The boys’ basketball team from Hayesville Middle School was able to flex its offensive muscle when facing Rosman and Hiwassee Dam/Ranger. Against the Tigers on Thursday, Dec. 12, the Yellow Jackets won in a convincingly manner, out scoring Rosman 62-23. On their home court Monday, Dec. 16, Hayesville was able to pour out a dose of payback on Hiwassee Dam/Ranger. The Jackets’ 51-29 win avenged a loss earlier in the season to HDR.
Once Hayesville’s offense got rolling against Rosman, nothing the Tigers did could slow it down. The Jackets put up 9 points in the first quarter followed by 19 in the second and carried a 28-13 lead into halftime. Hayesville kept things rolling in the second half, adding an impressive 19 points in the third quarter and 18 in the fourth. Defensively, the Jackets were too much for Rosman, holding them to 10 points in the second half and clinching the 62-23 wins.
Fans were expecting a point-for-point battle when Hayesville hosted Hiwassee Dam. The Yellow Jackets wasted no time in bringing the sting to HDR. Hayesville ran the floor at a fast pace and moved the ball around, waiting on a good look at the basket. For their effort, Hayesville was awarded an 18-11 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Jackets used strong defense in the second quarter to limit HDR to 5 points while adding 9 to the home side of the scoreboard to lead 27-16 halfway through.
The halftime break seemed to refuel Hayesville and in the third quarter, the offense again came to life. The Yellow Jackets held HDR to 8 points while adding 14 to their own total. The will to fight seemed to be gone from HDR and Hayesville took the fourth quarter 10-5 and got the 51-29 victory.
“We’ve worked so hard in practice, going over our game plan,” said coach Andrew Brown. “Our guys came out here and executed the plan perfectly and it really paid off.”
Next up for the Yellow Jackets is a game against their cross-lake rival, the Towns County Indians. Fans will have to wait awhile to see the game as it isn’t scheduled until 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Leaders at Rosman
Asher Brown: 17 points.
Seth Leek: 9 points.
Jacob McClure: 9 points.
Leaders vs HDR
Asher Brown: 14 points.
Taylor McClure: 12 points.
Jacob McClure: 10 points.