Hiwassee Dam – For the second straight year, the Hiwassee Dam boys basketball team was in a similar position in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A playoffs. The Eagles had once again run through the Little Smoky Mountain Conference undefeated, setting up a first-round playoff game against Big SMC foe Swain County.
And just like Robbinsville did last year, the No. 22 seed Maroon Devils handed No. 11 Hiwassee Dam a 71-62 loss to end their season. Preston Hyde had 22 points to lead the Eagles (14-13) and finish his career with 1,031 career points, while Clay Davis and Jonah Hamby also finished in double figures with 17 and 10, respectively.
Aiden Southards had a game-high 23 points to lead Swain County (13-13), while Nathan Bogdanowicz and Joshua Collins each chipped in 11. The Maroon Devils would fall 51-49 to No. 6 and Big SMC champion Robbinsville (23-5) in the second round two days later.
Unlike the first matchup on Dec. 2 in which Swain County built a big first-half lead and fought off a late Hiwassee Dam rally, this was more of a back-and-forth contest. It was a quiet start on both sides, as the Eagles led 15-11 after the first quarter, then 36-33 at halftime. But Swain County pulled ahead 55-52 after three quarters and held off Hiwassee Dam late to advance.
The Eagles were able to complete their goal of winning the Little SMC again this winter, winning the conference for a fourth straight year. They’ve won 19 games against conference competition, though no other team from the conference has reached the state playoffs during that run.
The game was also the final one for four seniors, including starters Hyde and Tate Raper and bench player Tanner Taylor. Hyde averaged a team-high 19.6 points per game, while Raper filled the role as a defensive stopper and Taylor could bring a boost as the sixth man. While those three will be tough to replace, the Eagles will have three good seniors to build around next season in point guard Leo Hickson along with forwards Davis and Hamby.