Highlands

Aubrie Wachacha (left) breaks to hammer the set from Desta Trammell during Tuesday’s home match against Highlands. Photo courtesy of Miranda Buchanan/Robbinsville High School Yearbook

Aubrie Wachacha (left) breaks to hammer the set from Desta Trammell during Tuesday’s home match against Highlands. Photo courtesy of Miranda Buchanan/Robbinsville High School Yearbook

Fine tuning

Robbinsville – Make no mistake about it: the Lady Knights are getting a good mixture of opposition from the early portion of their schedule. Wedged between sweeps of Little Smoky Mountain Conference programs Nantahala (0-2) on Aug.
Robbinsville’s Kensley Phillips (24) and Halee Anderson apply heavy pressure to Highlands’ Julia Schmitt during Jan. 20’s road victory. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Robbinsville’s Kensley Phillips (24) and Halee Anderson apply heavy pressure to Highlands’ Julia Schmitt during Jan. 20’s road victory. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Knights on 5-game tear

Robbinsville – Set ‘em up; the Lady Knights will knock them down. Robbinsville (11-4, 5-1) has won five in a row, most recently toppling Highlands (8-8) in a Jan. 20 road game 59-29, before thrashing Swain County (6-12, 2-4) at home Tuesday, 61-44.
Donovan Carpenter rises above Highlands’ Brandon Moss for a potential basket Jan. 20. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Donovan Carpenter rises above Highlands’ Brandon Moss for a potential basket Jan. 20. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Devils purged

Robbinsville – Never, ever count out the Black Knights. With just seven players dressed out, Robbinsville (7-9, 2-4) upended the Swain County Maroon Devils (13-6, 4-2) – who sit in second place in the Smoky Mountain Conference standings – Tuesday night, in a 56-55 thriller.
Robbinsville junior Kensley Phillips swats the ball away from Highlands’ Beatrice Bryson during Tuesday’s season opener. Phillips’ defense played a key role in the Lady Knights’ 59-39 win over the Lady Highlanders. Photo by Miranda Buchanan/Robbinsville High School Yearbook

Robbinsville junior Kensley Phillips swats the ball away from Highlands’ Beatrice Bryson during Tuesday’s season opener. Phillips’ defense played a key role in the Lady Knights’ 59-39 win over the Lady Highlanders. Photo by Miranda Buchanan/Robbinsville High School Yearbook

Knights conquer Highlanders in season openers

Robbinsville – The Knights’ varsity basketball program gave the Graham County faithful a sample of what’s to come this season. And after Tuesday’s straight sweep of Highlands, it’s evident that both the Lady Knights and Black Knights will deliver the goods each time they hit the hardwood.

Back on track

Highlands – At long last, Robbinsville volleyball is returning home. Rescheduled matches led to the Lady Knights (11-2, 3-1) tolling away at a 5-match road trip, which pushed the team to its very limits.
Robbinsville sophomore Delaney Brooms sends a shot screaming past a Highlands defender on Tuesday night. Through her first four games, Brooms has 48 kills. Photos by Art Miller/amiller@grahamstar.com

Robbinsville sophomore Delaney Brooms sends a shot screaming past a Highlands defender on Tuesday night. Through her first four games, Brooms has 48 kills. Photos by Art Miller/amiller@grahamstar.com

Lining ‘em up; setting ‘em down

One-by-one, the Robbinsville Lady Knights have mowed down each opponent faced this season.

Black Knights involved in another near-miss

Highlands – It is an all-too-familiar scenario: the Robbinsville Black Knights, involved in another nailbiter. During Wednesday, Jan. 22’s make-up game at Highlands, the Knights (1-14, 0-8) found themselves in a 58-58 deadlock with the Highlanders (7-13, 2-2) in the closing seconds of regulation.

One second away

Murphy – It took a buzzer-beating 3 and a war of free throws to knock off the Lady Knights on Tuesday night.

They came to play

Robbinsville – Anyone reading the record book in the future will come across Friday’s home game against Swain County and see that Robbinsville suffered its eighth loss of the season. Perhaps what might get overlooked is just how close the game was.