Bryson City – Hiwassee Dam’s basketball teams participated in the round-robin Swain County Christmas Tournament last week, with the Lady Eagles coming away 2-1 but the boys not able to find their way to victory.
Olivia McNabb led the Lady Eagles to their first win, over Madison County’s Lady Patriots, shooting 60 percent from the floor for 22 points to give Hiwassee Dam a 47-41 victory. The Lady Eagles jumped out to an early 13-7 win and never looked back, leading 23-13 at the half.
Madison tried clawing back into the game in the second half, but McNabb saved most of her output until then, scoring 11 points from the floor and added four free throws to slam the door shut. Katie McNabb also scored in double figures for the Eagles with 11.
The Lady Eagles dropped their second game to Mitchell (4-5) 64-49. Hiwassee Dam jumped out to a 20-18 first-quarter lead but were outscored by the Lady Mountaineers 32-11 afterward.
Mitchell led at the half 31-26, but the Lady Eagles fought back to within one, as Mitchell led 45-44 going into the final period. However, the Lady Eagles went 0-10 from the field and could only manage five points off of free throws in the final stanza.
Meanwhile, Mitchell poured in 19 points in the final quarter to hand the Lady Eagles only their second loss of the season. Olivia McNabb led all scorers with 27 points, while Brooklyn Hyde had 13 for the Lady Eagles.
The Lady Eagles took little time to take care of their third opponent, Shining Rock, a private school out of Waynesville. Hiwassee Dam emptied the bench as everybody got some playing time.
Nine Lady Eagles put up points, with Olivia McNabb the only player in double figures with 12. The Eagles built a 29-13 lead at the half and went on to win 52-25.
Hiwassee Dam’s boys team found the going tough in their first game against Madison, which came out of the gate fast, taking a 13-5 first-quarter lead, and the Eagles could never catch up. The Eagles were outscored in every quarter except the last, when Madison started rested their starters. Clay Davis led all Eagles with 16 points, while Jonah Hamby scored 13 and Kyle Taylor added 11.
The Eagles’ second game found the boys facing even a tougher opponent, the Mitchell Mountaineers (4-5). Mitchell took little time jumping out to a 58-20 halftimes lead and cruising to an 86-57 win.
One bright spot for the Eagles was they had three players in double figures – Jonah Hamby with 16, Clay Davis with 15 and Kyle Taylor with 10. The primary problem was the Eagles couldn’t slow down Mitchell’s potent offense.
Jonah Hamby went off for the Eagles against North Buncombe (7-5) with 28 points, scoring 24 from the field. But North Buncombe’s leading scorer, Cole Edwards, had 29 points, and the Blackhawks downed the Eagles 95-66. Kyle Taylor (17) and Braden Ledford (10) were also in double figures for the Eagles.
Both Hiwassee Dam teams will travel to Murphy to take on the Bulldogs on Thursday. Games start about 5 p.m.