Varsity Boys
On Friday, Feb. 13, Blue Ridge Early College battled Summit Charter to earn a place in the conference tournament semi-finals. The Bobcats secured a closely-contested 40-38 victory on the back of a 15-point performance from Evan Pressley.
The semi-finals of the Little Smoky Mountains Conference basketball tournament at Hiwassee Dam High School tipped off on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Highlands defeated Nantahala, 58-56, in the first semifinal. In a back-and-forth game tied at 27 at halftime, the Highlanders outscored the Hawks 16-13 in the fourth quarter. Highlands inbounded the ball with 21 seconds remaining. In a well-executed offensive set in which all five Highlanders touched the ball, Chase Kenter made the go-ahead, contested layup with eight seconds left to secure the win for Highlands. Cole McCoy led all scorers with 20 points for Nantahala, while Isaiah Vilardo paced Highlands with 16 points.
Blue Ridge suffered a 72-32 defeat against Hiwassee Dam in the second semi-final. The Eagles advance to the championship game to face Highlands on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Hiwassee Dam.
Varsity Girls
In the play-in game Friday, Feb. 13, Blue Ridge defeated Nantahala 49-35 to advance to the semi-finals of the conference tournament. Coming off her 1000th point against Andrews, Brooklyn Kenney posted a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
“Our win versus Nantahala took a total team effort. We were able to get a lead early and maintain that lead the entire game,” said Head Coach Tim Mayse. “I’m very proud of our win, especially in a tournament setting and having played 6 games in 8 days.”
The first semi-final was a low-scoring affair, with Highlands and Summit tying 8-8 at the half. The Lady Bears took control in the second half, securing the 32-17 win. Bailey Robinson from Summit led all scorers with 14 points, while Taylor Hays led Highlands with 6 points.
To cap off the evening, Hiwassee Dam downed Blue Ridge 66-29. Brooklyn Kenny finished with 13 points for the Lady Bobcats. McKenzie Woods added 10.
The Lady Eagles will battle the Lady Bears for the LSMC title on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 6:00 p.m. at Hiwassee Dam.
Junior Varsity
Highlands JV basketball defeated Hiwassee Dam 41-34 to win the conference tournament on Monday, Feb. 16.
- Mitch Stone
reporter@highlandsnews.com