Hiwassee Dam – When Hiwassee Dam and Robbinsville boys basketball met on Feb. 9, the Eagles led in the first half before going cold and allowing the Black Knights to pull away for a 63-51 win.
When the two teams met again in the first round of the state playoffs on Feb. 22, it was a different type of game but a similar result. In what was a close game the whole way, Robbinsville came out on top, 61-53.
The Black Knights (13-12 overall) led 30-29 at halftime, but Hiwassee Dam (13-9 overall) battled back to lead 44-41 in the fourth quarter. From there, Robbinsville closed out a win, taking care of business at the free throw line to end the Eagles’ season.
Despite the disappointing loss, it was a memorable season for Hiwassee Dam. The Eagles won their third straight Little Smoky Mountain Conference regular season championship and won the conference tournament for the first time since 2018. They also went undefeated against conference foes for the first time since 2014-15.
If that wasn’t enough, Hiwassee Dam also made it to the finals of the Maroon Devil Christmas Classic in Swain County and went a combined 3-1 against county rivals Andrews and Murphy. The two wins against the Bulldogs were especially memorable.
In the first matchup on Dec. 10, the Eagles held off a late Murphy charge to win 70-69 at home. Then in the rematch at Murphy, Hiwassee Dam trailed by 23 points late in the third quarter before besting the Bulldogs 85-83 in a double-overtime thriller.
The Eagles will graduate five seniors, notably conference Player of the Year Sam Bradford, glue guy Kolby Stiles, plus bench scorers Seth Hooper and Jonathan Raper. Those four will be tough to replace, though junior Preston Hyde will be a threat on the perimeter again next year and is poised to take on an even bigger role in the offense.
Add in a few junior varsity players from a team that finished third in the Big Smoky Mountain Conference this season, and Hiwassee Dam could have another good team when the season starts up again in November.