The Hayesville Yellow Jacket varsity basketball team opened the week with a home game against Cherokee Tuesday, Jan. 19. In the preseason, the Braves were considered one of the favorites to dethrone Hayesville as the class of the Smoky Mountain Conference. The Jackets took care of business with a 61-46 victory. On Friday, Hayesville kept their record blemish-free with a 69-23 win over the Tigers in Rosman.
In Tuesday’s contest, Cherokee managed a last second steal and bucket to end the opening quarter up 14-13. Refusing to be rattled, the Jackets took over in the second quarter with a 19-11 run, giving them a 32-25 lead at the half.
Hayesville was unable to put the Braves away in the third quarter, but did manage to add to their lead. The Jackets out scored the visitors 16-9 to make their lead 48-34 with one quarter to play. That last stanza saw Hayesville add 13 points to their total while holding the Braves to 12 to secure the 61-46 win.
Against Rosman, the Jackets established their dominance early with a 23-4 run in the first quarter. By the halfway mark Hayesville had extended their lead to 43-13. The second half was more of the same with the Jackets cruising to a 69-23 victory and staying undefeated with a 6-0 record.
Jacket Nation can tune into the “Clay County Schools” YouTube channel at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29 to see the Jackets take on Hiwassee Dam on the road. At 8 p.m. on Feb. 2 Hayesville will host the Maroon Devils from Swain County.
