Hiwassee Dam – Against a Lady Bobcats’ team that likes to play fast, Hiwassee Dam head coach David Payne thought his Lady Eagles could play at that pace for longer than the opponent.
Blue Ridge did get off to a hot start but, eventually, Payne was right. Once Hiwassee Dam got going, the Lady Bobcats did not provide much resistance, allowing the Lady Eagles to cruise to an 87-69 win Thursday.
“We felt like the tempo would be in our favor as long as we make good decisions,” Payne said. “Sometimes we get going so fast that we make bad decisions. We like to get up-tempo if we can, and felt like we can withstand that tempo under control for a longer period than they could.”
Blue Ridge senior Mahalah Stewart is a known quantity as a shooter and three-level scorer throughout the Big and Little Smoky Mountain Conference, though it was her teammates hitting shots early. Both Mercedes McLaughlin and Vanessa Russell were hitting shots as the Lady Bobcats jumped out to a 21-14 lead in the first quarter. Stewart ended up finishing with 24 points, but McLaughlin had 25 and Russell had 14.
However, Blue Ridge couldn’t keep Hiwassee Dam (13-11, 4-2 Little Smoky Mountain Conference) off the board, and the Lady Eagles closed the quarter on a 10-2 run to take the lead. The Lady Eagles pushed the tempo throughout, with Kiera Taylor taking advantage of fast-break opportunities on her way to a game-high 27 points. Olivia McNabb added 23, while her cousin Katie McNabb also finished in double figures with 12.
As the Lady Bobcats (7-15, 2-4) shot stopped falling, they let it affect their defense. After Russell hit a three to cut Hiwassee Dam’s lead to 34-31 with 2:33 left in the second quarter, the Lady Eagles closed the quarter on a 13-0 run to open up a 47-31 halftime lead.
“Our offense picked up,” Payne said. “We started to be able to score in some different aspects, instead of just isolating to one possession at a time.”
Blue Ridge never got close again, and Hiwassee Dam led by as many as 31 before Payne emptied the bench in the final few minutes. After two tough losses against Robbinsville and another against Highlands, wins over Nantahala and the Lady Bobcats give the Lady Eagles some momentum heading into the conference tournament.
They played Blue Ridge again after press time Tuesday in the semifinals. Payne hoped his team came out with the same effort they did to close out the regular season.
“Don’t take them for granted,” Payne said. “They got an exceptional shooter, and we have to respect her and go in there and play our basketball.”