Robbinsville – Both of Graham County’s middle school basketball programs kickstarted 2023 with a bang, overcoming tight deficits to pick up a pair of home victories.
The Lady Knights used an explosive second half to defeat Swain County 34-14, while the Black Knights churned out a 55-31 over the visiting Maroon Devils.
Robbinsville (6-6) shut out Swain in the second quarter of the girls matchup and limited the Devils to a mere six points throughout the remainder of the contest. Bolstered by a combined 15 steals (14 of which came after the opening portion), the Knights ran circles around the Swain defense to methodically pull away from a slim 9-8 halftime lead.
All told, Chloe Adams led Robbinsville’s effort with 10 points, six rebounds, four steals and an assist. Novie Dutcher collected six points, 10 rebounds and three steals, while Daphne Barlow tacked on five points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Others contributing to the win were Zaelyn Phillips and Zayleigh Chekeleelee, 4 points each; Cassidy Sudderth and Aaliyah Wolfe, 2 each; and Ella Nelms, 1.
The boys victory also took some time to get rolling. Robbinsville (8-4) led 13-11 at the end of the first, but went on an 18-7 run before the break and never looked back. Much like their female counterparts, the Black Knights outpaced Swain County’s offense by plucking away 26 collective steals.
Cameron Allison topped Robbinsville’s offense with 14 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Xamuel Wachacha added a double-double (11 points, 10 steals), with four rebounds and one assist mixed in. Eli Lambert and Bam Nelms both reached the double-digit threshold in the victory, dropping 10 apiece on the Maroon Devils. Filling out the scoreline was Elijah Kirkland and Easton Shuler, 4 points each; and Tristan Blevins, 2 each.
Recognition ruined
After flip-flopping a scheduled home/away slate with Murphy, Robbinsville closed out the 2022-23 regular season Monday, by welcoming the Bulldogs on Eighth Grade Night.
The Lady Knights fell 45-37, while the Black Knights incurred a 52-42 defeat.
Zayleigh Chekeleelee’s 9-point effort paced Robbinsville in the girls’ loss. Others contributing to the final tally were Sudderth, 8; Adams and Phillips, 6 each; and Barlow, Dutcher, Ella McGuire and MyKayla McGuire recorded 2 apiece.
Allison was the team leader for Robbinsville’s boys, stamping the scorebook with 15 points. Also scoring for the Black Knights were Wachacha, 11; Shuler, 8; Kirkland, 6; and Nelms, 2.