Repetition is key

Sylva – It takes a lot of chips falling into place for any basketball player to record a triple-double.

For such a polished, versatile athlete like Kensley Phillips, everything clicked from the opening tip of Dec. 29’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Invitational finale for Robbinsville.

The Lady Knights pulled away from a slim 16-13 lead at the end of the opening quarter by matching their point total in the second, allowing Robbinsville (8-2, 3-1) to knock off the 2A Lady Devils, 63-35.

And it would be difficult to attribute a combined 12-point effort for Brevard across the second and third segments to anything more than Phillips’ hustle. A 5-foot-7-inch guard, it was not uncommon for the Graham County native to drop 20-plus in any given game, while Robbinsville Middle School amassed a 46-game winning streak.

Once she reached the high-school ranks, the point total might have slightly declined, but she developed into one of the most quick, well-rounded defenders in the Smoky Mountain Conference. In fact, if the division named a Defensive Player of the Year for basketball, Phillips arguably would have three plaques adorning her wall – and room for a fourth.

Now in her Robbinsville swan song, the extra hours spent in the gym are paying off. In Dec. 29’s win over Brevard (3-9), her final stat line read 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

The breakdown illustrates a player that sprints up-and-down the floor without an ounce of selfishness – instead focused on her team’s success.

“I have been working on getting my stats evened out for a very long time,” Phillips said of her triple-double, which is an achievement she has almost reached in several varsity games. “To me, it is very important not to just score points, but to have other abilities to be an asset to the team when the shots do not fall.

“Rebounding has always been a challenge – due to my height – but I have worked hard to get better.”

Many of those before-school or after-practice sessions included the presence of assistant coach Eddie Howell. A well-versed member of the staff, Howell is always open to any discussion involving Phillips – and his remarks do nothing but exalt her talents.

“I was impressed with Kensley’s effort the first time I saw her play basketball – something like 4th or 5th grade – and I told Kadey (Phillips, Kensley’s older sister) I would like to work with her,” Howell told The Graham Star. “The first workout we did was a defensive footwork drill in the Old Rock Gym with Desta (Trammell), and I had no idea at the time that our workouts would evolve into something that has lasted until now – her senior year.

“In her middle-school years, we focused more and more on her shooting, and she did hit five, 3’s in one-half of a game at Andrews. Since she has been in high school, her role on the team – until this year – has been on defense, always matched up with whoever the other team’s best player was; be it a post player or point guard, shooting guard or power forward. This year, she is stepping more into the role of scorer, although she is most likely one of the best – maybe the best defender – in Western North Carolina.

“Kensley is genuinely a great kid; respectful, hardworking in everything she does, including academics.”

The admiration and respect is mutual.

“It means a whole lot to me to get this triple-double, because I have been working with Coach Howell on rebounding, my shots, and driving in and kicking the ball out to others – almost every single day,” Phillips explained. “He has really helped me and it feels even better to get this for him, and the effort he has put in to teach me how to get better.

“I am so glad I finally was able to get a triple-double and show that I have more than one way to contribute to our team.”

Also in the victory, Phillips’ classmate Trammell continued her historic senior campaign with another 25-point effort. Aubrie Wachacha posted 13 in-the-paint, while Suri Watty tacked on five.

Other Robbinsville players to score were Liz Carpenter and Fala Welch, 4 each.

Divisional return

Hayesville – Lucas Ford earned his 100th career win as head coach of the Lady Knights on Tuesday, as Robbinsville dominated from the opening tip in its 2023 debut: a 54-26 win at Hayesville.

Ford is now 100-36 during his stint as Robbinsville’s coach, which began with the 2017-18 season.

Trammell ran her cumulative-point total to 1,454, posting 26 on the Lady Jackets. Watty hit four from outside to record 12, with Phillips adding seven. Rounding out the scorebook was Wachacha, 5; and Abby Wehr, 4.

Junior varsity

Robbinsville (2-2) also returned its junior-varsity squad to the floor Tuesday.

A 10-0 shutout in the first quarter gave the visitors all the swagger needed to piece together a 39-18 win over Hayesville.

The Lady Knights were led by a 10-point effort from Wehr.

Tacking on to the win were Olivia Lewis and Anna Williams, 6 each; Kiara Swartz and Anna York, 4 each; Maleah Cox, 3; Kadence Howell, Kiniah Teesateskie and Helen Ward, 2 each.

Friday’s road games at Cocke County, Tenn. – as well as Tuesday’s varsity-only, home tilt against Blue Ridge School – will be broadcast on grahamstarsports.com.