A slow start, a furious comeback and a blowout victory in the span of little more than an hour helped Highlands end its regular season on a positive note Friday night against Blue Ridge.
The Highlanders cruised to a 71-41 victory over the Bobcats and finished the regular season 8-16 overall and 3-3 in the Little Smoky Mountain Conference. Highlands will be the number three seed in the conference tournament, which began on Tuesday night at HHS.
“It’s always good to end the regular season with a win and feel like you have a little momentum going into the tournament,” Highlands head coach Brett Lamb said. “It was a good night for our senior group. They’ve meant a lot to our team this year and we were able to send them out with a win on senior night.”
Blue Ridge got off to a strong start behind a pair of early 3-point baskets from Kaleb Fugate and Colton Taylor. The Bobcats held a 13-9 lead after the first quarter.
Highlands battled back and tied the game at 21-21 midway through the second period on a bucket by Logan Petrone.
That’s when the visitors went cold and Highlands pulled away. Blue Ridge was held without a field goal for the final three minutes of the first half as Highlands went into the locker room on a 14-1 run.
Things only got worse for the visitors after the intermission as Highlands held Blue Ridge without a field goal for an additional four minutes to start the second half. By the end of the third quarter Highlands led 60-29 and the game was on ice.
“The nice thing about tonight’s game was that we got contributions from every single guy, everyone did something to help us win,” Lamb said. “We are going to need everyone to be focused and ready to play in the tournament.”
Reid Carrier led Highlands with 21 points. Brent Sleight added 14 and Patrick Woods pitched in seven. The Highlanders had 10 players score in the game.
Taylor led Blue Ridge with 12 points and Fugate added 10.
Blue Ridge faced top-seeded Hiwassee Dam on Tuesday night in the opening round of the conference tournament. Highlands followed by taking on Nantahala. The championship game was scheduled for 8 p.m. on Wednesday. All conference tournament games are being played at Highlands School.
Highlands 59, Blue Ridge 52
Highlands used a big third quarter to get past Blue Ridge 59-52 to end the regular season on Friday night.
Highlands finished undefeated at 6-0 in Little Smoky Mountain Conference play (13-11 overall) and is the top seed in the conference tournament, which began on Tuesday.
Blue Ridge jumped out to a 20-16 lead in the first quarter as both teams came out of the gate firing on offense. Improved defense and foul trouble for both squads was the theme of the second quarter as Highlands climbed back within one point, 32-31, at the intermission.
Highlands pulled away in the third quarter thanks to continued hot shooting by guards Hayley Borino and Ezra Branham. The duo was able to knock down outside shots consistently after penetrating the Blue Ridge zone defense.
The Highlanders built a 49-39 lead after three quarters and maintained the advantage throughout the fourth.
Branham and Borino each finished with 16 points to lead the victors. Kedra McCall and Julia May Schmitt each added nine points and Jordan Carrier tallied seven.
Mahala Stewart led the Bobcats with 15 points. Charlotte Sherrill finished with 13 while Madeline Potts and Macy Heltsley each added seven.
Blue Ridge finished as the number two seed in the conference and took on third-seeded Hiwassee Dam on Tuesday. Highlands followed by matching up with Nantahala. The championship game was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Highlands School.