Robbinsville – For the first few minutes of Tuesday’s Smoky Mountain Conference appointment with Hayesville, the Lady Knights seemed to have misplaced a crucial part of their gameplan.
Midway through the second quarter, it was evident they found it: though there were no physical cans of Raid to be seen, it was clear that Robbinsville had mystified the visiting Lady Jackets with an 18-0 run that left the visitors stunned.
The flurry started in the first and spilled into the second, killing any buzz surrounding the battle for second place in the division as Robbinsville (9-9, 4-3) dispelled of Hayesville (9-10, 2-5), 57-29.
Bentley Riggins made her presence known inside the paint, netting a Knights-best 16 points in the victory. Also scoring was Liz Carpenter 13; Suri Watty 12; Abby Wehr 10; and Zaelyn Phillips 6.
The lopsided outcome was the antithesis to Friday’s league game with Andrews (10-9, 4-3), which was a competitive affair from the outset. Tied after the first quarter, Robbinsville held the lead at the end of both the second and third quarters before a Lady Wildcats rally gave way to a 53-48 loss to the visitors.
Watty attempted to close the gap late with a 3-pointer at the 24-second mark of regulation, which trimmed the differential to 50-48. But Andrews held the cards and were able to cash in on frequent trips to the charity stripe down the stretch, while the Knights were unable to manufacture anything further.
Carpenter put up 22 points to pace Robbinsville’s offense in the game. Others to score were Riggins 11; Wehr and Anna Williams, 6 each; and Watty 3.
The Lady Knights overcame a sluggish start Monday against Summit Charter (5-11), posting a 13-0 run to build an insurmountable advantage and send the Lady Bears packing 55-41.
Phillips took credit for the team lead in points, recording 15.
Also on the scoreline were Carpenter and Wehr, 11 each; Watty 7; Barlow 4; and Williams 2.
Junior varsity
Robbinsville (4-5) experienced mixed results in junior varsity play, knocking off Andrews 36-21 but falling in a 32-31 heartbreaker to the Hayesville Lady Jackets.
Novie Dutcher doled out a Knights-high 12 points against the Wildcats. Also scoring was MyKayla McGuire 11; Ella McGuire 4; Emory Chekelelee 3; Emery Beasley, Bella Coats and Chasity Jones, 2 each.
Dutcher again took top billing against the Jackets, scoring 15 on Tuesday. Others to score were MyKayla McGuire 7; Jones 4; and Coats 3.