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The Lady Yellow Jackets had a tough start to the basketball season, but as the week’s ticked by, steadily improved their performance. On Thursday, Feb. 18, the team hit the road to face Swain County in the final game of the season. A late-game rally came up just short as Hayesville fell in a 53-51 heartbreaker.
With Robbinsville and Murphy already locked into the two playoff spots from the Smoky Mountain Conference, the Lady Jackets and Maroon Devils still had something to play for as the two foes were tied in the conference standings. The Lady Devils used a 16-13 opening quarter to take an early advantage. In the second, Hayesville used 10 points to cut into the lead, but still trailed 25-23 at the halftime break. In the third and fourth quarters, the close battle continued as the teams exchanged buckets and turnovers.
It became apparent the Lady Jackets’ best scoring option was to feed the ball to senior Brianna Foster underneath the basket. Foster seemed to be in the mix every play whether she was battling for a defensive rebound or power dribbling past a defender for a score. That fight, coupled with Hayesville’s quickness vaulted the Lady Jackets to 21 points in the final stanza, but Swain’s 17 were just enough to hold on for the 53-51 win.
With the loss, the Lady Jackets ended the season with a 4-10 record and sixth in the SMC. “Records are not always an accurate measure of a teams success,” said Hayesville’s head coach Chad McClure. “Anyone that watched this team throughout the season saw this team continually improve. I’m proud of them and how they always did whatever it took to get better. Many nights we struggled to score but continued to play with great effort and heart. As a coach, that’s all you can ask for.”
McClure addressed the five senior players, saying, “Our seniors will be missed and I thank them for all the time and impact they made in our program. This was a difficult year for them and I am so thankful they got the opportunity to play.” The head coach then took time to thank some people who have supported the team. “I want to thank all the parents who supported us in various ways and a special thanks to Steven and Kelli Graves who always go above and beyond for our team.”