Bryson City – Heading into Tuesday’s Smoky Mountain Conference tournament semifinal, Robbinsville was seemingly well on its way to making a magical run to the championship game.
And for three quarters of the showdown against the hosting Swain County Maroon Devils (No. 2, 17-8), the goal was still within reach.
But an explosive, final eight minutes for the Devils spelled doom for Robbinsville (No. 3 seed, 12-12), as the Knights were outpaced 25-16 in the fourth and fell in front of a raucous crowd, 66-61.
“We just quit playing defense, just to be honest,” observed Robbinsville head coach Jake Beasley. “Swain got really hot and hit some good shots, and we didn’t respond to that very well.
“It happens, but I’m super proud of them. We’ve came a long way from the start of the year, for sure.”
Buzzer-beaters afforded the psychological advantage at the break and entering the final stanza, with Kamdyn Jordan quickly dropping a putback at the halftime buzzer and an NBA three from Brock Adams helping Robbinsville close the third on top, 46-41.
But Swain’s fortunes swiftly changed in the fourth. A 7-0 run for the Maroon Devils was capped by a game-tying trey by Donnavin Groenewold. The hosts took the lead moments later and never looked back, with Robbinsville unable to contain the momentum-shift.
However, the season is not over. Thanks to a 12-win season – the best since the 2017-18 campaign – and a third-place finish in the divisional standings, the Black Knights sit on the cusp of punching their first postseason game since falling 83-46 at Mountain Island Charter on Feb. 21, 2017.
“I feel like we’re going to be a very dangerous team,” Beasley said of the postseason picture. “Whoever draws us is getting a bad draw, because our kids play extremely hard and together. It’s just amazing how good we’ve came together over the last month. From the start – to the end of the year – is night and day difference.
“We’re not done. The kids are still in good spirits, even after this tough loss at Swain.”
Playoff seeding will take place Saturday. Visit either The Graham Star’s Facebook or Twitter accounts for the announcement of Robbinsville’s postseason fate.
Quarterfinals
Robbinsville led by as much as 17 in the third quarter of its tournament opener against Cherokee (7-14) on Saturday, as the Knights handily disposed of the Braves 74-62.
Wachacha chunked a trio of trey’s in the game, finishing with a Knights-best 18 points and posting two assists. Carpenter had 15 points, five rebounds, one assist and one block, while Jordan mixed in 14 points, six rebounds and two assists.
Others contributing to the victory were Brock Adams 10, Rattler 8, Bryce Adams 7 and Gross 2.
Eagles clipped
Hiwassee Dam – Feb. 9’s regular-season finale started competitively enough, but a 17-4 sprint in the third stanza gave Robbinsville all the momentum it needed, as the Knights overcame a halftime deficit to spoil Hiwassee Dam’s (12-8) senior night, 63-51.
Scoring was led by Brock Adams, who posted 19 points, five assists, three rebounds and four steals for Robbinsville. Jordan racked up 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals, while Bryce Adams came away with eight points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Fleshing out the scoreline were Carpenter 7; Rattler and Wachacha with 6 each; and Gross 4.
Junior varsity
The final two games of Robbinsville’s junior-varsity season saw the Knights pitted against Hiwassee Dam.
Unfortunately for Robbinsville (2-14), the Eagles proved to be a tough matchup, with the Black Knights falling 77-41 in the season finale Feb. 9 and 66-46 in the quarterfinals of the divisional tournament Saturday.