Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress A Lady Brave fights through a Hayesville triple team thrown at her by Lady Jackets Ava Shook, No. 2, Bryleigh Krieger, No. 10, and Mallory Peck as Hayesville Coach Chad McClure watches.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Cherokee 84, Hayesville 13 — and the basketball game wasn’t as close as the score indicated.
A running clock in the second half kept the defending state champion Lady Braves from reaching 100 points for the second time this year, but the Lady Jackets had no reason to hang their heads.
There was no shame in Hayesville’s game during the lopsided loss. The Lady Yellow Jackets worked hard, didn’t give up. They didn’t bicker or point fingers. Their frustration didn’t show. They remained the same determined team whether they trailed by 7 or 67.
The Lady Jackets lost big, but proved, once again, that they are winners.
As expected, the game was over moments after it began. Cherokee, 29-1 last year and 6-0 prior to meeting Hayesville has steamrolled every opponent.
In fact, the Lady Braves were considered unbeatable … until Wednesday, when the No. 3 team in the nation, Hebron Christian (Dacula, Ga.) whipped Cherokee, 76-57.
Unranked teams like Hayesville (2-3 overall, 1-1 conference), however, can’t hang with the experienced, speedy, three-point bombing, full-court pressing Lady Braves.
“They are a very good team, probably one of the best teams in the entire state in all classifications,” Hayesville Coach Chad McClure remarked. “They disrupted everything we tried to do offensively.”
The disruption was immediate. With the game just :20 old and the Lady Braves already on top 3-0, Cherokee’s annoying full-court pressure forced a 10-second violation.
Two minutes into the game, Cherokee led 10-0 on 4-of-5 shooting and four turnovers and an air ball by Hayesville.
The Lady Jackets finally got on the scoreboard with 5:56 left in the first quarter after Ava Shook, Emma Ashe and Briley Clampitt broke the Cherokee press and got the ball to Mallory Peck, who was fouled and made her second free throw.
Cherokee led 19-1 when Hayesville scored again on two free throws by Shook.
The Lady Braves were on top 31-5 after one quarter, 52-8 at the intermission and 69-10 entering the final act.
Cherokee finished with 22 steals and 55 percent shooting from the field and 47 percent from 3-point range.
Jasmine Brooks led Hayesville with six rebounds (four on the offensive end), 5 points and two steals, while Breanna Abrams added six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Both players dove for loose balls and rebounds more than once with Hayesville trailing by 40 or more.
Peck contributed eight boards. Shook kicked in 4 points and two rebounds. Ashe tallied 2 points, a rebound and a deflection. Clampitt had four boards and a point. Bryleigh Krieger and Ava Moore each had one rebound.
Hayesville was undone by 31 turnovers and poor shooting.
“I do think we can play better but we have to get tougher mentally and physically and we will,” McClure stated before Hayesville hosted Towns County Friday. A summary of that game will appear in next week’s Progress.