The JV Yellow Jackets started the 2020 portion of their season with a home game against the rival Indians from Towns County. A close game early, Hayesville defended their home floor with a 41-27 victory.
After an exchange of failed shots, Hayesville put a crooked number on the scoreboard first to take an early lead. The Jackets were able to manufacture turnovers but were unable to turn them into points. The Indians were able to tie things up as Hayesville continued to see their shots rattle off the rim. The score remained knotted at 2-2 until the 1:57 mark when the Jackets took a takeaway to the basket for a layup. Foul shots allowed Towns to pull within 1 with less than a minute to go in the quarter. A full-court shot at the buzzer fell short for the Indians, sending the rivals into the second quarter with Hayesville up 4-3.
Towns County started the second off by evening things 4-4 thanks to free throws. The Jackets regained the lead on their following possession but the Indians again used the free throw stripe to keep pace. An exchange of scores followed as both teams seemed to find their shooting stride. Hayesville began running a full court press on defense in an effort to force the Indians to turn the ball over. Foul shots kept Towns County close but the Jackets held a 6-point lead at the 3 minute mark. Another trip to the foul line for the Indians pulled them closer, 17-5 with 1:20 on the clock. Towns County would use a trio of free throws to cut the Jackets' lead down to 4 with under a minute to go in the half. Hayesville tried a half-court shot but failed, keeping the score 17-13 at the half.
To start the third, the Jackets went on a 8-2 run, causing Towns County to call a timeout with the clock showing 5:21. A series of missed shots from both teams followed until Hayesville scored just inside of 3 minutes to play. That ignited the Jackets' offense and with 1:31, Hayesville had built up a 35-15 lead. The quarter ended with the Jackets leading 38-17.
The final quarter opened up with both teams struggling to sink a basket. Hayesville's head coach Will Penland called a timeout with 6:22 left to play to talk things over with his team. The Jackets returned to the court seemingly with a game plan of driving to the basket, which drew contact from their opponents. On the other court, Towns County instituted the same plan, earning trips to the free throw line. The Indians the tried a full-court press but Hayesville was able to move the ball. Underneath the basket, the Jackets created scoring opportunities, either by layup or free throw. The Indians kept playing hard through the remaining minutes but Hayesville was just too strong, winning 41-27.
Leaders vs Towns County
Logan Caldwell: 14 points
Peyton Hunt: 13 points
Cade Denton: 4 points
Will Englemann: 4 points