By Gary Corsair
Senior Sports Writer
Emma Ashe smoked the twine with 3 fourth-quarter treys as Hayesville’s varsity girls claimed their first win by bolting from a 21-21 tie to a 36-28 road win at Highlands on Tuesday.
“It was a great win for us on the road,” Hayesville Coach Chad McClure remarked. “We played with more physicality and rebounded well. We still didn’t shoot well but our defense improved which ultimately solidified the win.”
Those facets of the game were crucial on a night when shots weren’t falling with regularity.
McClure, however, had no complaints about his blonde bomber.
“Emma Ashe was 4-of-8 from beyond the arch which gave us a spark offensively,” McClure stated.
Ashe finished with a game-high 12 points. Mallory Peck added 8, including 4 in the fourth quarter. Shook scored 5, Bryleigh Krieger 4, Briley Clampitt 3, Breanna Abrams 2, and Brooke Graves 2.
Hayesville plays at Swain County on Friday before travelling to Cherokee on Tuesday to play the defending state champion Braves, who are averaging 90 points per game after defeating Blue Ridge Early College, 108-12, Tuesday.
Hiwassee Dam 60,
Hayesville 54
The Lady Jackets played the Indians to a 21-all tie in the first half Monday night, but never led following the intermission despite repeated rallies on the Hiwassee Dam court.
“We have to reduce turnovers and we’re not shooting well,” Hayesville Coach Chad McClure remarked following Hayesville’s second loss in as many games. “We have to take care of the ball. I felt like we turned it over way too much. I felt like that was the difference.”
The Lady Jackets committed 23 turnovers.
Briley Clampitt led Hayesville with 12 rebounds and 10 points — all in the third quarter.
Bryleigh Krieger, Mallory Peck and Ava Shook had 8 points apiece. Krieger also cleared eight rebounds. Peck had seven boards. Shook added six steals.
Emma Ashe contributed 6 points, Jasmine Brooks 5, Brooke Graves 4, Breanna Abrams 3 and Ava Moore 2.
Hayesville made several bids to regain the lead, but the Eagles rebuffed the would-be usurpers each time. The loudest door slamming occurred in the third quarter after Hayesville cut the lead to 28-26 on a Clamplitt three-pointer. Hiwassee Dam responded with an 11-3 run that inflated its advantage to 39-28.
Hayesville closed the gap to 42-35 by the end of the third, but couldn’t catch up in the fourth.
It wasn’t for lack of effort. The Lady Jackets appeared ready to overtake the Eagles during a frantic final 1:10 when Krieger scored twice and Shook added 4-of-4 free throw popping.
Her second 2-for-2 with :17.4 remaining made the score 58-53 and a miracle seemed possible when Hiwassee Dam missed a pair of free tosses with :15.1 showing. Then, disaster. Clampitt rebounded the second miss but was whistled for a double dribble after she fell to one knee, even though she maintained her dribble.
The Eagles (5-1) salted the game away with a free throw at :11.5 and another at 07.3.
Towns County 44,
Hayesville 42
The Lady Jackets saw a season-opening victory slip away in the final :20 of a nailbiter on the Indians court.
The deciding play came with Hayesville clinging to a 42-41 lead and Towns County in possession. A missed shot resulted in a mad scramble for the ball in which Lady Jackets Clampitt and Abrams both
dove onto the floor to capture the ball, which bounced into the hands of Kayleigh Beaver, who had the presence of mind to loft a soft jump
shot.
The bucket put the Indians on top 43-42, but left Hayesville with :08, just enough time to answer. Unfortunately, the Lady Jackets turned the ball over in a cluttered half court and were forced to foul with just :0.7 remaining.
An ever so slim glimmer of hope remained when Towns County made one free throw and missed the other. Clampitt received the inbound pass and bravely launched a shot from half court but the ball didn’t reach the rim.
Hayesville led most of the game but was doomed by poor shooting. The Lady Jackets shot just 23 percent from the field and suffered through a 5:10 dry spell without a basket — seven misses in a row — at the end of the fourth quarter. That drought allowed Towns County to come from behind and seize the win.
That wasn’t Hayesville’s only funk. The Lady Jackets went cold with the game tied 23-all early in the third period. The Indians reclaimed the lead and upped their advantage to 30-23 when Hayesville went 3:54 without a hoop before Brooks swished a three-pointer.
Admirably, the Lady Jackets thundered back into contention, taking control early in the fourth quarter when Peck cashed in a turnaround jumper and Shook turned steals into baskets on two consecutive plays, the first a fast-break layup by the thief herself and the second a tally by Krieger.
The game was nip-and-tuck the rest of the way.
“We shot poorly,” McClure said, “But I thought we rebounded pretty well.”
Shook led Hayesville with 14 points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists.
Krieger cleared 10 rebounds and scored 3 points. Clampitt scored 7 points and cleared six rebounds. Ashe contributed 6 points and three boards. Brooks added 5 points. Peck had 4 points and four rebounds. Graves added five rebounds and 3 points. Abrams had two boards.