Neal Wachob • Clay County Progress Lucy Trout, No. 3, hangs a Hayesville deuce on Murphy after slicing through the Lady Bulldogs’ zone.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
The Hayesville Lady Yellow Jackets lived up to their billing as the No. 2 seed in the Smoky Mountain Conference tourney by leveling the weak Rosman Tigers, 51-8, Monday in Murphy.
This one was decided about :60 after the opening tipoff.
The Lady Jackets held Rosman 4-18 scoreless for 15:59 of the first 16 minutes, breaking the Tigers with aggressive defense that produced 10 steals in the opening quarter and by pushing the ball into the paint.
Ava Moore led the way with five rebounds and nine points but all five starters scored, shot 50 percent or better and had at least one steal, one assist and a board.
Hayesville expanded its lead to 38-0 – no, that’s not a misprint, before Rosman scored its first point on a free throw with :01 on the first-half clock.
Hayesville Coach Tammy Dills used a one starter/four-sub approach following the intermission and her troops responded with three-of-three from the line, two-of-five from the field and two-of-six from three-point range.
Nine Lady Jackets landed in the scoring column as the visitors posted leads of 24-0, 38-2 and 46-6 at the quarter breaks.
Ava Shook tallied 13 markers and seven steals before sitting out the second half.
Hayesville scoring: Ava Shook, 13; Ava Moore, nine; Briley Clampitt, six; Jasmine Brooks, five; Lucy Trout, five; Micalynn McClure, four; Allie Gaddis, three; Aaliyah Jackson, three and Caroline Wade, three.
• Hayesville rebounding leaders: Clampitt, seven; Moore, six; Brooks, four and Wade four.
• Hayesville assist leader: Brooks, three.
• Hayesville steals leaders: Shook, seven; Trout, four.
The Lady Jackets 16-8 continue their quest for the conference crown Wednesday at 4 p.m. against Murphy (14-9), which surprised the Lady Jackets last week: Murphy 52, Hayesville 41
Hayesville looked certain to beat Murphy for the second time last Friday when Trout went ballistic and lifted the gold-and-black to an eight-point lead entering the final stanza.
Trout was practically unstoppable with 11 points, a pair of rebounds and a steal during a momentous
third quarter that trampolined the Lady Jackets from a 20-17 halftime deficit to a 30-22 advantage after three.
Unfortunately, Murphy’s Emma Laney had an even bigger fourth.
Murphy turned the tide with a dozen points from Laney and eight by Emma Hensley as the visiting Lady Bulldogs racked up 30 markers during the last eight minutes. That’s five more than Murphy scored in a 37-25 loss to Hayesville a month ago.
On the other end of the hardwood, Murphy’s Kennedy White played closer attention to Trout and limited her to two shots. Lucy hit a triple, her fourth three ball but her teammates struggled with two-of-seven shooting from the field and 0-of-4 from Treyland.
The Lady Bulldogs repeatedly rang the bell from point-blank range or cashed in charity tosses.
Murphy scored 11 unanswered points during a two-and-a-minute Hayesville drought.
The Lady Jackets never stopped battling. Clampitt was a whirlwind with three rebounds and a basket during the fourth and Shook pumped in six points and handed out two assists.
Trout led Hayesville with 19 points, three-of-five field goals, four steals and four rebounds.
Shook tallied 18 markers, five rebounds and four assists.
Clampitt led the black-and-gold with seven rebounds. She also blocked a shot. Moore cleared four boards, blocked two shots and made a basket.