Robbinsville Middle School's boys closed out the home portion of their season on a high note.
In a pair of games – where the outcomes were never in doubt – the 10-3 Black Knights routed Hiwassee Dam 64-44 in a make-up contest Dec. 17, before downing Andrews 65-24 on 8th Grade Recognition Night on Dec. 18.
Carsan Snider and Micah York were deadly against Hiwassee Dam. Both had 20 points, with Snider adding a double-double by pulling down 12 boards, and also recording five assists and one block.
York posted nine rebounds and two assists.
Also scoring was Brayden Allison 10; Zeller Chekelelee 5; Channing Jones 4; David Guzman and Landon Silvers, 2 each; and Jax Mullinax 1.
Allison stepped in to fill the 20-point role against the Wildcats the following day, while also contributing five rebounds, two steals and an assist. Snider had 14 and York put up 12.
Rounding out the offense was Driver 5; and both Hudson Blevins and Canyon Gross, 2 each.
The resounding victories helped erase the memory of a 57-23 road loss to Cherokee on Dec. 15.
York led the way with nine points. Also scoring was Snider 7; Allison 5; and Mason Walkingstick 2.
Lady Knights
The middle school girls slipped to 5-8 over the course of the week, which included a 39-37 heartbreaker against Hiwassee Dam.
McKynlee Adams scored a team-high 21 points in the loss, while also recording eight rebounds and two steals. Also scoring was Lakin Orr 9; Kamry Rogers 5; and Kenzie Williams 2.
The Lady Knights looked poised to upset the Lady Wildcats on Dec. 18. Robbinsville held an 8-4 lead at the outset of the second quarter and with just 30 seconds remaining in the first half, only trailed 14-12 against the unbeaten Cats.
However, Andrews pieced together a seven-point swing before the halftime horn. Hadley Adams dropped back-to-back lay-ups, before Aubrey Hedden hit a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining. The spurt injected new life into the visitors, who held the Knights to just two points in the third quarter and maintained full control down the stretch.
Rogers scored six points for Robbinsville, with five rebounds and two steals mixed in. Adams and Orr each connected for five, while Swimmer hit four.
A pair of first-quarter free throws from Mercy Nelms closed out the scorebook.
Robbinsville also fell at Cherokee on Dec. 15, 52-15. Natalie Swimmer had seven points for the Lady Knights, while Adams posted five and Orr added three.
Only one set of games remain in the regular season: a trip to Rosman on Monday, Jan. 5.
The Smoky Mountain Conference Tournament will begin Saturday, Jan. 10 and continue through Thursday, Jan. 15, at Andrews.