Andrews – It was a nail biter, but the Black Knights got the job done.
Six days removed from achieving season goal No. 1 – winning the program’s first Smoky Mountain Conference title since the 2013-14 season – Robbinsville entered the divisional tournament as the No. 1 seed, pitted against a pesky Hayesville Yellow Jackets team that was looking for vindication from a season sweep.
Monday’s game was nothing short of a raucous affair inside the Ken Solesbee Athletic Center in Andrews, but the Knights have shown all year how much they thrive under pressure. A spirited effort from juniors Xander Wachacha (20 points) and Donovan Carpenter (who recorded a double-double: 10 points and 10 rebounds) helped lift Robbinsville to the tournament finals in a 47-41 victory.
“We just had to keep our cool and play our ball; we had to make sure we did not fall into any of their traps,” Wachacha said.
To its credit, Hayesville (No. 4 seed, 14-11) did not make life easy on the Black Knights. The Jackets were seemingly there to deny Robbinsville (20-5) almost every second-chance rebound – though Carpenter gladly cleaned up any Hayesville offensive miscues on the glass, as eight of his 10 boards came in the first half. Three-pointers from Logan Caldwell and Ethan Hooper also helped Hayesville stay one step ahead, as the Jackets opened up a 21-13 advantage midway through the second.
Then, Wachacha happened.
A pair of trey’s and a pump shot from the side down the stretch pulled the game to an even spread at the break, 21-21. Both offenses lagged in the third – just a 7-7 period – but Wachacha still accounted for five of Robbinsville’s points in the segment.
As the tussle edged ever closer to its conclusion, the Knights found their patented second-wind, which has carried them to five overtime victories and clutch shooting all season. Wachacha and Carpenter picked off a combined three Hayesville passes in the fourth, two of which were good for transition buckets. Brothers Brock (senior) and Bryce (sophomore) Adams nailed all four of their chances at the charity stripe in the waning moments as well, helping stave off a mad Hayesville rush that included three more from outside off Caldwell and Hooper – the latter connecting for one that cut the deficit to 43-41, which 1:15 left.
After Murphy (No. 2 seed, 16-8) bested Swain County (No. 3, 12-13) in the other semifinal matchup Tuesday, the Knights will have three days to prepare for the Bulldogs, who – along with Swain – were the only two teams to deliver a conference loss to Robbinsville during the campaign.
“Nothing’s going to be handed to us,” Wachacha pointed out. “We’re going to try not to foul as much and be patient with the ball – not rush our shots – and we cannot let Zach Skogen or Dom (Dominick Rummler) get in there and control things.”
Junior varsity
Robbinsville (No. 3 seed, 10-11) emerged from its third pairing this season against Cherokee (No. 6) with a 63-53 win.
The Black Knights went 3-0 against the Braves this year – and each victory was by exactly 10 points.
Luke Lovin went off in the victory, connecting for six 3’s and finishing with a team-leading 26 points for Robbinsville. Isiac Collins dropped 14 on Cherokee, while Dane Knott finished with eight points.
Rounding out the scoreline was Tanner Hedden, Trey Lambert and Kyzik Teesateskie, 4 each; and Isaiah Brown, 2.
The victory ensured a trip to the semifinals Tuesday, which featured the Knights taking on the No. 2-seeded Murphy Bulldogs.
Despite pulling ahead early in the fourth quarter, Robbinsville fell behind through the waning minutes and were eliminated in a 56-50 loss.
Both Brown and Collins ran up 11 points each on the Bulldogs, pacing the Knights’ offense. Knott posted 10, while Lovin had seven.
Also scoring in the finale was Logan Callaway, 6; Teesateskie, 3; and Hedden, 2.