On the same day for first time since 2019
Jan. 6, 2023, was a day four years in the making for Cherokee County basketball teams. For the first time since Jan. 8, 2019, all six varsity teams won their respective games.
The Andrews girls beat Blue Ridge 67-48, while the boys won 59-23. Over at Hiwassee Dam, the Lady Eagles beat Hayesville 43-21 while the Eagles beat the Yellow Jackets 59-51. And Murphy picked up two wins at Nantahala, with the Lady Bulldogs winning 64-20 and the Bulldogs winning 93-26.
Both Andrews teams were coming off disappointing losses at Towns County, Ga., the day before. For the Lady Wildcats, it was only their second win of the season and first over the Lady Bobcats since November 2017.
That matches last season’s win total, and is a complete turnaround from a 77-41 loss at Blue Ridge to open this season. The Andrews girls are improving under first-year head coach Tim Wood, even if it doesn’t always show up in the box score.
It was the second of two dominating performances against the Bobcats for the Andrews boys, who won at Blue Ridge 78-25 to open the season. It was just the Wildcats’ third win in their last eight games since a 6-0 start, as they’ve struggled to score consistently at times and came up short in two overtime games against Murphy and Towns County earlier in the week.
The wins over Hayesville allowed both Hiwassee Dam teams to get back on track after tough losses to Murphy. The Lady Eagles have swept Hayesville for the first time since the 2016-17 season, while the Eagles beat the Yellow Jackets for the first time since Jan. 7, 2011.
Both Hiwassee Dam teams hosted Andrews on Tuesday. The Eagles will host Robbinsville on Friday, their fourth of five straight games against Big Smoky Mountain Conference competition.
Murphy’s win over Nantahala continued both teams’ strong runs of recent play. The Lady Bulldogs have won four of their last five games since a 1-9 start to the season, while the Bulldogs have won six of their last eight since a 2-5 start. Both teams will return to the court Friday with home games against Highlands.