Neal Wachob • Clay County Progress Caroline Wade, No. 24, lofts a jump shot for two Hayesville points against Polk County in the Battle of States holiday basketball tournament.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Hayesville’s girls won one and lost two in the annual Jim Melton Battle of the Sexes basketball tournament but competed like champs for most of the 12 quarters they played.
Hayesville 69,
Towns County 32
Hayesville’s triangle-and-two defense totally stymied Towns County’s two best scorers in a lopsided win fueled by a dozen three-pointers by seven Lady Jackets in the opening round of the tourney on Saturday, Dec. 27.
Micalynn McClure face-guarded Ava Thompson, Ava Shook and later, Caroline Wade threw a wet blanket over Scotlyn Fain and Lucy Trout. Jasmine Brooks and Ava Moore patrolled the paint and perimeter each time Towns came across the timeline.
Smothering defense enabled Hayesville to rocket from a 4-all tie to take a 15-7 first quarter lead.
Towns’ desire to get back into contention was dashed when Shook figured in three consecutive triples at the top of the second quarter.
First, ‘Unshakeable Shook’ earned an offensive rebound with impressive hustle and fed Trout, who zipped the Spaulding to Brooks for a trey. Next possession saw Brooks drop a dime to Shook for a money ball. The third salvo came when Shook seized a rebound and connected with Trout, who drained the rock.
Hayesville led 24-7 and never looked back.
The Lady Jackets added an exclamation point with a 12-0 run that began early in the third act when McClure busted a 3, followed by 7 points in a row by Shook and a bucket from Brooks.
Brooks was a dead eye all night, nailing 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from downtown. She also cleared six boards, dished four assists and made two thefts.
Hayesville iced the cake by scoring 20 in the final quarter while holding Towns to a single point.
Stifling defense decided the outcome, but Hayesville also clicked with the ball, shooting a respectable 41 percent from the floor, 40 percent from beyond the arch, 45 rebounds and just nine turnovers — only two after the intermission.
Twelve Lady Jackets landed in the scoring column, led by Shook with 17, 12 by Brooks and nine each by Trout and McClure.
Shook also led all rebounders with 12, blocked two shots, had two steals, made 5-of-9 field goal tries and shared the top-assist, six, honor with Trout, who drained 3-of-7 from distance and had six rebounds.
McClure paced Hayesville with three steals. Kayla Brown snared five boards in less than two quarters of play.
Olivia Free made both of her shots for five points to go with two rebounds. Aaliyah Jackson added three rebounds and three points.
Score by quarters
Hayesville: 15-29-49-69
Towns County: 7-16-31-32
Hayesville scoring
Shook, 19; Brooks, 12; McClure, 9; Trout, 9; Free, 5; Brown, 3; Jackson, 3; Anderson, 2; Clampitt, 2; Moore, 2 and Wade, 2.
Polk County 57, Hayesville 53
A Hayesville victory seemed certain on Monday when
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CHAMPS
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Shook took over the game with one of the most impressive three-minute bursts of energy in the tournament’s 31-year history:
• Third quarter :42 on clock - Shook makes a scoop shot;
• :03 Shook makes two free throws after Trout forces a travel;
• Fourth quarter: 7:52 - Shook and Wade force a turnover;
• 7:37 - Shook steals the ball from behind and feeds Trout for a basket;
• 6:27 - Shook makes another driving scoop shot and a free throw;
• 6:04 - Shook steals the ball and takes it to the rack for her 1,000th career point.
Shook’s heroics turned a three-point deficit into a 45-37 Hayesville lead. No wonder Shook was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Polk County ended a five-and-a-half minute dry spell with a three-point play on a basket-and-foul with 5:23 left to play and then drained a pair of three-pointers to regain the lead, 48-47.
Hayesville returned to the driver’s seat, 49-48, when Brooks canned two free throws after misses by both teams.
A pair of threes and two missed charity tosses by Hayesville gave Polk County a 54-49 advantage.
The Lady Jackets pulled within one on free throws by Wade and sweet drive to the hoop by Kadence Morrow.
A defensive rebound by Shook and an offensive board by McClure in the final :20 gave Hayesville a chance to get back on top, but the Lady Jackets missed two shots and the Indians iced the game with a pair of free throws.
Shook totaled 19 points, seven rebounds, six steals and four assists.
Brooks scored 11, nailed 5-of-9 shots and gathered six boards. Wade tallied 6 points, snared four boards and blocked three shots. Jackson grabbed four rebounds, Clampitt had three.
Score by quarters
Hayesville: 10 - 23 - 38 - 53
Towns County: 18 - 30 - 37 - 57
Hayesville scoring
Shook, 19; Brooks, 11; Wade, 6; Clampitt, 4; Trout, 4; McClure, 2; Morrow, 2 and Jackson 1.
Franklin 58, Hayesville 45
The Lady Jackets played Franklin even most of the way Tuesday but lost the lead – and the game – due to frigid 0-for-10 shooting in the third quarter.
Otherwise, Hayesville looked every bit Franklin’s equal in a game of surges.
Franklin surged first, zooming ahead 12-2.
The Lady Jackets responded with a vengeance, outpointing the Panthers 22-8 in 9 minutes on a pair of threes by Shook, Trout’s three-ball, jumper, steal and layup, three points by Wade and four markers from Brooks.
That outburst propelled Hayesville to a 30-29 halftime advantage.
The third surge of the game decided the game. Franklin seized momentum as Hayesville went cold.
The Panthers led 40-30 by the time Hayesville ended a 5:34 drought when McClure fed Danielle Anderson, who swished two free tosses after being fouled.
The Lady Jackets threatened again midway through the final act when Shook made two freebies, Brooks swiped the ball and fed Shook for her third home run to shrink a 14-point lead from 14 to 9.
Another score seemed imminent when Franklin coughed up the rock, but Hayesville missed, rebounded and missed again. A two-pointer and triple by Franklin scuttled Hayesville hopes.
The Lady Jackets did a lot of things right, including 14-of-18 free throws marksmanship and just eight turnovers — a mere three in the second half.
Shook totaled 16 points, four steals, four rebounds and three assists.
Trout tallied 8 points, three boards and three assists. Brooks scored 8 markers, hit 4-of-4 charity tosses and had two steals. Wade tossed in 7 points. Anderson contributed three boards and 2 points on perfect free throwing. Briley Clampitt grabbed five caroms. Moore had 2 points and two blocks. Jackson and McClure added two rebounds apiece.
Hayesville fell behind by 10 in the first quarter, went up by 14 in the second quarter, led by 10 at the intermission and fell behind by 5 before fighting back three minutes in the third.
Score by quarters
Hayesville: 12 - 30 - 32 - 45
Franklin: 17 - 29 - 40 - 58
Hayesville scoring
Shook, 16; Brooks, 8; Trout, 8; Wade, 7; Anderson, 2; McClure, 2 and Moore, 2.