Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Hayesville guard Kabe Shaheen, No. 3, takes the ball to the hole on a fast break against Swain as Micah Moss, No. 2, watches his running mate.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Kabe Shaheen’s inspired play during the final 3:30 of the third period spearheaded a comeback that powered Hayesville past Swain, 43-35 in JV boys basketball action Friday.
“It was a great road win early in the year for the guys. They’re working hard and I’ve enjoyed getting to see them improve — still a ways to go,” Hayesville Coach Josh Cottrell stated after the JV Jackets improved to 3-0.
“Great” also describes the play of Shaheen, who finished with 12 points.
Swain clung to a 22-18 lead when Shaheen took over.
Shaheen sprayed starting fluid into Hayesville’s engine by stealing the ball and taking it all the way for a lay-up that reduced Swain’s thin as an eggshell lead to a single bucket.
Thirty-nine seconds later, Shaheen repeated the trick with another theft he converted into a lay-in that knotted the score, 22-all.
Following a Swain timeout, Shaheen struck again with his third steal in a minute. This time, Shaheen fed Micah Moss and sprinted downhill, gathered a return pass from Moss and scored again. Hayesville 24, Swain County 22.
Swain tied the game at 24, but Daemein Soto’s and-one and basket gave Hayesville a lead the Yellow Jackets did not relinquish.
Up 27-24, Hayesville put the kibosh on the Devils’ hopes when Shaheen pressured a Swain guard into a turnover, E.J. Mapusua scored on a spinning one-hander in the lane with :42 left in the third and Soto followed that with a steal. Hayesville 31, Swain 24 after three acts.
Swain trimmed the lead to 33-31 in the fourth, but the junior Jackets kept the Devils in the rear-view mirror with two baskets by Moss, another from Soto and free throws by Shaheen, Mapusua and Wes Jennings.
Soto led Hayesville’s charge with 14 points. Wes Jennings scored 8, Moss 5 and Mapusua 2.
The Yellow Jackets led 10-4 after the first period and 15-12 at the half. Swain took its first lead with 6 unanswered points early in the third quarter. The hosts upped the ante to 5 points before Shaheen and his mates said, “Enough is enough.” Soto fired the first salvo of the revolt with a 3-pointer off a Shaheen pass with 4:31 on the third-quarter clock.