It's been a trying start to the season for Hayesville's middle school Yellow Jackets. Inexperience mixed with limited pre-season activity has forced players to learn on the fly. As of last week, it looks like things are starting to click for the group.
Against Martins Creek Thursday, Jan. 21, Hayesville got their first win of the year by a score of 37- 22. On Monday, Jan. 25, the team hosted Rosman and rode the wave of momentum to a 34-24 victory.
The Jackets' performance in the first quarter against Martins Creek served as a confidence boost with good looks at the basket and solid passes creating scoring opportunities. Hayesville ended the quarter up 10-4. In the second, the Hornets' struggles continued and the Jackets capitalized to build the lead to 23-10.
In the third quarter, the Hornets showed signs of a possible comeback by out scoring Hayesville 8-7. The Jackets squashed any hope Martins Creek had in the fourth quarter with a 7-4 run to secure the 37-22 win.
Monday's game against Rosman was similar to the Jackets' first win. Hayesville jumped out to an early 10-4 lead after one quarter and held on to the advantage to lead 15-6 at the break. The Jacket
s had their best quarter of the game in the third with 11 points. It was also the best offensive quarter for the Tigers who added 8 to their total. Rosman actually out performed the Jackets in the fourth quarter but Hayesville was able to stop any serious rally and hung on to win 34-24.
The Jackets will try to make it three wins in a row Thursday, Jan. 28 when they travel to Swain for a 5 p.m. game. On Monday, Feb. 1 Hayesville heads to Cherokee for a 5 p.m. showdown with the Braves. Both games will be available on the "Clay County Schools" YouTube channel.