It was a tough week with mixed results for the Andrews varsity basketball teams. They started the week by falling to Cherokee, then the boys defeated Tuscola at home. They closed out the week by the Lady Wildcats defeating Robbinsville, but the boys lost to the Knights.
Boys varsity
The Wildcats started their week with a four-quarter fight against Cherokee on Jan. 28 at home.
This was their second meeting with Smoky Mountain Conference foes and also their second loss to them this season. This time it was closer.
Andrews pulled ahead early to take a nine-point lead to the second quarter. Cherokee then shut down the Wildcats in the second quarter to outscore them 19-5 heading into halftime.
Cherokee then extended their lead coming out of halftime. The Braves led 54-43 heading into the fourth period. Despite dropping 20 points and outscoring the Braves, the Wildcats fell 65-63 to Cherokee.
Kegan Ellis led the team with 25 points. Ty Clark had 20 points. Gabe Clark was also in double digits with 10 points against Cherokee.
The loss snapped a five-game win streak the Wildcats had been riding and was also their second loss of 2025.
The next day, the Cats hosted Tuscola for their final non-conference game of the season. The Wildcats scored quick and often en route to a 80-44 win on Jan. 29.
Andrews got out to a commanding lead early over the Mountaineers. They led 11-4 just halfway through the first quarter. The Cats added on eight more points to lead 19-9 at the end of the first.
In the second quarter, they continued to score at will and tacked on 17 more points to lead 36-22 at halftime.
Coming out of the half, Tuscola was still in striking distance, but the Cats had other ideas and pulled away with the lead almost immediately in the third quarter.
The Cats scored 14 points in the third quarter while Tuscola scored nine to give Andrews a 19 point lead.
Things got chippy in the third quarter as frustration rose from Tuscola. Andrews’ Keegan Ellis hit a free throw to get the Cats to the 60-point mark in the game. Ellis was steamrolled by a Tuscola player—which could have been a technical foul—leading to the trip to the free throw line.
Only minutes later, Ellis was again blatantly fouled in what could have been another technical foul on Tuscola. This time, both Andrews and Tuscola fans and parents voiced their frustration at the Tuscola player for the obvious and aggressive foul.
With 2:24 left in the fourth quarter, a Tuscola player went down with a cramp and the referee did not immediately stop play. Once play had stopped for the hurt player, Tuscola’s coach walked over and gave the referee and earful about how he should have immediately stopped the game. This resulted in a technical foul for Tuscola’s coach.
When all was said and done, the Wildcats dropped 30 points in the fourth quarter to win the game 80-44.
This season, the Wildcats went 11-3 in non-conference competition, suffering losses only to Franklin twice and Smoky Mountain.
On Friday, the Wildcats closed out their week with a trip to Robbinsville for their second SMC game of the week.
The Cats fell to their conference foe 56-46. The teams were level at 18 points each after the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Cats took a two-point advantage to lead heading into halftime.
Coming out of the half, Robbinsville exploded for 19 points in the third quarter to take a big lead. After both teams scored seven points each in the fourth quarter, the Black Knights won 56-46.
Lady Wildcats
The girls varsity team started their week facing a tough opponent, the Cherokee Lady Braves.
The Lady Braves took an early lead and didn’t look back en route to winning the game 90-17.
The Lady Wildcats did not play Tuscola as the boys varsity squad did on Jan. 29. On Monday, Jan. 27, Tuscola reported that an illness was going around their team and canceled the game . Despite the illness, the Tuscola girls team was in action on Jan. 28 against North Henderson.
On Friday, the Lady Wildcats righted the ship by defeating conference opponents Robbinsville 53-48. This was their second time this season defeating the Lady Black Knights to pick up a SMC win.
The team were all level at 10 point apiece at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Robbinsville pulled ahead for a two-point lead.
Coming out of the half, Robbinsville slightly extended their lead, but the Lady Wildcats were only three points behind. In the fourth quarter, the Lady Cats exploded to come back and win the game after they dropped 21 points in the final frame.
Kylie Donaldson led the team with 23 points against Robbinsville. Knox Davis had 15 points and Drea Cutshaw had 11 points. Alexis Beasley had seven rebounds, which led the team. Cutshaw also led the team in assists with four.
Up Next
On Friday, the Wildcats will host Hayesville with the girls playing at 6:30 p.m. and the boys will play at 8 p.m.
On Tuesday, they will host Swain County for Senior Night and their last regular season home game. The girls will play at 6:30 p.m. and the boys will play at 8 p.m.