By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Hayesville came within inches of winning the Smoky Mountain Conference Girls JV Basketball Tourney, but a three-point shot at the horn glanced off the rim and Murphy left Darryl K. McClure Gymnasium with a 38-35 decision and the crown Saturday.
The missed shot came after a gutsy Hayesville comeback trimmed Murphy’s lead from 5 to 1 in as the final 60 seconds ticked away.
Murphy led 35-31 with :37 remaining when Aaliyah Jackson sent the hometown fans into a frenzy by stealing the ball, sinking a layup, drawing a foul and dropping the free throw for an old-fashioned three-pointer that cut the spread to 35-34.
The locals really raised the roof when Murphy missed 5-of-6 free throws in three trips to the charity line in the span of :28. The Lady Bulldogs only make pushed the lead to 36-34.
At the other end, Hayesville’s Kara Bauer canned a freebie to cut the lead to 36-35, but Murphy’s Piper Dalton grabbed a rebound on the second shot, was promptly fouled and drilled both free throws to put the Lady Bulldogs on top 38-35.
Hayesville called timeout with :05 to set up the final shot and the Lady Jackets did get a good look, but the ball didn’t hit bottom and overtime wasn’t necessary.
It was a crushing loss, but the Clay County girls played like champions.
“I’m proud of the way the girls fought from start to finish. They never gave up,” Hayesville Coach Meghan McQuade Taylor said.
Micalynn McClure certainly embodied that never-say-die attitude. Hayesville’s spunky guard finished with 12 points, a pair of three-pointers, 2-of-3 free throwing, 11 rebounds and two assists.
McClure repeatedly made big plays. Her bucket from the corner gave Hayesville its first lead (2-0); two key three-pointers that put Hayesville in the driver’s seat — an old-fashioned and-one (that put Hayesville 7, Murphy 5) and a second-quarter long ball (Hayesville 17, Murphy 15) and a fourth-quarter trey (28-all).
McClure wasn’t the only shining star. Every Lady Jacket made significant contributions.
Kadence Morrow posted five points, three rebounds and three assists. Jackson kicked in five points, two rebounds and two steals. Bauer had three points and five boards. Ava Moore tallied two points and seven rebounds.
Olivia Free contributed three points (3-of-3 free throw shooting) and two steals. Breanna Patterson added two points and four rebounds.
Hayesville’s largest lead of the hard-fought contest was four points (4-0, 11-7 and 22-18).
The Lady Jackets led 9-7 after the first quarter and 19-16 at halftime. The score was knotted at 25-all after three quarters.
Hayesville 34, Swain 28
The Lady Jackets advanced to the lightning round by topping the Maroon Devils in convincing fashion on Wednesday.
Jackson sparked the win by making 9-of-12 free throws and a three-pointer for 12 points, clearing four rebounds and making three steals.
Her teammates were also tough customers, especially on the boards. Hayesville grabbed 43 rebounds, which helped offset sickly, 1-of-20 shooting from behind the three-point arch.
McClure and Bauer both had 10 boards and four points. McClure also had two assists and two steals.
Morrow was superb in every aspect of the game. She tallied nine points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists.
Moore supplied five points and seven rebounds, while Patterson added four boards.
The Lady Jackets led 6-5 after one quarter and increased their holdings to 11-6 by halftime thanks to McClure’s bucket in lane, a McClure free throw and a Moore basket on a dime from Morrow.
Stifling defense helped Hayesville go up 15-6. The key plays: McClure stealing a pass on an entry pass and making a slick pass to Moore on the other end that resulted in a made free throw, another pick by McClure that put her on the line and a sweet two-pointer by Bauer on Morrow’s inbound pass with 3:38 on the third-quarter clock.
Swain stormed back and pulled to within three before Morrow restored order with a bold, coast-to-coast bucket and another tally on a pass from Jackson 30 seconds later.
Hayesville was cruising 30-24 with :21.8 remaining when an overzealous foul by Hayesville resulted in a technical foul and four made free throws.
With the lead reduced to 30-28, disaster seemed like a possibility, but Jackson, cool as their Principal Stacey Overlin, calmly sank 4-of-4 from the line during the final :11.9.
“Our girls showed a lot of character, especially down the stretch when we needed to make free throws,” McQuade Taylor remarked. “I’m so proud of the effort the girls gave.”