Hiwassee Dam – The boys and girls varsity basketball teams in Hiwassee Dam had a victorious week as the Eagles defeated Highlands, then went on to defeat Nantahala and Summit Charter to celebrate Senior Night.
With the boys win over Nantahala, they clinched the No. 1 seed heading into next week’s Little Smoky Mountain Conference basketball tournament.
Boys varsity
The Eagles took on conference opponent Nantahala on Friday, facing off for the second time in just over a week. The Eagles got the best of the Hawks last time they played, and this time Hiwassee Dam did the same.
After fending off a potential second quarter comeback, the Eagles soared to victory over Nantahala to clinch to top seed in the Little Smoky Mountain ahead of next week’s conference tournament.
The win was capped off when junior Darius Pope, known as “D-Pope,” dropped two straight 3-pointers to seal the deal for the Eagles. The Hiwassee Dam bench and fans went wild when he drained the first 3, then they went even crazier when he did it again seconds later.
From the beginning, the game was intense and fast paced, with each team aiming for early points. The Eagles did just that and took a 22-10 lead after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Nantahala outscored the Eagles 12-9 and brought the game within nine points after they went on a run. The Eagles called a timeout after struggling to score in the second quarter, when Nantahala appeared as if the Hawks were going to make a full comeback.
Coming out of halftime, the Eagles doubled down on stopping that, only allowing Nantahala to score three points as they added 24 to their total to take control of the game. All of Nantahala’s points in the third quarter came on a Jameson Grchan 3-pointer.
Just over halfway through the third, Nantahala’s leading scorer, Cole McCoy, was charged with his fifth foul of the game and fouled out.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Eagles led 57-25. With In the final minutes, the Eagles got a 40-point lead, and the rest of the game was played with a running clock.
They began sitting their starters in the final minutes. As the seniors walked off the court, they received a loud applause.
In the final minute, Pope entered the game. With just under one minute left, he took a high-arching shot and drained it for the first points in his high school career. Seconds later, from the same spot at the top of the three-point line, he did it again for his second nothing-but-net 3-pointer of the night.
Almost every Eagles player scored Friday night. The Eagles were led by Jonah Dockery with 17 points, while Aidan Bennett was also in double digits with 14 points.
All of the seniors had at least two points on Senior Night. The seniors on the boys varsity team are Luke Harbin, Jack Raper, Braiden Ledford and Isaiah Crisp.
“Anytime you get to win on Senior Night and your seniors play well, that’s just icing on the cake,” head coach Mark Raper said.
Raper added that the Eagles completed their first goal of securing the top seed heading into the conference tournament.
The Eagles kicked off their week on Feb. 4 by defeating Highlands for the second time this season. In a matchup of Little Smoky Mountain Conference opponents, the Eagles came out on top with a huge second half, leading them to victory.
Highlands took an early 12-8 lead, then followed it up by maintaining the lead in the second quarter to lead 21-15 at halftime. However, the Eagles came back with a huge second half.
In the third quarter, Hiwassee Dam dropped 20 points to claim the lead after only allowing Highlands to score eight points. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Eagles led 35-29.
The Eagles continued to build off of their momentum with 21 more points in the fourth quarter to cap off their 56-45 win over Highlands to remain undefeated in LSMC games. This also their fourth straight win. The Eagles also improved to 10-9, which is the first time they’ve had a winning record since Jan. 14.
Bennett led the Eagles with 27 points, 25 coming in the second half. Dockery was also in double digits with 14 points, while Harbin was their third-highest scorer with seven.
Lady Eagles
After suffering a 48-43 loss to Highlands on Dec. 13, the Lady Eagles got revenge by defeating the Lady Highlanders on Feb. 4.
The Lady Eagles took an early lead and didn’t look back as they conquered Highlands at home 55-32. It was close in the first half, but a huge third quarter elevated the Lady Eagles to victory.
They got out to a 10-9 lead in the first quarter led by four points from Olivia McNabb. In the second quarter, they continued to build on their lead with 14 more points to lead 24-19 at halftime. Brinkley Payne had a big second quarter with nine points.
The Lady Eagles soared in the third quarter with 17 points and only allowed Highlands to score one point. Payne had another big quarter with eight more points in the third.
Highlands attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Eagles were too far ahead and maintained their lead to secure the win. Brooklyn Hyde led the team in the fourth quarter with six points, including the Lady Eagles’ only 3-pointer of the night.
Payne led the team in points with 21, going a perfect 3/3 on free throws. Olivia McNabb had 17 points and was 5/6 from the free throw line. Hyde was also in double digits with 11 points.
It was a much-needed win for the Lady Eagles, who are tied in the LSMC with Highlands for the top spot prior to the upcoming conference tournament.
The Eagles closed out their week by hosting Summit Charter. They played Summit Charter as the boys hosted Nantahala because Nantahala does not have a girls basketball team.
The Lady Eagles cruised to victory Friday night with a 59-22 win.
Payne started the scoring before Summit hit a 3-pointer to take a short-lived lead. The Lady Eagles then scored eight unanswered points before Summit called a timeout with four minutes left in the first quarter.
The Lady Eagles headed into the second quarter leading 19-8 and extended their lead with 10 points. They only allowed Summit to score three points in the second as they led 29-11 at halftime.
They came out of the half and had a huge third quarter. The Lady Eagles added 18 points led by Hyde, who scored eight points in the third.
The Lady Eagles closed out the game with 12 more points in the fourth quarter to win 59-22.
Payne led the team with 21 points, while Hyde was also in double digits with 15 points. Senior Olivia McNabb had nine points and Avery McNabb scored seven. Avery McNabb led the team in free throws, going 7/8 from the free throw line.
Lady Eagles seniors Olivia McNabb, Bella Stiles and Sky Taylor were honored before the game Friday night.
Up next
The Eagles will conclude their regular season Friday by hosting Polk County, Tenn. The girls varsity will start at 6 p.m., while the boys will play at 7:30 p.m. in the regular-season finale.
They will then travel to Highlands next week for the Little Smoky Mountain tournament, where a conference champion will be crowned. The Eagles will look to repeat at LSMC champions.