Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Hayesville guard Breanna Abrams, No. 4, heads for the hoop after slipping past a Franklin defender.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Hayesville frustrated Franklin for two-and-a-half quarters Friday night before the Panthers slipped their short leash and bit the Lady Yellow Jackets, 43-32.
Franklin’s girls had more size and more experience, but the young Yellow Jackets had superior heart and hustle in the first half.
Down 8-5 at the start of the second quarter, Hayesville stormed ahead on a pair of 3-point bombs from Ava Shook and sticky defense by every Yellow Jacket.
Shook’s 6 and a pair of free throws from Mallory Peck enabled Hayesville to eke out a 13-10 halftime lead.
“They shut down Franklin’s outside shooters and stopped their big girl inside,” Hayesville scorekeeper Beth Chandler remarked during the intermission.
The Yellow Jackets continued their defensive intensity after halftime before Franklin found its shooting eyes.
Hayesville increased its advantage to 17-10 on a bucket by Shook and a put-back by Peck before the momentum shifted.
Franklin’s about face began with a 3-pointer with 5:41 on the third quarter clock, but it was play closer to the basket that changed the complexion of the game.
The Panthers attacked the rim with renewed interest after Peck committed her third foul and Coach Chad McClure sat his most productive big.
Franklin tied the game at 19 on a basket on an inbound pass, went ahead 21-17 on a point-blank shot after an offensive rebound and extended its advantage to 23-19 on another put-back with 1:15 left in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, the Lady Jackets suffered through a dry spell of 4:14 until Shook turned a rebound into a bucket.
Franklin took a 25-19 lead into the fourth act.
Hayesville opened the fourth with a swish by Shook to cut the lead to 4, but that’s as close as the Yellow Jackets could get.
Three treys in the span of three minutes helped Franklin reach a double-digit advantage.
“I thought we played well defensively for most of the game,” McClure remarked. “We gave up way too many offensive rebounds and we have to be more efficient offensively as a team.”
Hayesville was fired by 16 points by Shook, who leads the team in scoring average, 13.5; field goal percentage, 48 percent; 3-point marksmanship, 50 percent; free throw percentage, 83 percent; assists 4.8 and steals, 5.0.
Hayesville, 1-1 conference, 3-2 overall, also received scoring from Peck, 5; Breanna Abrams, 3; Emma Ashe, 3; Brooke Graves, 2; Briley Clampitt, 2 and Bryleigh Krieger, 1.
Hayesville 54, Summit Charter 26
Hayesville’s dynamite duo of Lady Outside Shook and Lady Inside Peck exploded at both ends of the court in a lopsided 54-26 victory at Summit Charter on Tuesday.
Shook had 16 points, six steals and four assists, while Peck grabbed 14 rebounds, tallied 12 markers and had two steals.
“It was a good road win,” McClure said. “We started slow and were sloppy with the ball early but improved as the game went on.”
Hayesville led 21-10 at the half and outscored the hosts 33-16 after the intermission.
Shook, 5-of-11; Peck, 5-of-11 and Abrams, 3-of-7, all shot just under 50 percent.
Abrams finished with 7 points and five steals. Ashe scored 8 with four steals, Clampitt had 6 points, four rebounds and three steals, Graves tallied 4 and cleared three rebounds and Ava Moore added 2.
Krieger captured seven rebounds and made five steals. Jasmine Brooks made two steals.
Hayesville’s girls return to action Friday when Swain County visits. The Yellow Jackets will then hosts Cherokee on Tuesday.