On Thursday, Nov. 8 the Lady Yellow Jacket basketball team from Hayesville Middle School traveled to Cherokee County to face the combined team of Hiwassee Dam/Ranger. After their season-opening win earlier in the week, the Lady Jackets hoped to keep the success rolling. While doubt existed early, Hayesville was ultimately able to take care of business with a 36-27.
Hiwassee Dam/Ranger made it clear early in the first quarter that they had no intention of giving the Lady Jackets an easy win. The home team went on a 10-2 run to try to kill Hayesville’s will quickly but the Lady Jackets fought back and by the end of the first quarter trailed by just 2 points, 10-8.
The second quarter saw Hayesville perform in a more expected way, using strong defense to create chaos and capitalizing with points. When the clock ticked down to the halftime mark, the Lady Jackets had taken a 17-13 lead.
Much like the first quarter, the third stanza was hotly contested. Each team had failed scoring opportunities but managed to get points on the board. By the end of the quarter, Hayesville managed to extend the lead slightly and went into the fourth up 25-19.
The Lady Jackets saved their best offensive quarter for the last one. Hiwassee Dam/Ranger tried to rally late with 8 points but Hayesville’s 11 extended their lead and gave the Tammy Dills coached team the 36-27 victory. The win over Hiwassee Dam/Ranger was the first in three years for the Lady Jackets.
“We never quit,” said Dills. “We controlled the boards and were able to come out on top.” The head coach acknowledged the difficulty of a Smoky Mountain Conference road win by saying, “It is hard to win in those small Cherokee County middle school gyms. When you get a win at those locations you have fought for it.”
Next up for the team is a showdown at home with Murphy Monday, Nov. 18 at 4 p.m.
Leaders at Hiwassee Dam/Ranger
Mallory Peck: 15 points, seven rebounds, four steals.
Madison Martin: 12 points, seven rebounds, six steals.
Ava Shook: 2 points, six rebounds, three assists