By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Hayesville used a furious comeback to shave a 16-point Robbinsville lead to a lone point before the Black Knights closed out the visiting Yellow Jackets 51-43 in varsity boys basketball action Friday.
“The game was tough but I thought we moved forward,” Hayesville Coach Mike Cottrell said.
Hayesville’s only lead came 1:13 after the opening tip-off when Jacob McClure swished a three-pointer from the corner after taking a feed from Asher Brown. Twenty-three seconds later Robbinsville tied the game. The Black Knights never trailed again.
A win for Robbinsville, 6-2 in the Smoky Mountain Conference, 9-2 overall, seemed like a foregone conclusion as Hayesville, 0-3 SMC, 7-6 overall, shot just 25 percent as the Black Knights built 34-16 lead with just over three minutes left in the third quarter.
The Yellow Jackets refused to fold, they kept busting tail.
The Black-and-Gold surge began with a pull-up jumper by Slade Crouch followed by a three-pointer by McClure, then Crouch aggressively attacking the rim and earning two trips to the free throw line where he cashed in three shots.
Still, Robbinsville held a comfortable 39-26 lead entering the final period. Then things really got interesting.
Isaac Chandler was the instigator this time. Hayesville’s Swiss Army Knife canned a free throw, grabbed a defensive rebound and scored on a back cut for a three-point play, all in the span of :44 that trimmed the lead to 39-30.
Robbinsville aided and abetted the uprising by missing a shot and bricking two free throws and then it’s leading scorer 6’ 4” Donovan Carpenter turned his ankle and left the game.
Hayesville continued to roll. McClure banged home a three-pointer as play became increasingly physical and Crouch and Chandler cleared Robbinsville’s misses. Robbinsville 39 and Hayesville 33.
Brown then barged into the lane and muscled a shot home to make it a four-point game. On the other end McClure earned the ire of fans by using his body to shield a Robbinsville player from saving the ball from going out of bounds. Fittingly McClure threw gas on the fire by draining a home run ball that cut the lead to 39-38 with 4:15 remaining.
The house was rocking when Black Knights finally ended a 4:17 drought with five unanswered points but Hayesville clung to renewed hope when Robbinsville drew blanks on two free throws with 2:20 on the clock. McClure then found the bottom of the net from the top of the key. Four-point game.
Carpenter on a gimpy ankle, ripped a jumper to make it 47-41. Chandler answered by powering through three defenders for a bucket. 47-43 with 1:22 to play.
Hayesville could get no closer. Robbinsville scored on a lay-up, Hayesville aired a three-pointer, Robbinsville played keep away and Carpenter bucketed two shots from the charity stripe. 51-43.
McClure’s silky smooth jump shooting produced 15 points on 5-of-8 marksmanship from behind the arch. Hughes went 2-of-4 from long distance for six points.
As a team Hayesville shot 42 percent from three-point range. The Yellow Jackets had less success from the field making just 6-of-23, 23 percent, and 7-of-13, 45 percent, from the charity line.
“We are gaining on it. We’ve improved a lot over the last few weeks. Guys are getting better everyday,” Cottrell stated. “We’re doing some things better still having some areas during game we need to manage better.”
Chandler contributed 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and made three steals. Crouch tossed in 5 points with six rebounds and three assists. Brown added 5 points and two assists. Jackson Sellers collected three rebounds.
Hayesville traveled to Hiwassee Dam on Tuesday for a rematch of the game. The Yellow Jackets won 61-55 in November. Next Tuesday, Jan. 16 Hayesville plays at Blue Ridge Charter.