Lady Knights clinch 1st regional-final appearance in program history
Robbinsville – A lot of positive factors have to fall in place to reach the semifinals of the state tournament.
Everything lately has been coming up Robbinsville.
The Lady Knights went into the 2022-23 playoffs as the No. 13 seed, after finishing 17-8 and second place in the Smoky Mountain Conference. After hosting Starmount in an 83-60 rout, Robbinsville was tasked with traveling to Albemarle, which held the No. 4 seed and a 22-4 record.
The Knights won 71-66.
Saturday kept Robbinsville on the road, this time with an appointment some 300 miles away from home at Eastern Randolph. The Lady Wildcats were seeded fifth and boasted a 19-7 mark entering the game.
The Knights won 60-45.
By virtue of several high-seed upsets, Robbinsville was able to provide its fanbase one final helping of just what has gotten the Lady Knights to this point: a Final Four appearance – the first in history for varsity-girls basketball at Robbinsville – which comes on the heels of a 65-41 drubbing of Draughn (No. 16, 17-13).
“This is awesome – surprising, actually,” said guard Kensley Phillips, one of the three Lady Knights seniors. “I would have never thought – and nothing against the team we have this year – but I don’t think that anybody would have ever thought this team was going to make it to the regionals. We proved everybody wrong.
“I think we all get along so well that the chemistry is just there. I really do think there’s a different connection with these girls. Everybody is in it to go as far as we possibly can.”
The Lady Wildcats had caught lightning in a bottle themselves before Tuesday’s loss. After edging Union Academy (No. 17, 15-11) 57-56 in the first round, the Cats limited the No. 1-seeded Mountain Heritage Lady Cougars to just 37 points in a 10-point, second-round upset; before stifling North Rowan (No. 8, 20-9) in their second-straight road game as well Saturday, 52-45.
So, the stage was set and the show delivered – for the first quarter, that is. Draughn emerged with a 17-16 nod over Robbinsville, before both offenses hit a snag in the second and the Knights went into the locker room down 27-21.
“We didn’t look like ourselves on defense in the first half – and I know a lot of that is nerves,” senior point guard Desta Trammell said. “When we went into the locker room, we talked about limiting their shots and looks. We knew we could create offense with our defense – and that’s exactly what we did.”
New life and swagger was seemingly injected into the Knights’ veins as they walked back onto the court for the second half. Since Phillips and Trammell joined the varsity ranks in 2019, Robbinsville had a 76-24 record (35-10 in the Smoky Mountain Conference); a divisional title, won in 2020-21; and three straight seasons where the Knights had advanced to at least the second round of the playoffs. In their conference-title campaign, Robbinsville hosted the Elite 8 at home, but fell to Murphy.
Phillips and Trammell were not having it Tuesday – and neither were the rest of the Knights.
Trammell got to work, delving out three assists in the segment and scoring eight – four from the foul line. Phillips found herself extra cozy on the perimeter, hitting a trio of trey’s that arched a fire the Cats could not extinguish.
Forwards Liz Carpenter and Aubrie Wachacha began to exude confidence, with the latter coming out on the better end of 1-on-1 matchups under the goal against Draughn’s “big,” senior Aubrie Snyder, who broke the 1,000-point mark and finished with 15 on the night. Carpenter raked in three boards and two steals in the comeback bid.
Before Draughn could regain its composure, it was over. Robbinsville stifled the Cats 21-5 in the third and then poured on a 23-9 run in the fourth to clinch the sectional title.
Clutch all night, the Knights went 19-of-20 from the foul line in the victory. Trammell was 9-of-10, while freshman Abby Wehr – who put on the best showing of her young career to date, finishing with 11 points – completed 100 percent of her free-throw deliveries, going 6-for-6.
Road warriors
The Lady Knights departed Robbinsville High School on Feb. 23 and by the time the two-game road tilt ended, the team had covered 1,075 miles in three days.
The perils of extensive travel last week were tough, for sure, but it was almost like Robbinsville just had to get over that second-round hump to find its second wind.
Albemarle proved to be a physical challenge for the Knights. Rattled, the Lady Bulldogs opened a 22-10 lead over Robbinsville after one quarter – but in perhaps their finest showing of tenacity this season, the Graham County lassies thundered back with a 23-6 pounding in the second.
Both teams gathered their bearings, but Robbinsville held firm with a 51-50 lead at the beginning of the fourth.
The Lady Knights refused to let up on the throttle down the stretch – while Albemarle seemed to sputter and run low on fumes when it mattered most.
“We were down quite a bit after the first quarter, and they were really rough – the refs weren’t calling much,” Phillips assessed. “It was a different environment. But when we got to the locker room, we talked about how we knew they would play, we knew what they had to offer and we had to get it together and go.”
Robbinsville strutted confidently into Eastern Randolph on Saturday, Feb. 25 and between a combined four 3’s from Trammell and Phillips – plus Carpenter and Wachacha keeping things in-check on the interior, and Suri Watty guarding the perimeter with vigor – the Knights had things in-hand by the end of the first, when they led 18-13.
Villainous task
It was unclear at Wednesday’s press deadline where the 1A Western Regional finals would be held Saturday, but Robbinsville (21-8) knew its dance partner immediately after punching their ticket: the Bishop McGuinness Lady Villains.
Afforded the No. 2 postseason seed, Bishop McGuinness (26-4) has mowed over Hayesville (No. 31, 8-17) in a 54-15 rout; North Stokes (No. 18, 17-11), 54-14; Bessemer City (No. 7, 21-7) in its first true playoff test, 62-55; and Cherokee (No. 3, 26-4) in a 56-42 upending Tuesday to reach the Western showdown.
Oh, and the Lady Villains won the 1A state championship last year, cementing a 26-6 season in the best way possible.
Nine players return for Bishop McGuinness from the state-title campaign. Sophomore, 5-foot-11 guard Adelaide Jernigan (551 points, 56 3-pointers, 121 rebounds, 78 steals – all team-highs) promises to be a thorn in Robbinsville’s side, as does senior point guard Charley Chappell (155 points, 81 assists and 63 steals), and inside players Katie Deal (6-foot, 18 blocks) and Grace Harriman (5-foot-11, 100 rebounds).
But the Lady Knights like their chances – especially since they actually have time to formulate a gameplan.
“We’re going to spend the week preparing, since we finally get more than a day to,” said Phillips. “It will help us recover, look at film and figure out the best options.”
Visit The Graham Star’s Facebook and Twitter pages for updates on when and where the 1A Western Regional finals will take place.