Neal Wachob • Clay County Progress Hayesville sharpshooter Brady Reynolds, No. 11, lofts a one-hander during the shooting clinic he conducted against Albemarle.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Woeful shooting plunged Hayesville’s boys into a seemingly inescapable 42-17 halftime pit but the never-say-die Yellow Jackets came back like gangbusters behind an amazing display of marksmanship by Bombadier Brady Reynolds.
Reynolds exploded for 25 second-half points as Hayesville turned a rout into a contest before succumbing, 64-54, last Tuesday in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association playoffs against Albemarle at Darryl K. McClure Gymnasium.
Reynolds rifled in four three-pointers and racked up 16 points during a momentous third quarter that saw Hayesville outscore the Bulldogs 23-13.
The uprising began when Reynolds busted a home run off a Kabe Shaheen assist just 30 seconds into the second half.
Reynolds struck again with another downtown doozy with 6:22 on the third-quarter clock. Seconds later, Jackson Sellers drew a charge. Right about then, Albemarle figured out that the Jackets weren’t going to roll over and play dead.
Hayesville closed out the third act by outpointing the Bulldogs 17-6 in the final four minutes.
Reynolds continued to blister the visitors in the fourth, nailing a trey, a pair of twos and 2-for-2 free throw firing for nine points.
The inspired comeback that whittled a 26-point advantage to 10 during the final 13 minutes was some of the best ball of the Jackets’ 11-15 season. In fact, the Jackets may well have prevailed and advanced to the second round if five quarters had been played instead of four.
Hayesville struggled mightily with 1-of-11 shooting and eight turnovers in the first quarter and 3-of-11 popping in the second, but underwent a total transformation after the intermission with crisp screening, adept ball movement and savvy shot selection.
Reynolds led the charge with 28 points, perfect free throwing, 4-of-4 and five rebounds.
Rhett Sellers was second in the scoring brigade with 11 on 7-of-7 free throw popping as he scored all but six of his team’s first-half points. He also grabbed four rebounds.
Jackson Sellers, who led the team in rebounds with eight, drew four charging fouls and committed just one turnover.
Hayesville also had five points and four rebounds from Kabe Shaheen; four points and three boards by Damien Soto; three rebounds, one point and one turnover from E.J. Abrams; three rebounds by Brendan Lynch; two boards and a point by Landon Trout; two points by Wes Jennings and aggressive play by Micah Moss.