Robbinsville trounces Smoky Mountain, Swain
Robbinsville – Anytime an opponent catches Robbinsville’s name on its schedule, chances are they are in for a long night.
Such was the case for the 3A Smoky Mountain Lady Mustangs, who rolled into Graham County on Friday and quickly found themselves in a 12-0 hole. Robbinsville continued to pile on throughout the affair, never leading by any less than nine in a 56-38 victory.
Though the Lady Knights (3-0, 1-0) struggled with turnovers in the first half, Smoky Mountain (2-3) fell susceptible to Robbinsville’s speedy defense. The Knights had 10 steals across the first two quarters and coupled with Desta Trammell hitting a trio of trey’s in the second and third segments, the Mustangs were left searching for answers.
“Our defense really transitioned into our offense,” Trammell explained. “That’s the way we need to play. (Head) Coach (Lucas) Ford said this is the fastest team he’s ever seen. If we continue to turn our defense into offense, we’ll be successful.”
Trammell finished the game with 24 points, six rebounds, four steals and one steal. Yeika Jimenez had 10 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals, while Kensley Phillips and Zoie Shuler compounded seven points each.
Also scoring for the Lady Knights were Halee Anderson 6 and Dallas Garrett 2.
Devils exorcised
Bryson City – Bolstered by a strong first-half by Trammell and junior shooting guard Phillips, Robbinsville flattened the Lady Devils in Tuesday’s Smoky Mountain Conference opener, 56-28.
Swain County’s (2-4, 0-1) physicality did few favors for the home team, with the Lady Knights only tallying five, first-half fouls to the Devils’ 13. Of note, Phillips drained a long shot midway through the second and drew a foul, which opened the way for a rare 4-point play.
Robbinsville was 11-of-17 from the charity stripe in the game and its stubborn defense held the hosts to a mere 12 points in the first half.
“Usually when we come to Swain, it’s a battle,” Trammell noted. “But we came over here and jumped on them at the start. That’s what we need to do with every team we play.”
Trammell – who is averaging 21 points through the first three games of the year – finished the game with 18 points, four assists, three steals and two rebounds. Phillips was hot on her heels with an 18-point game – mixing in three rebounds, three assists and one steal – while Zoie Shuler and Yeika Jimenez posted six points each.
Also scoring was Garrett 4, Anderson and Aubrie Wachacha with 2 each, and Delaney Brooms 1.
Junior varsity
Robbinsville began the junior varsity portion of its schedule with a 40-30 loss to Smoky Mountain. A much-improved, second-half effort helped reverse the Knights’ fortunes, who trailed 27-7 at the break.
Memory Frapp led the scoring effort for Robbinsville (0-2) with 15 points, eight rebounds, one steal and one assist. Jozlyn Garland posted six points and two rebounds, while Haven Orr had three points and one rebound.
Others to score were Karlee Stewart, Helen Ward and Anna York with two each.
Tuesday, Robbinsville was stymied by the Lady Devils 54-9. Scoring for Robbinsville was Frapp 5, plus Rayne Lambert and Helen Ward with 2 apiece.