoky Mountain Conference win at Andrews on Monday night.
This year’s record is even sweeter than 2025.
A year ago, Hayesville’s 16th win pushed the Lady Jackets conference record to 4-6; the current team is 9-2 in conference play, second only to defending state champion Cherokee.
Hayesville, 16-7 overall, only trailed once against Andrews, 14-8 overall, 7-4, a squad that lost by just four points in the first meeting a month ago.
Monday, Hayesville rattled their hosts with a quartet of three-point salvos early in the first quarter – two by Lucy Trout and one apiece by Ava Shook and Jasmine Brooks – that prompted an Andrews timeout at 4:31 with the score Hayesville 12, Andrews 2.
The bombardment continued after the break as Hayesville ran off eight more unanswered points on a driving lay-up and a triple by Trout and a three-ball from the corner by Caroline Wade.
The Lady Jackets were on top 22-4 after one quarter thanks to 11 points by Trout.
Aaliyah Jackson gathered a beautiful long pass from Wade early in the second and scored to give Hayesville a 24-4 lead that proved to be the biggest margin of the night.
Andrews came back with a flurry just before halftime after Wade was knocked out of the game due to a violent collision as she and Andrews’ Marley Blackwell went after a high pass.
Three Hayesville turnovers in the final minute of the second helped Andrews pull within six, 27-21, by the intermission. The final tally of the half came on a three-pointer by Andrews standout Knox Davis, a 17.2 scorer who dropped 29 on Swain in the previous game.
The Lady Jackets made sure Knox didn’t take over this game. Micalynn McClure’s face-guarding held the Andrews star to 0-for-4 three-point shooting – Knox made a three after McClure sat down, a single free throw and one basket in the first half. When McClure rested, Wade provided the lock down. All told, Knox finished with eight points.
Of course, Andrews didn’t fold, but Hayesville worked the ball with precision and repeatedly earned free throws to maintain a lead of at least six during the final two quarters. The Lady Jackets canned 3-of-4 freebies in the third quarter and tallied eight charity points in the fourth.
Shook spearheaded the attack with 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots, and superb ball handling in breaking full-court pressure and keeping the ball away from the Wildcats.
The victory came down to shooting. Hayesville smoked the nets with 7-of-16 from the field and 7-of-14 from behind the arch.
Trout tallied 12 points and pulled down five boards. McClure played incredible defense and added two assists and two rebounds Briley Clampitt collected five rebounds and made her only shot attempt.
Wade kicked in six points and two assists. Brooks had three rebounds, three points, a block and a stal. Ava Moore had four rebounds.
As exciting as the game was, the previous SMC contest against Robbinsville was even better.
Hayesville 45, Robbinsville 42
Shook iced four free throws in the final :23.9 to lift Hayesville to a thrilling, highlight of the season, so far, 45-42, victory over Robbinsville
on the Lady Yellow Jackets court on Friday.
Shook’s charity tosses put an exclamation point on a wild battle that featured eight lead changes and six ties.
Robbinsville led 40-39 with 1:38 left to play when Brooks put Hayesville back on top with a bucket :34 later. Brooks then rebounded a Black Knights’ miss. On the other end of the court, McClure fed Shook, who was quickly fouled and calmly swished both free throws to put Hayesville on top, 43-40.
Robbinsville closed the gap to one when Zaelynn Phillips scored at :16, but Shook sealed the deal with two more charity tosses, Hayesville’s seventh in a row.
Shook played brilliantly with 25 points, five rebounds, 3-of-6 from three-point land, two steals, a blocked shot, a deflection and an assist.
McClure was also fantastic, even though she only attempted a few shots. McClure’s nose-to-nose defense took Robbinsville three-point bomber Zayleigh Chekelelee out of the game. Chekelelee only scored four points, all in the second quarter. McClure also blocked a shot, snared three rebounds and fed Shook on the play in which she was sent to the line at :23.9.
Hayesville trailed 12-4 midway through the opening quarter but pulled even at 14-all when Shook drained back-to-back three-pointers. The Lady Jackets enjoyed their first lead when Shook collected a Robbinsville miss and threw a long strike to Wade, who was fouled on a lay-up and made a free throw for a 15-14 lead.
Free throws by Shook increased the lead to three, but Robbinsville responded and led 19-18 at the half.
The Lady Knights maintained that one-point margin after three despite seven points by Shook during the stanza.
Hayesville climbed back into the driver’s seat when Trout opened the final act with a bucket in the lane, Hayesville 34-33.
Shook’s field goal off a hesitation dribble followed by a Trout three, for her eighth point of the night, off a Shook pass gave Hayesville it’s largest lead of the game, 39-35, with 4:32 remaining.
A spread of four looked like enough when Robbinsville was whistled for an offensive foul on the next possession, but the Lady Knights gained renewed hope when a questionable foul was called on Brooks when she set a screen for Shook.
Robbinsonville’s Abby Wehr’s triple with 3:12 left pulled the visitors within one, 39-38, and set the stage for a wild finish.
The Lady Knights had the opportunity to go ahead on a jump shot at 2:38, but Hayesville’s Ava Moore grabbed the ball and held on for her fifth rebound.
Robbinsville went man-to-man, regained the ball on a Hayesville miss and scored on the other end to take a 40-39 lead. Then Brooks ended the uprising with a basket. Brooks finished with four points on 2-of-3 shooting.
Moore cleared five boards and blocked a shot. Clampitt contributed three rebounds, two points and discouraging defense. Wade added three boards. Kayla Brown had two boards.
Cherokee 69, Hayesville 17
Cherokee scored the first 18 points and led by at least 19 points the rest of the way last Wednesday.
The first quarter was the most productive for the Lady Jackets even though they were dry until McClure deposited the rock 3:20 into the meeting of the top two teams in the Smoky Mountain Conference.
Hayesville scored seven in the first stanza on McClure’s hit and a bucket and trey by Shook, but the opening act was also Cherokee’s most productive – the Lady Braves dropped 30.
Shook finished with seven points and three steals. McClure cleared three rebounds and scored two points. Clampitt gathered four boards and scored a point.
Cherokee improved to 18-1 overall and 10-0 in the conference with the win.
Hayesville 64, Rosman 12
The Lady Yellow Jackets rained 12 three-pointers at Rosman in drowning the Tigers, 64-12, last Tuesday.
Trout led the way with 22 markers on five three-pointers. Shook also busted five treys in an 18-point performance.
Hayesville blew like a hurricane from the get go, tidal waving the hosts with 34 points in the first quarter as Trout and Shook shot out the high-bay LED lights.
Trout exploded for 19 points and Shook added nine as Hayesville roared to a 34-3 first quarter lead.
Shook also dropped a nine-spot in the third as Hayesville upped its 41-6 halftime hold to 60-12 entering the final eight minutes.
The Lady Jackets also had six points from Wade; five from McClure; four apiece by Brooks and Moore three from Jackson and two by Kayla Brown.