Hayesville's varsity Yellow Jacket basketball team has been on a tear as of late, not only winning games, but doing so in a dominant manner. On Thursday, Dec. 19 the Jackets swarmed into Murphy to take on the rival Bulldogs. After falling behind in the first quarter, Hayesville brought Jacket Nation to its feet with a thrilling 65-58 come from behind victory.
As is always the case when the neighboring schools meet, emotions were high from the tip off. The supercharged atmosphere was energized by an exchange of buckets in the opening quarter. With the score tied 13-13, both fan bases erupted when Hayesville coach Mike Cottrell received a technical foul for questioning a call which only added to the tension. In the closing seconds Murphy was able to pull ahead slightly, leading the Jackets 16-13.
The Bulldogs parlayed the last-minute lead from the first quarter into momentum in the second. Murphy went on a run that saw them up their total by 20 points before the halftime break. Hayesville's 14 points weren't enough to keep pace with the Bulldogs, but a 36-27 deficit was by no means insurmountable for the Jackets' high powered offense.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs continued to find scoring success, however not as much as they enjoyed in the first half. Hayesville kept chipping away and won the quarter 13-9. With Murphy's lead now cut to 45-40, the two teams took their final end-of-quarter break to prepare for the final stanza.
With emotions continuing to climb as the clock ticked down, the Jackets stayed on the attack. Hayesville pulled even and then took over with a 49-48 score. As the Jackets continued to pull away, Murphy was forced to start fouling to try to stop the run. Hayesville was able to capitalize with foul shots but the Bulldogs would not go away quietly. It was a long, hard-fought game but the Jackets held on for the 65-58 win.
Yellow Jacket fans can see the team in The Hive Friday, Dec. 20 as they take on Robbinsville at 8 p.m.
Leaders at Murphy
Jake McTaggart: 17 points
Kolbe Ashe: 14 points
Hayden McClure: 8 points
Mark Cothren: 8 points
Brady Shook: 7 points