A furious comeback effort fell just short as Highlands’ varsity boys basketball team fell to visiting Hiwassee Dam 52-46 on Friday night.
The Little Smoky Mountain Conference clash was tight early on as Highlands used a patient half court offense to set up several buckets in the paint.
Hiwassee Dam countered with a similar game plan and consistently worked the ball inside to center Sam Bradford, who made a layup in the final minute of the quarter to put the Eagles ahead 12-10.
Cold shooting plagued Highlands in the second quarter and the Eagles extended their lead to as many as a dozen points. At halftime Hiwasee Dam carried a 24-13 advantage.
Highlands ignited a comeback late in the third quarter.
Trailing by 14, the Highlanders picked up the pace with a hectic full-court press. Rotating in fresh 10 players, head coach Brett Lamb was able to design traps for the Hiwassee guards and the strategy paid off with several fourth-quarter takeaways.
“We like to press and ramp up the tempo of games,” Lamb said. “We are getting more experience with each practice and game. I hope that with more experience and getting in better shape we will be able to press a lot more.”
Highlands cut the deficit to one point at 40-39 with three minutes to play, but a big basket from Bradford and a jumper from Jacob Dockery ensured the win for the visitors.
Bradford finished with a game-high 18 points. He was the only Hiwassee Dam player in double figures.
Reid Carrier and Connor Briggs paced Highlands with 10 point each. Bill Miller added nine and Brent Sleight chipped in seven.
“Connor gave us some really good minutes off the bench, and he gave us the energy that we needed to make a comeback,” Lamb said. “I felt we got it close and let up on a few possessions late, and they were able to capitalize on our mistakes and pull out the win.”
Highlands (1-4 overall, 0-1 conference) will travel to Tallulah Falls on Friday night.
Lady Highlanders win in final seconds
Highlands’ varsity girls basketball team pulled out a come-from-behind 54-48 win over Hiwassee Dam on Friday night.
The Lady Highlanders trailed for a majority of the contest but a 3-pointer from Bella Branham pushed the home team ahead 48-47 with just 48 seconds remaining in the game.
After a miss by Hiwassee Dam, Hayley Borino drew a foul and calmly sank both free throws to extend the lead to 50-47. The Eagles answered when Chloe Roe sank one of two free throws.
Highlands iced the game on a bucket by Julia May Schmitt, which made the score 52-48 with eight seconds to play. Jordan Carrier added two free throws with two seconds on the clock to round out the scoring.
Carrier led the Lady Highlanders with 19 points. Borino added 12 and Kedra McCall notched nine.
Roe led the visitors with 13 points and Katie Gibson added 11.
Highlands (3-2 overall, 1-0 conference) will be back in action on Friday at Tallulah Falls.