The Hayesville Yellow Jackets came to town on Tuesday night and managed to defeat the Highlands boys and girls varsity basketball teams on their own court.
The Lady Yellow Jackets bested the Lady Highlanders 36-28 and then the Yellow Jackets boys team won over the Highlanders in a close 47-45 matchup.
The girls’ game was light on scoring and saw the two teams crowding the net with stingy defense on both sides. By the third quarter the score was only in the teens for both teams. With the Lady Yellow Jackets up just two points 19-17 as the fourth and final quarter approached, it looked like either team’s game.
The Lady Highlanders managed to tie the game 19-19 with a few minutes left in the quarter, and pulled ahead briefly due to some free throws.
However, the fourth quarter saw a surge in energy from the Lady Yellow Jackets, who were able to build a comfortable lead, which they rode until the end of the game.
Coach Brett Lamb said the game had been troubled by both a slow pace and the other team simply having more manpower than Highlands.
“We made some runs when we could score and get in our press but those opportunities were few throughout the game. We need to play with more energy and rebound better on both ends. We have a couple of practices to try and figure it out,” he said.
Then in the boys’ game, things started off aggressive as the players went after the ball the split second it was put into play. The Highlanders were able to get an early lead with several two-point shots in quick succession, but the Yellow Jackets began notching scores too. The first quarter ended 13-12 with the Yellow Jackets getting a brief upper hand.
For most of the game, things stayed that way. The Highlanders were able to snatch the upper hand back in the second quarter – scoring one shot that landed on the knee of a fallen Yellow Jacket right beneath the net.
By the middle of the quarter, the Yellow Jackets tied the score 18-18, and then were able to surpass the Highlanders again.
Both teams remained neck-and-neck the whole time with copious scoring from both sides. The win was up for grabs for the remainder of the game. The Yellow Jackets were able to pull ahead in the fourth quarter, getting to 47 points against the Highlanders’ 41. There were only a few minutes left in the game, and the Highlanders scored again to get the score to 47-43.
Then with just under a minute left, amid several free throw attempts and referee penalties for both teams, the Highlanders got another ball in to get the score to 47-45.
But despite some hard and fast plays and numerous last-ditch shot attempts, the clock ran out and handed the Yellow Jackets the win.