Topton – The Andrews girls basketball team’s win over Nantahala on Jan. 16 was just what head coach Tim Wood thought his team needed.
After a 70-35 loss to Hiwassee Dam six days earlier, the Lady Cats couldn’t practice and then had a game against Franklin on Jan. 13 postponed because of snow. Despite a slightly sluggish start, Andrews was able to turn up the pressure on the Lady Hawks and cruise to a 53-26 win.
“It was good to have a game like this coming out of all that after a loss,” Wood said. “And not being able to practice.”
It took the Lady Wildcats (3-13 overall) a few minutes to settle in, but once they did, they broke the game wide open. Nantahala (0-11) freshman Delaney McLean hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter to give the Lady Hawks a 6-4 lead, and Andrews outscored them 37-2 during the rest of the first half. Nantahala only had six players dress with Summer McMahan out, and it showed as the half wore on.
The Lady Wildcats had nine players score in the first half alone, and Wood was able to play all 15 on his roster. Andrews tried to get every player to score, and though it came up short, Maddie Stiles scored her first varsity points on a jumper in the fourth quarter.
“They got to playing well enough where we got a big enough lead to where we could get some of the less-experienced girls in,” Wood said.
The Lady Wildcats struggled in their last two games in steps up in competition in losses to Highlands and Hayesville, though Wood sees his team making strides. Their 67-48 win over Blue Ridge on Jan. 5 was their first win over a Smoky Mountain team not named Nantahala since the 2018-19 season. However, Andrews is still a young and inexperienced team, and with that comes growing pains.
The Lady Wildcats are competitive at times in almost every game, and have gotten better hunting their own shot and breaking opponent’s full-court press. But there are still some not great moments, like when opponents trap or things start to snowball in a bad direction.
Wood still sees progress, especially in his team’s confidence and what he wants the program to look like going forward.
“Just overall the mental aspect for the girls, that’s getting better,” Wood said. “They’re starting to buy in. With that being said, it’s a work in progress.”