Black Knights getting stronger on-the-court
Andrews – Take one look at Robbinsville’s win/loss record and on paper, it looks like a night off for opponents.
But how foolish it would be to take the Black Knights (1-11, 0-6) lightly, as the group is clicking and becoming a dangerous foe as the second-half of the season dawns.
Riding a wave of momentum after getting its first win of the season at Nantahala on Jan. 15, Robbinsville ventured across the county line for a showdown at Andrews (13-1, 6-1) on Friday. The Wildcats ran into more trouble than they bargained for and only pulled ahead for a 56-54 victory with some clutch shots in the closing minutes of the tussle.
“We left it all on the floor; no question about that,” said Black Knights head coach Jake Beasley. “They really played their guts out. Tonight was the best full-game we’ve played; we executed our gameplan just exactly like we wanted to.
The Knights opened the game on a 7-2 run and early on, won the battle of the boards. Robbinsville led 15-10 at the end of the first stanza and kept the heat turned up for the first half of the second, before Kabe Ellis’ 3-pointer pushed Andrews to its first lead of the night at the 3:11 mark.
The Cats led 33-27 at the break and 42-38 at the outset of the fourth, but Court Carpenter’s second trey of the game pushed Robbinsville back ahead with six minutes left in the contest. A see-saw affair developed thereafter, with Landyn Hall putting forth a strong defensive effort and drawing several fouls that netted the Black Knights some key free-throw opportunities.
But Andrews kept shooting, with Tucker Holloway’s 3-pointer at the 40-second mark tying things at 54-54. Hall drove in for what would have been the go-ahead bucket 10 seconds later, but a traveling call negated the shot. Landon White would later sink the winning lay-up with 10 seconds left in the game and Robbinsville could not respond in the aftermath, despite calling two timeouts in the final seconds.
“I feel like we’re really starting to click,” Beasley added. “We’re going to be some trouble for some people down the stretch; I promise you.”
Hall’s work led the offense, as he scored a team-high 16 points in the game. Also scoring was Carpenter 6, Dalton Capps 6, Brock Adams 5, Nathan Collins 5, Seth Lawson 5, Chris Wright 5, Hunter Brooks 4 and Clayson Lane 2.
Robbinsville continued its shift toward success Tuesday at Cherokee. Though the Braves (9-8, 4-3) came out of the game with a 61-51 win, it was a remarkable turnaround from the first meeting between the two programs, a 74-45 Cherokee victory on Jan. 6.
Individual scorers for the Black Knights at Cherokee were not available at press time.
Junior varsity
The Black Knights (5-4) dropped a 48-28 game at Andrews. Robbinsville only trailed 20-16 at halftime.
Eddie Brooms’ 10-point night led the Robbinsville offense.
Others to score for the Knights were Kamdyn Jordan 7, Isaac Wiggins 7, Bo Rattler 2 and Rossi Wachacha 2.
Tuesday at Cherokee, Robbinsville fell to the Braves.
A final score and individual stats were unavailable at press time.