Robbinsville stymies North Buncombe in six-period battle
Robbinsville – In the end, the Black Knights would not be denied.
With a perfect season on the line, Robbinsville and North Buncombe were tied 57-57 late in Friday’s non-conference clash. Junior Xander Wachacha – who had cooled off after delivering four trey’s in the third quarter – drove in and sank a lay-up that gave the Knights the temporary nod.
Moments later, Blackhawks senior Spencer Roane trampled into the paint and delivered a bucket of his own.
Soon enough, regulation expired. A first overtime did little to move the needle, as both teams split the period 5-5.
But Robbinsville (5-0, 1-0) simply controlled itself in the foul column throughout the game, while North Buncombe had four different players head to the bench after maxing out their allotted violations in the second overtime.
The final outcome of the duke was 77-71, Black Knights.
“Bad shots may happen; some shots may not fall, but we just had to keep each other going,” said Wachacha, who finished with a team-high 28 points. “We kept talking to each other, to give us the confidence we needed (to win).”
Robbinsville leaped to an 11-4 lead to start the game, but North Buncombe (4-3) responded with a 7-0 run to tie the affair. Wachacha pulled the Knights away from a 13-13 stalemate with a buzzer-beater 3 at the end of the first.
The Blackhawks benefitted greatly from senior Chad Clark’s efforts throughout the game. He had 20 points in the first half and overall, led the team with 33 on the night. His work before the break also resulted in a 9-for-11 record on free throws at halftime; he was 17-for-20 when the game ended.
A physical first half of basketball – the teams combined for 23 fouls – built to a 30-21 North Buncombe lead at halftime. The Black Knights recovered nicely from the 5-point effort in the second and with Wachacha hot outside, point guard Brock Adams zoned in on excellent passes and Bryce Adams pulling down boards in the post, Robbinsville fought its way back ahead 48-44 by the outset of the fourth. The 27-14, third-quarter rally was punctuated by a Bo Rattler 3-pointer at the buzzer.
“I looked at the score and I knew I needed to make an impact,” Wachacha said of his third-quarter burst. “We knew as the game played out, it was just one more quarter. No pressure. We just have to keep the momentum on our side.”
In addition to Wachacha’s 28, Bryce Adams dumped 18 on the Blackhawks. Brock had tallied 15 by the end of the night, with the returning Donovan Carpenter posting nine. Rattler’s 4 and Quinn Jumper’s 3 completed the scoring rundown.
“The chemistry this team has is unreal, especially just four games into the season,” head coach Jake Beasley said of his Black Knights. “They believe in each other; that’s what it takes. When they’re the ones in charge, that’s when a team really takes off to the next level. We just draw plays and try to put them in the right positions, but when they bond like this group has, it’s something really special.
“Anyone could have just turned the switch off and said, ‘Eh, it’s just a non-conference game.’ These guys turned the switch up. We had a quote today about being interested in something or committed to something. I told them (during overtime), ‘Guys, they’re interested in winning. We’re committed.’
“This could be a really special season.”
5-0 start
The Black Knights began their divisional slate by hosting Cherokee on Tuesday.
Almost like following a script, the war spilled into overtime. And in a verbatim table-read, Robbinsville prevailed 72-68.
In relief, Carpenter scored a team-leading 20 points, while also posting seven rebounds and three steals. Bryce Adams finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Brock Adams mixed in 14 points, seven rebounds, three steals and one assist.
Also scoring for Robbinsville was Rattler, 11; Wachacha, 6; and Jumper, 2.
Junior varsity
Robbinsville (2-2) hung tough with North Buncombe for three quarters of Friday’s match-up, but ultimately fell 40-31 to the Blackhawks. Dane Knott’s 15-point evening led the Knights’ efforts. Also scoring for Robbinsville was Luke Lovin, 9; Isaiah Brown, 4; Isiac Collins, 2; and Trey Lambert, 1.
Tuesday against Cherokee, Robbinsville got back in the win column with a 48-38 nod over the Braves.
Knott’s 20 points led the Knights’ offensive charge. Also scoring was Lovin, 10; Lambert, 6; Collins, 4; and Brown, Drake Anderson, Kasen Buchanan and Everette Teesateskie, 2 each.