Nantahala – The Hawks celebrated homecoming, and a win for the boys, as they took down Blue Ridge Early College.
Nantahala hosted the Bobcats on Jan. 29, with the boys earning a win and the girls falling in two close games.
Before the game, it was announced that guard Cole McCoy broke the Hawks’ all-time scoring record. He surpassed the previous record of 1,565 career points held by Morris Bateman since 1961.
Boys win 62-58
The Hawks battled against the Blue Ridge Early College Bobcats and came out with a 62-58 victory.
Both teams fought hard in the first quarter with Nantahala leading 12-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Hawks began to pull away with a 16-point second quarter to lead 28-16 at halftime.
They extended their lead coming out of the half. The Hawks led 40-26 with just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Bobcats added points late and the Hawks led 42-31 heading into the final period.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, the Bobcats cut the Hawks lead to just six points. Inside the final minute, the Bobcats cut the lead to only two points.
The Bobcats then began to foul to stop the clock, but they had five team fouls and sent the Hawks to the free throw line. Late free throws extended the Hawks lead and they held on to win.
Sam Bateman led the Hawks with 24 points, while Landon Neal added 14.
Girls fall 59-43
The Lady Hawks fought hard but fell to the Lady Bobcats 59-43. The game was close in the first three quarters, but the Lady Bobcats pulled away in the fourth quarter for the win.
Zoey Passmore opened the game with a 3-pointer to give the Lady Hawks an early lead. They maintained the lead and were ahead 18-15 after the first quarter.
The Lady Bobcats tied the game at 23 with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter. That’s where the score remained at halftime.
The Hawks lost the lead, but they were still in the game as they trailed 39-34 after the third quarter. The Lady Bobcats pulled away in the final frame and went on to win.
Passmore led the Lady Hawks with 19 points. Delaney McLean had 13 points. Summer McMahan, the 2025-26 Nantahala homecoming queen, scored seven points.
Up next
The Hawks will be back in action Saturday, when they host Robbinsville. The girls will play at 6 p.m., followed by the boys right after.
They will play their final non-conference game when they travel to Rosman on Tuesday. The girls will play at 6 p.m., followed by the boys.