Highlanders split games with Towns County in season opener Friday night
Photo by Christopher Lugo/Staff Beatrice Bryson reaches for the ball against Towns County.
Basketball season is now in full swing as the Highlands School varsity basketball teams opened the season splitting with Towns County on Friday night.
Varsity Girls:
Highlands – 52
Towns County – 27
The Lady Highlanders got things rolling in the first period, going up 5-0 with baskets from Ezra Branham, Julia Schmitt.
With 3:25 left in the first period, Towns County got on the board with a layup to cut the lead 5-2.
Hayley Borino answered with a floater to put the Lady Highlanders up 7-0, followed by a free throw from Beatrice Bryson.
With 34 seconds left in the first period, Towns County hit a shot to end the period 8-4.
Lilly Kate Bryson opened the second period for the Lady Highlanders followed by Beatrice Bryson to increase the lead 12-4.
Towns County answered, but Beatrice Bryson had a steal and layup to make it 14-6.
Bella Branham connected with Bella Wilson for a layup and Beatrice Bryson had a layup to increase the lead 18-6.
The rest of the second period was all Lady Highlanders with baskets from Hayley Borino and Reese Schmitt to end the half up by 20 at 26-6.
Towns County opened the second half, but Julia Schmitt answered for the Lady Highlanders to make it 28-8.
Hayley Borino was then fouled and knocked down a free throw to increase the Lady Highlander lead 29-8, but Towns
County answered with a three pointer to cut the lead 29-11.
With 5:25 left in the third period, Ava Schmitt hit a jumper to make it 31-11.
Hayley Borino went on a hot streak, hitting a layup and knocking down a three pointer to increase the Lady Highlander lead 36-11.
With 3:31 left in the third period, Towns County hit a layup, but Riley Conner answered to make it 38-17. Bella Branham then hit a floater to make it 40-17, before Towns County hit a layup to end the third period, 40-19.
Towns County opened the fourth quarter with a three pointer, cutting the lead to 40-22.
After Hayley Borino was fouled, Julia Schmitt had an and-one and increased the lead to 43-22.
Another steal and layup by Beatrice Bryson caused Towns County to call a timeout.
After the timeout, Towns County hit a three pointer to cut the lead 45-25, but Reese Schmitt answered with a floater to make it 47-25. Towns County came right back with a layup to make it 47-25.
With 22 seconds left in the game, Lilly Kate Bryson hit a layup followed by Bella Branham hitting a shot at the buzzer to end the game 52-27.
“I think we played good and bad,” HHS head coach Brett Lamb said. “Our defense was really good at times. Especially early, we were able to get a good lead in the beginning. We aren’t in great shape yet, which caused some lapses a little bit on defense, but I thought all in all, we were ok. I think if we make the easy shots we were given then it would have been a little different, but we’ll take it.”
Lamb said the theme for this season is all about being up tempo.
“If we can get and make easy shots off of our presses and traps, we’ll be good,” Lamb said. “We’ve got a lot of depth. I think once we get everybody well and on the same page, we’ll be in good shape.”
The next home game for the Lady Highlanders will be Friday, Dec. 3, against Cherokee.
“Basketball is here, and it feels good,” Lamb said. “With everybody here and not having to wear masks, it’s been fun. It makes you feel like everything is back to normal. It’s very enjoyable.”
Varsity Boys:
Highlands – 22
Towns County – 37
The Highlands School varsity boys basketball team fell to Towns County in its season opener on Friday night 37-22.
Towns County opened the first period, going on a 10-point streak.
With 1:33 left in the first period, The Highlanders got on the board with a free throw from Lawson Shuler.
Kasen Mitchell hit a jumper with 13 seconds left in the first period to cut the lead 12-3.
The second period for the Highlanders was all about defense, with only four points scored between both teams.
Kaden Mitchell hit the lone layup opening the second period, to make it 12-5. Towns County scored two free throws to end the half 14-5.
Towns County opened the third period scoring eight, before Kasen Mitchell scored a layup with 2:42 left in the period, making it 22-7.
After two free throws from the Highlanders, Kasen Mitchell hit a three pointer with 40 seconds left in the third to cut the lead 25-12.
TCHS opened the fourth period, but Kasen Mitchell answered, making it 27-14.
With 3:30 left in the game, Harrison Gates had a layup, but Towns County answered to make it 33-18.
Kaden Mitchell hit a jumper with 2:05 left in the game to make it 33-20, but TCHS answered with a three pointer to increase their lead 36-20.
Two free throws by Kasen Mitchell ended the Highlanders scoring effort at 37-22.
“We played hard,” HHS head coach Kaitlin Bishop said. “We couldn’t seem to buy a basket, especially in the first half. We were getting pretty decent looks, we just couldn’t get it in the hole. We held a team to 14 points in the first half, which is great, defensively. Offensively, I felt like we couldn’t get a whole lot going.”
Bishop said the theme for this season is patience.
“We know that we aren’t going to be a high scoring team,” Bishop said. “We want to be patient with the ball. At times we lose our composure a bit and throw the ball around, but we want to push the ball as much as possible and we want our defense to pay off for us. We want to win ball games by defense.”
This is the first year the Highlanders have Bishop as head coach.
“This is a new experience for me and I’m excited,” Bishop said. “We are all getting adjusted, but we are all excited. We’ve got a good group. They play hard, and as a coach, that is all you can ask for.”
Kasen Mitchell led the scoring effort for the Highlanders with nine points.
The next home game for HHS will be against Cherokee on Friday, Dec. 3.
- By Christopher Lugo