Bryson City – It was an impressive showing by Hiwassee Dam at this year’s Maroon Devils Christmas Classic.
The Eagles bested Polk County 79-78 in overtime and Smoky Mountain 85-53 before falling to Hayesville 76-44 in the championship game last week.
For head coach Mark Raper, he hopes his team learns what it has proven multiple times this season. Just because they’re a smaller school doesn’t mean they can’t compete with whoever’s on the opposite side of the floor.
“I hope they learn they can play, no matter who’s on the floor they can play with them,” Raper said. “When you coach a small school, sometimes that’s hard to get across. When you win it builds confidence, and I hope that’s what we get out of it.”
Against Polk County (5-3 overall), Hiwassee Dam (8-4) struggled on defense before forcing overtime and winning in the extra period. No matter what was happening on the defensive end, senior Sam Bradford was phenomenal on offense, scoring a season-high 40 points.
Bradford wasn’t as effective against Smoky Mountain (2-6) after rolling his ankle in the second quarter, but still scored 25. It didn’t matter that the excellent big man was less than 100 percent, as the Eagles rolled the Mustangs. Following a hot shooting start by Smoky Mountain, Hiwassee Dam switched to a zone defense that stymied the Mustangs.
The Eagles led 36-35 at halftime and extended it to 57-43 by the end of the third quarter, which ballooned to a 32-point win. What was more impressive is that Hiwassee Dam put the game away in the third quarter without relying on Bradford. Instead, junior Preston Hyde and sophomore Leo Hickson led the charge.
“We don’t want to be one dimensional,” Raper said. “And I think today we figured out we don’t have to be one dimensional, especially on offense.”
It was a struggle against Hayesville (11-0) in the championship, just like the two teams’ previous meeting on Dec. 13, an 81-41 win for the Yellow Jackets.
Lady Eagles finish 4th
On the girls side, Hiwassee Dam finished fourth, beating Tuscola 44-33 in the opening round before falling to tournament runner-up Smoky Mountain 70-60 and Swain County 59-53. Against the Lady Mustangs (7-3) and Lady Devils (6-6), the Lady Eagles (5-8) fell behind early but rallied to make the scores more competitive late.
Junior Kiera Taylor and freshman Olivia McNabb paced Hiwassee Dam throughout the week, scoring 56 and 49 points, respectively, across the three games.
“One of the things we enjoy about
playing in Christmas tournaments is it’s much better than practicing against yourself,” head coach Avery Cutshaw said. “You’re playing against good competition day in and day out. And the thing about it too is you see different people, different opponents, rather than who you play in your conference.”
Both Hiwassee Dam teams returned to the court Tuesday against Copper Basin, Tenn., which ended after this week’s edition of the Cherokee Scout went to press. The Eagles travel to Tellico Plains, Tenn., on Thursday.