Andrews – From start to finish, it was a winning night in the Valley as the Wildcats took down the Devils on Senior Night.
The Andrews varsity basketball teams hosted Swain County on Friday night, with the boys and girls teams both coming away with the wins.
Before the games, the Wildcats honored basketball seniors Alexis Beasley, Jaden Crocker, Rileigh LeQuire, Chanteah Rattler and Logan Shuler. They also honored indoor track seniors Jay C Palmer and Isaac Patrick.
Girls win 67-34
With a 41-point first half, the Lady Wildcats took down Smoky Mountain Conference opponent Swain County 67-34 on Friday night.
It was close in the opening quarter, with neither team claiming a large lead. Andrews added late points to lead 18-13 leading into the second quarter.
The Lady Cats pulled ahead in the second quarter. Less than a minute into the quarter, Swain called a timeout after Andrews put up quick points.
In the first three minutes, Andrew scored 11 points while holding Swain scoreless. Andrews added 23 points in the second quarter to take a 41-19 lead into halftime.
The Lady Cats continued to pull away in the third quarter as they held Swain to another single digit quarter. Andrews added another 16 points in the third quarter to lead 57-26 heading into the third quarter.
With a 31-point lead, the Lady Cats were knocking on the door of a running clock as they started the fourth quarter. The Wildcats did trigger the running clock in the fourth quarter, but that didn’t stop Swain from scoring.
It was a third straight quarter of double-digit points for Andrews and single-digit points for Swain. A 10-point quarter for the Lady Cats secured the win.
Three Lady Wildcats were in double digits, led by Knox Davis’ 29-point performance. Drea Cutshaw had 13 points and Marley Blackwell added 11.
Boys win 63-61
It was a four-quarter fight between the Wildcats and the Maroon Devils on Friday night. In a tight game from start to finish, the Wildcats prevailed 63-61 for an important conference win.
Both teams traded points in the first quarter, with neither team comfortably leading. They kept it close in the first quarter, with the Wildcats taking a 19-15 lead to the second quarter.
The Wildcats began to pull away in the second quarter, but Swain closed the gap late. Andrews held off Swain to lead 34-31 at halftime.
Gabe Clark hit a 3-pointer to get things started in the third quarter. Just under halfway through the quarter, Swain made it a two-point game before Andrews pulled ahead again.
Swain closed the gap again late in the quarter, and the Wildcats ended the third quarter leading 49-45. It was a tight game heading into the fourth quarter.
The Maroon Devils took their first lead of the game with 6:30 left in the fourth quarter. They exchanged leads throughout the final frame, with neither team leading by more than a couple points.
Andrews had a 59-57 lead with one minute remaining in the game. After being fouled on a 3-point shot attempt, Swain went to the foul line. They knocked down all three shots to take a 60-59 lead with 56 seconds left.
With 38 seconds left, the Cats got the lead back when senior Logan Shuler hit a corner 3-pointer to make it 62-60.
Both teams went to the foul line again and added one point each as Andrews led 63-61 in the final seconds.
With 10.8 seconds, Swain went to the free throw line and missed both shots. They got possession back, but failed to convert to tie or take the lead as the Wildcats played solid defense in the final seconds.
Gabe Clark led the Wildcats with 28 points, including at least one 3-pointer in each quarter.
Shuler also scored in double digits with 12 points, as well as Braylen Maennle with 11.
Up next
Andrews will host Blue Ridge Early College today in its final home game of the season. The girls will play at 6 p.m., with the boys right after.
On Thursday, the Wildcats will wrap up the regular season on the road against Cherokee. The girls will play at 6:30 p.m., with the boys right after.