Lady Knights sweep Christmas Invitational
Sylva – Coming into the Smoky Mountain Christmas Invitational, the Lady Knights were fresh off their first loss to Andrews in 23 years – and an 8-day break to think about it.
So when tasked with three straight tournament games shortly after the holiday, Robbinsville had a choice to make: either remain stuck in the mire of the loss, or get back to business and leave the Dec. 19 defeat in the rearview mirror.
The Knights chose the latter.
In the end, Robbinsville (8-1) was the only team to escape the showcase unscathed, rattling off consecutive wins over Smoky Mountain, 62-56; Veritas Christian Academy, 45-39; and Brevard, 65-58.
“I saw a lot of positives in this, coming off the loss,” Robbinsville head coach Lucas Ford said. “I think our girls took that as a wake-up call. We played really good basketball in the tournament; at times, we played really bad basketball. If we can get a balance of something in-between, it’ll be great.
“We go from one level to the other; we bust it on defense just to turn it over on offense. We’ve got to get attitudes cleaned up and just be better; that’s it in a nutshell.”
The Knights’ opener against the hosting Lady Mustangs quickly morphed into a breakout performance for sophomore wing Suri Watty. When the dust settled, she had knocked down six 3’s and finished with a team-high 23 points altogether.
Smoky Mountain (6-6) cut down a 50-34 deficit at the outset of the fourth by coming to life in the final period, including an 8-0 run in the first 40 seconds of the segment. Aaliyah Voss shouldered the rally bid, scoring 11 of her Mustangs-leading 16 points in the fourth.
However, the late push was futile.
“I’ve been running over the break,” Watty said of what contributed to her impressive showing. “So the shots today really came easy (from outside); I’ve been working at finishing up top more and having a good flick at the top.
“Before middle school, I drove inside a lot more. But I figured out that I wasn’t going to grow much more, so if they’re not calling fouls, why not go for a 3 now and then?”
Others scoring for Robbinsville were Liz Carpenter 17; Claire Barlow 7; Bentley Riggins 5; Delaney Brooms 4; Aubrie Wachacha 3; and Abby Wehr 3.
Veritas Christian Academy (6-5) provided the toughest test of the invitational, with sizable posts that forced Robbinsville to get creative with its offense.
The Knights were up to the task, overcoming a sluggish 8-4 start to pull away 26-10 by halftime. Delaney Brooms put up three from the field in the segment to aid the effort.
Though the Lady Warriors outpaced Robbinsville in the second half, Watty drained another pair of trey’s to help the Knights sustain their advantage to the finish line.
Watty’s 11 on the afternoon led Robbinsville. Also contributing to the cause was Brooms 9; Carpenter and Wachacha, 8 each; Wehr 5; and Barlow 4.
Robbinsville sprinted to a 20-9 lead in the tournament finale against Brevard (2-10), but fell susceptible to another second-half charge from its opponent.
In the wake of a 7-for-17 mark at the foul line by the Lady Knights in the third, the Lady Devils sawed the deficit down to 46-41 by the end of the third. The foul-heavy game – 47 in all, 20 in the third alone – spilled into the fourth, but Barlow’s consistency from the field throughout the affair proved to be the key to Robbinsville’s triumph. She hit seven baskets, including two in the fourth that helped keep the Knights one step ahead.
All told, Barlow finished the matchup with Brevard at a team-best 19 points. Also scoring for Robbinsville was Watty 15; Carpenter 14; Brooms and Wachacha, 8 each; and Wehr 1.
“This team is plenty talented,” Ford said. “They’re fast, they’re athletic and they’re good basketball players. We’re figuring out who we are, who fits best where and what defense we’re going to hang our hat on. That’s what will help us at the end of the day.”