Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Hayesville shows Murphy that you must pay when you go inside against the Lady Jackets. Breanna Abrams, No. 4, Kayla Brown and Bryleigh Krieger, No. 10, do the teaching.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
The Hayesville varsity girls basketball team, 16-10 and winners of seven in a row, seem to be peaking.
In a seven-day span, the Lady Yellow Jackets finished the regular season with a pair of Smoky Mountain Conference wins and then knocked off Swain and Andrews in the conference tournament.
“I feel like we’re playing our best basketball of the season now,” Hayesville Coach Chad McClure said Tuesday, moments after Hayesville beat Andrews and advance to Friday’s tourney championship game against No. 1 seed Cherokee.
The Lady Jackets not only played well, they displayed big-time hearts in putting away the Wildcats Tuesday.
Hayesville, down 22-21 at the half, began the second half with an inspired comeback worthy of a standing ovation:
• Mallory Peck, held to two shots by collapsing defense in the first half, began the third quarter by popping out to the free throw line and burying a jump shot. Hayesville 23, Andrews 22.
• Following an Andrews miss, Ava Shook found Eagle-eye Emma Ashe, who swished a 3-pointer, 26-22.
• After Andrews missed again, Shook took a pass from Breanna Abrams and nailed a trey, 29-22.
• Ashe then stole the ball and fed Shook, who was fouled. Her free throw made the score 30-22.
When Andrews rallied and pulled within 2, Hayesville’s girls again met the challenge.
This time, Abrams was the catalyst. Lil’ Dynamite twice grabbed offensive boards to keep the ball on Hayesville’s end. She was fouled on her third hustle rebound in a span of 60 seconds, Abrams made a free throw that put Hayesville up 33-30.
Peck also made big contributions as the third quarter ticked away. First, Mighty Mallory blocked a shot and grabbed the ball. Forty seconds later, she and Abrams sprang a trap and forced a turnover that led to Abrams’ freebie.
The Lady Jackets continued to impose their will in the fourth quarter. Hayesville gained breathing room when Abrams grabbed a defensive rebound and then collected a carom on the offensive end. That second board turned into points when Ashe fed Peck for two. Hayesville 35-30.
Shook then stole the ball, but missed on the other end. Fortunately, Ashe hustled over from the weak side to grab the ball. She then stepped out and busted a three-ball. Hayesville 38, Andrews 31.
Andrews kept threatening, but Hayesville always had the answer.
When the Wildcats hit a three to cut the lead to 38-34, Shook dribbled defenders and canned a jumper. Seconds later, Shook stole the ball, raced down-court and laid the ball up and in to give the locals a seven-point advantage.
Andrews came back with four Wildcat free throws that narrowed the spread to 42-39.
This time Briley Clampitt saved Hayesville’s bacon. In the final minutes, Clampitt rebounded an Andrews miss, saved a deflected pass from going out of bounds, swished two free throws and scored on a frantic layup that put Hayesville up 46-39 with :49 left.
The Lady Jackets nailed the coffin shut with a steal by Bryleigh Krieger, three free throws by Shook, a steal by Ashe and defensive board and two charity tosses by Peck.
“It was a good one,” McClure said.
Indeed, it was. Hayesville had one of its best shooting nights, connecting on 11-of-27 from the field and 6-of-16 from three-point land. The most impressive stat was 38 rebounds.
“I’m proud of the girls. I thought all eight girls gave us good minutes at times.”
Shook rolled for 24 points, six steals, two blocks and two assists.
Krieger bagged 13 rebounds and scored two points. “Krieger gave us huge rebounds,” McClure praised.
Ashe smoked the nets with four three-pointers in seven tries and hustled for three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Peck was superb in tallying seven boards and six points. Abrams earned five rebounds — all of them crucial — and added one point. Clampitt posted four timely points and had three rebounds. Jasmine Brooks sparkled with three dimes. Brown scored on her only shot and provided stellar defense in relief of Peck.
The victory was even more impressive than the bomb Hayesville dropped on Swain in the first round of the SMC tourney.
Hayesville 46, Swain 18
The Lady Jackets smoked the team they creamed by 20 points in December and lost to by eight in January.
The outcome was never in doubt Saturday. Hayesville discombobulated the Maroon Devils with relentless defense that contributed to 23 turnovers and poor shooting by Swain.
Swain’s 18 points was the lowest output by a Hayesville opponent this season.
“Anytime you can win in the postseason it’s great and gives you another opportunity,” McClure said. “We lost to them the last time we played them and knew it would be a physical game. When you face a team for a third time in the season it’s tough because you know each other so well.”
Swain surely knew what Shook could do, but that didn’t mean the Maroon Devils could stop her. Unshakable Shook scored 15 points, hit 6-of-7 free throws, and had nine steals, three rebounds and two assists.
Abrams also had her way. She snatched six rebounds and scored 10 points on 3-of-3 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws.
Peck posted eight points and two rebounds. Krieger speared 10 rebounds. Ashe had five points and two steals. Clampitt contributed four points and two steals. Brown posted three points and two rebounds. Brooks added in a point.
The Lady Jackets disrupted Swain’s equilibrium from the opening tip. The game was just :40 old when Shook blocked a shot. Less than a minute later, she forced a turnover that led to the first basket of the game, a turnaround by Peck.
More mayhem followed. Brooke Graves intercepted a pass and fed Shook for a three-pointer, then Shook stole the ball again. Hayesville turned the ball over, but Ashe deflected the ball to Ava, who raced down-court, was fouled and made a free throw for a 6-0 lead.
The first quarter ended with Hayesville on top 11-3.
Swain never had a chance. Hayesville led 20-6 at the half and 31-7 after three.
“I really thought we played well defensively. We were able to force some turnovers and frustrate them early.”
The Lady Jackets also displayed good defense as they closed out the regular season by muzzling Murphy, 49-35, in a game that really wasn’t that close and disposing of Robbinsville, a team that previously throttled the Lady Jackets, 57-29.
“Both wins were huge,” McClure remarked.
Here’s a summary of the ‘hugeness’ that elevated Hayesville to 14-10 overall and 5-5 (third place) in the conference:
Hayesville 55, Robbinsville 50
The Lady Jackets stunned a Black Knights that waxed them, 57-29, just nine days earlier.
How in the name of Darryl K. McClure could such a role reversal occur? “I just liked our energy and effort,” Chad McClure stated. “Our seniors started the game and got us off to a good lead. We came out really aggressive, kind of hit a lull, then responded.”
The good lead was a 16-5 run in which Peck scored all three times she touched the ball, Ashe rifled home a three-pointer, Shook drained two free throws and Clampitt ringing the bell from three-point land.
The lull came in the second quarter when Robbinsville went cold and the Lady Knights tied the score at 19-all.
The response began when Peck drained two free throws and Ashe pumped in another trey to give Hayesville a 24-19 lead.
Robbinsville responded to the response by tying the game at 26 by the intermission.
Neither team was able to pull away in the third period and the seesaw continued until the two-minute mark of the final quarter.
Robbinsville went up 48-46 on a free throw, but Hayesville pulled even on the impending inbound when Shook was fouled and canned a pair with 1:15 showing.
Shook came through again with a defensive rebound on a missed three by Robbinsville. She promptly advanced the ball. Hayesville missed, but Peck was there for the rebound. Robbinsville fouled Mighty Mal, who deposited both free throws to give Hayesville a 50-48 lead that stood up. Peck rammed home 16 points for the second consecutive game.
The Lady Jackets salted the game with exceptional free throwing in the final :16.7 – 3-of-4 by Shook and 2-of-2 by Krieger. Shook tallied nine points.
The win was a showcase of Ashe, who dropped in 2-of-2 from the field and 3-of-8 from downtown in scoring 13 big ones. The blonde bomber also had three rebounds, two steals and just one turnover. “I thought Emma Ashe really came out and gave us a spark,” McClure said.
Peck was also a force, pulverizing R’ville with 16 markers on 6-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-5 at the line, gathering eight rebounds and setting up teammates for scores four times.
Hayesville’s stats:
• Scoring: Peck 16, Ashe 13, Clampitt nine, Shook nine, Krieger six, Abrams one, Graves one.
• Three-point shots made: Ashe three, Clampitt three.
• Free throws: Shook seven, Peck four, Krieger two, Abrams one, Graves one.
• Offensive rebounds: Peck six, Clampitt two, Ashe one, Krieger one, Shook one.
• Total rebounds: Peck eight, Clampitt five, Ashe three, Krieger three, Shook two, Abrams one, Graves one.
• Assists: Abrams three, Krieger two, Peck two, Shook two.
• Steals: Shook three, Ashe two, Clampitt one, Krieger one.
Hayesville 49, Murphy 35
The Lady Jackets quickly served notice that this meeting would not be business as usual.
“The difference was our rebounding and our defensive intensity. We pressed a little bit. Making some shots always helps,” McClure stated.
The Yellow Jackets made 45 percent from the field and rebounded 10 of the shots they missed. That cleaning of the home glass led to seven second-chance points. McClure’s girls did OK at the Murphy end as well, clearing 26 Bulldog misfires.
Hayesville’s defense also put points on the board – steals led to 10 points.
The two squads traded punches for much of the first quarter before Hayesville jetted from a seven-all tie when a Shook to Clampitt to Peck fast break resulted in a foul that put Peck on the line. Her free throw gave the Lady Jackets a lead they refused to relinquish.
Hayesville defanged the ‘Dogs with 14 unanswered points that produced a 26-15 halftime lead, stayed the course with a 12-4 run for a 38-19 advantage after three and kept the visitors kenneled until McClure emptied his bench with 1:30 remaining.
Murphy took advantage of the back-ups’ inability to get the ball past mid-court and cut the sliced the score to 43-35, but McClure reinserted his starters with a minute left and Shook iced the cake by breaking full-court pressure, making a steal, and draining 4-of-4 from the free throw line to put Hayesville up 47-35. Peck placed the cherry on the sundae with a pair of hits from the charity stripe and a defensive rebound.
Speaking of rebounds, Krieger grabbed 13 missed shots.
• Scoring: Peck 16, Shook nine Brooks eight, Abrams six, Ashe five, Krieger four, Clampitt one.
• Three-point shots made: Brooks two, Ashe one, Shook one.
• Free throws: Peck eight, Shook six, Abrams two, Clampitt one.
• Offensive rebounds: Krieger four, Clampitt two, Peck two, Brooks one, Shook one.
• Total rebounds: Krieger 13, Clampitt eight Peck five, Abrams three, Shook three, Ashe one, Brooks one, Brown one, Moore one.
• Assists: Shook five, Clampitt one, Graves one, Krieger one, Peck one.
• Steals: Shook three, Abrams one, Ashe one, Clampitt one, Krieger one.
• Blocks: Peck two, Krieger one.