Gary Corsair • Progress Landon Trout, No. 15, wrestles a rebound away from Cherokee during Tuesday's hard fought JV game Tuesday.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Hayesville’s JV boys dominated Cherokee for two-and-a-half quarters Tuesday before the Yellow Jackets went cold and the Braves heated up and stormed back to eke out a 51-46 win.
Hayesville led 33-13 midway through the third quarter but went cold for 3:41. Cherokee tallied 15 unanswered points during the dry spell to close the gap to 36-31 after three periods.
Hayesville regrouped and extended the lead to 40-33 on Landon Trout’s put-back on a rebound. The visiting Braves kept coming.
Cherokee went up for the first time on a three-pointer with 1:28 left to play and then held off Hayesville’s spirited attempt to regain the lead fizzled as the Jackets missed their final 7 shots.
“That was a tough loss for us,” Hayesville Coach Zach Cottrell remarked. “I thought we did some good things throughout the game. I’m proud of our team’s effort. We had some chances to win and just couldn’t quite get the job done.”
Brendan Lynch led Hayesville with an inspired effort that included 13 points, 6-of-9 shooting from the field, eight rebounds and two steals.
E.J. Abrams tossed in 10 points, cleared five rebounds and had two assists. Trout had 7 points, six steals and three rebounds. Brady Reynolds scored 7, made five steals and had two assists. Daemien Soto canned 3-of-3 shot, grabbed three rebounds and made two steals. Peyton Mcgaha pulled down eight rebounds, scored three points and had two dishes. Brady Jones grabbed two rebounds.
Hayesville led 12-7 after one period and 25-11 at the half.
The Yellow Jackets made 17-of-39 2-point shots, 9-of-15 free throws, but only made 1-of-16 shots from behind the arch. Abrams had Hayesville’s lone trey.
Cherokee didn’t shoot as well from in close, but the Braces smoked the nets with six 3-pointers – five in the second half.
“It was a great learning opportunity for both the players and coaching staff,” Cottrell remarked. “We’ll make some adjustments over Christmas break and see what we can put together once we get back.”