Robbinsville – Instead of crying over spilled milk, Black Knights head coach Jake Beasley chose to focus on the positives after Robbinsville’s monumental season came to a sudden halt in its final two games.
Losses in the Smoky Mountain Conference tournament final Saturday and the first round of the state playoffs Tuesday notwithstanding, Robbinsville (19-7) has completely altered its boys basketball program in the last three years: two conference championships, a divisional-tournament title, four home playoff games and even a Sweet 16 postseason appearance have all been part of the recent proceedings.
“I’m so proud of them,” Beasley said, while adding that the Knights also won 14 in a row this season. “They fight every single night, as far as showing up to play. They have nothing to hang their head about.
“This group of seniors has done some remarkable stuff, no question. They’ve got a lot to look back on and be proud of, but there’s more to this than wins and losses. We’ve done really well, but the character they show every day makes me so proud. They’re going to go be successful in life and that’s our ultimate goal.”
Pitted against the No. 27-seeded Bradford Preparatory Academy Bears (11-13) in Tuesday’s playoff opener, the Black Knights (No. 6) appeared – on paper – to have things well in-hand.
Robbinsville soon learned that the visitors did not travel from suburban Charlotte for the fun of it, however; the game was knotted at 11 apiece by the outset of the second quarter.
The Knights used an explosive performance from Roman Jones and Darion Ledbetter to pull ahead 32-25 by halftime, but the Bears backtracked in the second half and it paid off – big time.
All told, Bradford Prep scorched 11 3’s in the ballgame – with eight of those coming after intermission. The hosts saw their lead trimmed to 47-46 by the end of the third; thanks to the Bears’ top scorer Luke Hanson – who hit five from outside in the final 16 minutes and finished with 20 on the night – what was a nine-point Robbinsville lead in the third became a distant memory, as Bradford Prep outscored Robbinsville 22-8 down the stretch.
“We played really good for three quarters, but they got extremely hot,” Beasley said. “There was nothing that we could have done. I feel like we tried to throw everything in the world at them, as far as playing man-to-man, zone and pressing them.”
Jones finished with a team-high 14 points, while Bryce Adams hit 13. Adams’ career ends with 1,231 points – the most all-time for Robbinsville Black Knights basketball.
Elsewhere on the scoreline was Dane Knott 9, Quinn Jumper 7, Kenyon Swimmer 6, Ledbetter 4 and Luke Lovin 2.
Finals loss
Hayesville – Controlling the perimeter became problematic for the Black Knights in Saturday’s tournament finale, as the No. 3-seeded Andrews Wildcats (20-8) stunned Robbinsville 55-44.
Clinging to an 11-9 advantage at the outset of the second, Andrews launched an assault from outside that included 3’s from Gabe Clark, Ty Clark and Logan Shuler. The 20-7 segment resulted in a 31-16 nod for the Cats at the break.
The Knights showed some fire in the third – with transition buckets from Ledbetter and Adams slightly cutting down the deficit – but the hole proved to be too large to dig out of.
Adams scored 14 to lead Robbinsville in the game. Also scoring was Ledbetter 9; Jones 5; Knott, Lovin and Swimmer, 4 each; and Isiac Collins and Jumper, 2 apiece.