Neal Wachob • Clay County Progress Lucy Trout, No. 3, flings the ball into play after saving it from going out of bounds.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
The Lady Yellow Jackets played their hearts out in Thursday’s postseason tournament skirmish but desire and willpower weren’t enough.
Hayesville, 17-10, out-hustled Community School of Davidson, 16-11, but 16 percent three-point shooting scuttled the Lady Jackets in a 47-40 varsity girls loss.
Hayesville displayed spirited effort at both ends of the court every minute of the game, but 5-of-23 misfiring from behind the arc ended an outstanding season in the second round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association playoffs.
The Lady Jackets served notice of their intent to shoot down the Spartans on the opening tip when seniors Ava Shook and Briley Clampitt chased down the ball and Hayesville kept hustling.
All eight Clay County girls did themselves proud:
• Clampitt muscling through a double-team for a basket that put Hayesville up 5-0.
• Ava Moore grabbing four first-quarter rebounds to help the Lady Jackets dominate the boards, 13-7, in the opening eight minutes.
• Caroline Wade shot putting a first-quarter buzzer-beater from just beyond mid court to give Hayesville its biggest lead of the night, 8-3.
• Shook swishing a three on Wade’s pinpoint pass after Moore set a solid screen.
• Clampitt out hustling taller Spartans to grab an offensive rebound.
• Micalynn McClure sacrificing her body trying to draw a charging foul midway through the second quarter.
• Kayla Brown calmly depositing two free throws after being fouled on a perfect inbound pass from Shook.
• Jasmine Brooks spinning, head faking and pump faking in traffic to create her shot.
• McClure chasing down a 50/50 ball with Hayesville’s lead down two.
• Clampitt scrapping for another rebound, getting fouled and making a free throw to break a 23-all tie.
• Lucy Trout flinging herself after a loose ball bouncing toward the baseline, saving and flinging it to Shook.
• Shook dishing sweetly to Moore, who was fouled and made both free throws to break a 24-24 tie.
• Trout picking a pocket and finding Shook for bucket that gave Hayesville a 28-24 advantage.
• Shook stealing the ball and zipping it to Wade for a bold layup that cut the Spartans lead to 33-32 at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
• Shook rebounding a Davidson miss, zooming down court and passing to Trout for a bucket that cut the lead to 37-34.
• Shook coming within a whisker of stealing the ball with 4:39 left to play.
• Shook with another near steal at 2:40 with Davidson up by four and stalling.
• Shook with yet another almost theft with 1:45 to go and Davidson protecting a six-point lead by playing four corners.
• McClure clearing a Spartans miss, racing downhill and converting a three-point play that cut the lead to 41-37 with :51 left.
• Trout’s draining a long three with :17 on the clock.
The Lady Jackets defended well and ran down 50/50 balls admirably, but Davidson committed fewer turnovers — eight to Hayesville’s 12 — and shot 13 more free throws. Hayesville was much more proficient from the charity stripe, 8-of-9, but Davidson, 12-of-22, had more freebie points.
Shook concluded her brilliant career with 32 minutes of baseline-to-baseline brilliance. Her high-percentage three-point attempts weren’t falling but Unshakable Shook solidified her standing as the best player in the Smoky Mountain Conference with 11 rebounds, 10 points, six assists, four steals, sticky defense and zero turnovers.
Trout had eight points and four rebounds. McClure added seven rebounds and six points. Clampitt made two-of-four from the field, scored five points and secured five boards. Moore cleared six rebounds and tallied four points. Wade contributed five markers and three caroms. Brown had two points and two boards.