Hiwassee Dam – With a first-round win over Starmount, the Hiwassee Dam girls basketball team is the only team from Cherokee County to advance to the second round of N.C. High School Athletic Association state 1A playoffs.
The Lady Eagles, as well as the girls teams from Highlands and Cherokee, were the only Big and Little Smoky Mountain Conference teams to get first-round wins on Feb. 25. In the second round, the Lady Eagles traveled five hours east to take on No. 3 seed Albemarle.
First round
The playoffs kicked off across the state on Feb. 25. The Lady Eagles were one of three Cherokee County teams to host a first-round game.
The Lady Eagles took an early lead and didn’t look back en route to their 82-38 victory over Starmount.
Brinkley Payne got the scoring started for the Lady Eagles. They scored eight unanswered points in the first three minutes of the game before Starmount made two free throws.
The Lady Eagles were dominant on both ends of the court early by picking up defensive rebounds and converting them into points on the other end. This led to Hiwassee Dam leading 22-5 through the first quarter.
Less than two minutes into the second quarter, the Lady Eagles got a 20-point lead and only extended it as the clock ticked down toward halftime. The Lady Eagles continued taking advantage of Starmount’s missed shots, then converted them to build a huge lead.
Thanks to success on both ends of the court, the Lady Eagles led Starmount 44-19 at halftime. By halftime, two Lady Eagles were already in double digit points as Payne had 15 points and Olivia McNabb had 10. Abby Harris had five points, including their only 3-pointer of the game.
Starmount came out in the second half, picked up the pace on offensive and played more aggressive on defense. Despite playing different, they were no match for the Lady Eagles.
The Lady Eagles came out of halftime and scored 20 points in the third quarter. Less than five minutes in to the third, they built a 31-point lead. Starmount picked up the pace on scoring and had their highest scoring quarter with 15 points in the third.
Payne and Olivia McNabb continued scoring, as McNabb had eight points in the third period and Payne had six.
With a 30-point lead, the Lady Eagles headed into the fourth quarter ready to close out the game. They did so by adding 18 points to their total and only allowing Starmount to score four.
With just under three minutes left in the game, Hiwassee Dam seniors Olivia McNabb, Bella Stiles and Sky Taylor checked out of their last basketball game at “The Nest.” As they jogged off the court, they received loud applause from local fans.
With just under two minutes left, the Lady Eagles got a 40-point lead, meaning the remainder of the game would be played with a running clock. The clock ran out, and the Lady Eagles advanced to the second round.
Brooklyn Hyde had her highest-scoring quarter in the fourth with nine points to bring her to a total of 20 against Starmount. Payne and Olivia McNabb were also big contributors to their scoring. Payne led the team with 23 points, while McNabb had 22.
With the win, they advanced to the second round to take on No. 3 seed Albemarle.
Second round
After a five-hour bus ride across the state on Friday afternoon, Hiwassee Dam took on Albemarle and lost 83-41.
Albemarle took an early lead and didn’t look back. They scored 22 points in the first quarter, while the Lady Eagles scored 15. Olivia McNabb had six of their 15 points in the first quarter.
The Lady Bulldogs began to pull away in the second quarter, as they outscored the Lady Eagles 23-13 to lead 45-28 at halftime. Payne led the Lady Eagles in the second quarter with five points.
Coming out of halftime, the Lady Bulldogs scored 30 points in the third quarter and only allowed the Lady Eagles to score six. Payne had five points and Olivia McNabb added one in the third quarter.
Leading 75-34 heading into the fourth quarter, the Lady Bulldogs closed out the game by outscoring the Lady Eagles 8-7.
The Lady Eagles were led by senior Olivia McNabb with 14 points. Eight of her 14 points came on from the free throw line. Payne was also in double digits with 12 points.
The Hiwassee Dam Lady Eagles finished the season with an 18-7 overall record.