Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Lethal lefty Brady Jones, No. 2, launches a three-pointer from the corner during a momentous fourth quarter that saw the Hayesville eagle eye stroke six treys, one short of the state record.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Brady Jones sprang from the end of Hayesville’s bench into the record books with one of the greatest shooting exhibitions in the history of North Carolina prep basketball Friday.
The super southpaw buried six three-point baskets in seven tries during the fourth quarter of Hayesville’s 91-23 thrashing of Blue Ridge Early College, an incredible performance that set the school record for most three-pointers in a quarter.
Jones near-perfect shooting from the corner landed him in the North Carolina High School Record Book, where his name will appear just below Catlin Pruitt of Manteo, who made seven threes in a quarter against John A. Holmes High School on Jan. 18, 2002.
Jones is one of only five men in state history to score six or more treys in a quarter.
Coach Mike Cottrell says the spotlight couldn’t have found a more deserving player.
“He is a great teammate, a high character, committed young man,” Cottrell said. “He is so good for our team and a great example of what a leader looks like. He earned being a captain this season and is loved by his teammates.”
That was obvious when Jones’ teammates swarmed him at the conclusion of the game.
Jones also made his only three-point try of the third period. Earlier, he swished a free throw. Bottom line: a team-high 22 points.
Jones’ achievement topped a list of impressive accomplishments by his teammates:
• Kyle Shaheen’s 8 points, seven assists, six steals and four assists;
• Five buckets without a miss by Brendan Lynch in that crazy fourth quarter;
• 17 points and four steals from Brady Reynolds;
• 11 points and six boards by Daemien Soto;
• 10 rebounds apiece by Landon Trout and Carter Whitfield;
• 4-of-5 field goal shooting by E.J. Abrams;
• 2-of-3 popping by Jackson Sellers.
Hayesville clicked like a Geiger counter as Cottrell substituted five players at a time against the hopelessly inferior Bobcats.
Even a running clock couldn’t slow the hosts’ running and gunning. The Jackets dropped 47 big ones in the second half when the clock only stopped for timeouts.
The Yellow Jackets were in command 11-0 by the time Blue Ridge EC scored its first points 4:22 after tipoff.
Hayesville took a 16-4 lead into the second quarter and then put the game on ice with 21 unanswered points on 7-of-8 free throw firing by Trout and Shaheen, a three-pointer from both Soto and Sellers and a pair of triples by Reynolds.
Hayesville buried 16 shots from behind the arch, grabbed 36 rebounds, made 22 free throws, stole the ball 17 times and committed just three turnovers in the final three quarters — eight overall, including two shots that bounced up and hit the top of the backboard.
The Bobcats only made two three-pointers, both in the fourth quarter, had 18 rebounds, only made three free throws and coughed the ball up 26 times.
The Jackets took a 6-4 record into a busy week of games at Cherokee
on Tuesday, and home
games with Rosman on Friday and Towns County on Saturday.
Score by quarters
Hayesville: 16 - 44 - 65 - 91
BREC: 4 - 10 - 15 - 23
Hayesville scoring
Jones, 22; Reynolds, 17; Lynch, 11; Soto, 11; Abrams, 10; Shaheen, 8; Trout, 6; Sellers, 5 and Moss, 2.
Hayesville leaders
Rebounds: Trout, 10; Whitfield, 10 and Soto, six.
Assists: Shaheen, seven; Abrams, three and Soto, three.
Steals: Shaheen, six; Reynolds, four; Sellers, two and Soto, two.