Summit Charter
Summit Charter’s varsity girls basketball team defeated its opponents by a combined 104 points during the week of Jan. 19.
In a Jan. 21 matchup against IC Imagine, the Lady Bears overwhelmed the Lady Kingfishers, earning a 61-14 victory. Freshman Bailey Robinson finished with 33 points and eight rebounds.
The varsity girls continued their stretch of dominance against Plateau rival Blue Ridge Early College with a 65-8 victory. For the second time this season, they held an opponent to fewer than 10 points. The Lady Bears improved to 11-7.
While the varsity boys were unable to replicate the girls’ success against IC Imagine, falling 68–37, they earned a crucial home victory over BREC on Friday, Jan. 23. Senior Chance Wilson showcased his three-point shooting, going 8-for-19 from beyond the arc to finish with 26 points. They moved to 5-10 on the season.
“It was a hard-fought defensive game, and it came down to a few key possessions in the late stretch,” said head coach Matthew Reynolds. “All in all, it was a great game and Blue Ridge fought tooth and nail.”
Highlands
The Lady Highlanders opened the week with a home matchup against Swain County, going on a late 28-13 run to secure a 53-35 victory. Jordyn Borino led the surge, scoring 22 of her game-high 31 points during the run. Hunter Conner added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
On Thursday, Jan. 22, Hiwassee Dam got the better of Highlands, winning 49-24 in a conference test. Hunter Conner led the Lady Highlanders with 10 points and added six rebounds
While the varsity boys were unable to secure a win during the week’s slate of games, they put up strong efforts against Swain County and Hiwassee Dam, falling just short in both.
Against the Eagles, the Highlanders went down 22-8 in the first quarter but stormed back to tie it with less than a minute remaining.
“Things just didn’t work out for us, losing in the last seconds 51-50,” said head coach Kaitlin Bishop. “The boys never quit, they gave their all but just fell short in the end.”
Paolo McRae finished with a team-high 20 points and Isiah Vilardo added 11. They dropped to 4-13.
Blue Ridge
Both Varsity teams played a full slate of games, earning confidence-building wins over Macon Early College on Jan. 22, but falling to Hiwassee Dam and Summit Charter.
Junior Brooklyn Kenney and freshman Analee Russell combined for 57 points against MEC. Kenney finished with 33 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Russell added 24 points, five rebounds and four assists. The Lady Bobcats won 69-41, tying their season-high single-game point total and improving to 3-12.
“I felt like our girls played a consistent game on offense and defense against Macon,” said head coach Tim Mayse. “ We were able to pressure them in different ways and that led to a lot of steals and points in transition. We were also playing without two of our starters, so our younger players had to step up–which they did.”
Ten different scorers helped the varsity boys secure a 61-26 win over MEC. Senior Even Pressley topped the scoring with 21 points, eight rebounds and three assists. They also improved to 3-12.
“We were able to apply pressure on the defensive side all game and that allowed us to get some easy baskets in transition,” said Mayse, who also serves as an assistant coach for the varsity boys. “The guys also did a great job attacking on offense and playing within our system when we were in our half court sets. I’m very proud of their efforts.”
- Mitch Stone
reporter@highlandsnews.com