Several local athletes and coaches were recognized by the Smoky Mountain Conference for their performance on the basketball court this season.
Leading the way were Murphy junior Zach Skogen and Hiwassee Dam senior Preston Hyde, who were recognized as the Big and Little Smoky Mountain Boys Player of the Year, respectively. Eagles head coach Mark Raper was named the Little SMC Boys Coach of the Year.
Skogen averaged a double-double with 14 points and 10.8 rebounds per game, while also averaging 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. A 6-foot, 5-inch forward who was a threat both inside and out, Skogen was a matchup nightmare in the conference this year. He found his footing during the second half of the season, scoring in double figures in Murphy’s final 11 games and averaging 18.2 points per game during that stretch.
Joining Skogen on the All-Conference team were senior Dillian Brown and junior Dominick Rummler. Brown, who was also an All-Conference selection as a junior, averaged a team-high 14.3 points per game as well as 3.3 rebounds, three assists and two steals per game. As the team’s starting point guard, Brown conducted the Bulldogs’ offense and was able to take over a game instantly if he got hot from the perimeter.
Rummler, who teamed up with Skogen to form a dynamic duo in the paint, averaged 12.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Seniors Cole and Ty Laney received honorable mentions, playing key roles as a playmaking guard and glue guy to help a Murphy team that won its first playoff game since 2011 before bowing out in the second round of the state playoffs.
Also in the Big SMC, Andrews senior Donovan Bateman was named All-Conference, while junior Cam Rattler received an honorable mention. Bateman averaged a team-high 12 points per game, and his five rebounds per game were second on the team. Rattler averaged 10.9 points per game, plus led the team in rebounds (9.7) and assists (2.6) per game.
Hyde averaged a team-high 19.6 points per game for Hiwassee Dam as a lights-out 3-point shooter who could also get to the rim when needed. Thanks to a hot streak in the final weeks of the season, Hyde crossed the 1,000 career points mark with a 25-point performance against Highlands in the Little SMC Tournament Championship. He would finish his career with 1,031 points.
Raper led Hiwassee Dam to a fourth straight conference championship, and a third straight year going undefeated against Little SMC competition. During that time, the Eagles have won 17 straight games against conference foes.
Joining Hyde on the Little SMC All-Conference team was fellow senior Tate Raper and juniors Clay Davis and Leo Hickson. Hickson was named All-Conference for the second straight year, while Davis and Raper were selected for the first time. Hickson averaged 8.9 points per game as Hiwassee Dam’s starting point guard, and was always a threat to attack in transition and off the dribble.
Davis averaged 12.6 points per game in his first year as a varsity player, while Raper was a two-year starter who filled a role as a defensive stopper. Senior Tanner Taylor received an honorable mention as Hiwassee Dam’s top option off the bench.
Nantahala freshman Cole McCoy was named All-Conference as well. In his varsity season, he stuffed the stat sheet by averaging 20.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 3.3 assists per game.
On the girls side, Murphy’s Addie Johnson and Lailee Holloway were named all-Big SMC, while the Lady Bulldogs’ Lochlan Rogers and Andrews Kylie Donaldson received honorable mentions. Holloway and Johnson led Murphy in scoring by averaging 14 and 13.1 points per game, respectively.
Both could score inside and out, though Holloway adjusted more to a high post role as the season went on. Rogers never took on a big scoring role, but was somebody who did a lot of the little things that teams need in order to be successful.
Donaldson stepped into a bigger role for the Lady Wildcats as a sophomore, averaging 12.5 points per game.
In the Little SMC, Hiwassee Dam’s Kiera Taylor and Olivia McNabb were named All-Conference, while Brinkley Payne received an honorable mention. Taylor and McNabb formed a strong inside-out combo, with Taylor averaging 15.5 points per game as the starting point guard and McNabb 14.8 while doing most of her work inside.
Taylor also crossed the 1,000-points mark in the Little SMC Tournament final against Highlands, finishing her career with 1,022. Payne broke into the starting lineup as a freshman and averaged 7.4 points per game.