LadyKnights

The Robbinsville Middle School Lady Knights (competing as the Peak Wrestling Club) concluded their debut season by winning the 7th Annual Women’s K-8 State Championship Tournament on Saturday in Advance. Photos courtesy of Susan Crowe

Debut season ends with state title

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Latesha Orr, 7th-8th Grade 101-105 pound champion. Advance – For two days, thousands of aspiring varsity wrestlers sampled the competition that will stand in front of them for years to come. But when the RISE Indoor Sports Complex in Advance began to finally clear at 9:30 p.m.

Lady Knights head coach Lucas Ford goes over some final instructions just before tip-off Friday against Hayesville, with his starting line-up (from left): Suri Watty, Desta Trammell, Liz Carpenter, Kensley Phillips and Aubrie Wachacha. Robbinsville will enter the Smoky Mountain Conference tournament at Andrews with a No. 2 seed. Photo courtesy of Miranda Buchanan/Robbinsville High School Yearbook

Lady Knights finish 2nd in conference

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Robbinsville – Lucas Ford summed up Tuesday’s dominant showing against Swain County in one sentence: “If we play like that in the conference tournament, we’ll win it.” It’s a hard point to argue, really.

Lady Knights junior Zoie Shuler takes flight during an indoor track meet at Swain County on Jan. 11. Shuler is the favorite to win at least two state championships for Robbinsville this weekend. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Golden opportunity

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, February 9, 2023

* State indoor track preview Cherokee – No matter what, state championships seemed to elude Zoie Shuler’s freshman season. It did not take long for the redheaded super-athlete to grow tired of the trend.

The Snowbird Lady Warriors Termite Girls capped off a perfect 11-0 season by defeating Copper Basin, Tenn., on Saturday in the Smokey Mountain Youth Conference Tournament finals. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

11 up, 11 down for Warriors

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Murphy – Not one single team in the Smokey Mountain Youth Conference this season had a response to the attack of the Lady Warriors. In a preview of what’s to come, the Snowbird Termites (11-0) ended their chase of history Saturday, knocking off the Copper Basin (Tenn.

Desta Trammell unloads one of her 8 long-range shots Monday at Hiwassee Dam. In as many weeks, Robbinsville’s senior point guard has twice broken the 40-point threshold. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

44 for No. 4

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Hiwassee Dam – At the end of the first half Monday, Desta Trammell had 21 of Robbinsville’s 33 points. The Lady Knights went on to prevail in a 74-65 road battle against the Hiwassee Dam Lady Eagles – with Trammell accounting for the lion’s share of the load: 44 points.

All Cherokee’s Alexis Smith could do was look on as Desta Trammell took flight for a second-half bucket Tuesday at Cherokee. Trammell had 42 points at Swain County on Jan. 19 and her 23-point evening at Cherokee pushed her to 1,603 career points. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Lady Knights left with questions, very few answers

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Cherokee – The only Smoky Mountain Conference team that has had the Lady Knights’ number this year is the Cherokee Braves. Robbinsville (10-7, 4-2) entered Tuesday’s rematch with the first-place Braves, full of optimism that the Knights had the right game plan in place after the first outing Dec.

Lina Pagan (left) and Yeika Jimenez Diaz’s love for basketball has came full circle, with both playing against each other at the collegiate level – something neither could have dreamed would be a reality while growing up in Puerto Rico. Photos by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Aprovechando el momento

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Athens, Tenn. – They competed against each other before coming to the United States. So it is only appropriate that Yeika Jimenez Diaz and Linaysha Pagan dress out in opposing uniforms today. Their story is unlike any you have ever heard.

Don't adjust your sets; that's a basketball score

Kevin Hensley

Friday, January 20, 2023

Murphy – Well, that’s one way to send a message to the rest of the field. Robbinsville (No. 3 seed, 9-4) shutout Swain County (No. 6) in the first half of the Smoky Mountain Conference Middle School Tournament quarterfinal Monday, heading into the locker room with a 35-0 advantage at the break.

The Lady Knights’ collaboration of Katie-Lyn Gross, Kensley Phillips, Zoie Shuler and Delaney Brooms (from left) broke the 4x400, indoor-track school record Jan. 11 at Swain County, clocking in with a time of 4:34.98. The previous mark was 4:45.20, set by Ashlyn Waldroup, current coach Kaitlyn Carringer, Meghan Myler and Shawnda Martin during the 2015-16 season. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

400 meters, 4 segments: 1 record obliterated

Kevin Hensley

Friday, January 20, 2023

I’ve often called the 4x400 relay the “most exciting five minutes in sports.” Maybe it is because after three-plus hours, the competition draws a track meet to a close. Maybe it is because it comes after the single-longest track event of the day: the 2-mile run.

Robbinsville senior Desta Trammell launches an outside shot Monday at Highlands. Trammell hit a pair of 3-pointers in the Lady Knights’ loss to the Lady Highlanders. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Too little, too late

Kevin Hensley

Friday, January 20, 2023

Highlands – To begin Monday’s road game, seniors Desta Trammell and Kensley Phillips hit respective 2- and 3-point shots, to give Robbinsville the opening salvo. From there, Highlands proved to be rude hosts.