By Norashae Patterson
Sports Writer
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, the Hayesville Middle School boys played Cherokee at Swain in the second-round of the tournament. They lost 68-57.
In the first half, Hayesville pulled ahead, scoring 18 points during the first quarter, while Cherokee scored only 14. With Rhett Sellers being Hayesville's top scorer with 7 points for the quarter. Half of Hayesville's points came from foul shots.
During the second quarter, Hayesville was still on a roll by scoring 14 points against Cherokee's 10. Caden McClure and Matthew Peck tied for the top scorers of the quarter, both scoring 6 points. At halftime, the score was 32-25 for Hayesville.
It got rough for Hayesville in the third quarter when the Jackets scored only 7 points, while Cherokee scored 21. The quarter proved the downfall for Hayesville.
During the fourth quarter, Hayesville only scored 18 points compared to the Cherokee's 22. Bringing the final score to 68-57.
Hayesville made some plays that could have been avoided. The game knocked them out of the final for the Smoky Mountain Conference championship, ending their season.