MaroonDevils

Brock Adams prepares to shoot a foul shot during Feb. 16's Smoky Mountain Conference Tournament finale against Murphy. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Black Knights maintain home-court advantage

Kevin Hensley

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Robbinsville -- The "Heart Attack Knights" were up to their old tricks Thursday night. A 14-point lead in the fourth quarter slipped away from Robbinsville (No. 6, 23-5) in the second round of the 1A state playoffs and Swain County (No.

Koleson Dooley defiantly pins Avery County’s Connor Brewer in the heavyweight bout of Feb. 1’s Western Regional Finals match at Swain. Dooley’s pin gave Robbinsville an 18-6 lead, but the Vikings would rally and advance to the state-dual championship. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Black Knights drop heartbreaker in 1A Western Regional finals

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Bryson City – Robbinsville’s pursuit of the program’s second dual-team, state-wrestling championship came to a gut-wrenching conclusion Feb. 1 at Swain County High School. Entering the postseason with the No. 1 seed, Robbinsville (29-4) faced a fired-up Swain County (No.

Members of the Black Knights mob head coach Jake Beasley in the locker room Tuesday, moments after Robbinsville wrapped up its first Smoky Mountain Conference title since the 2013-14 season. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Mission: accomplished

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Robbinsville – Finally. The last time Robbinsville’s varsity boys won a conference title in basketball, this year’s seniors were still in elementary school.

Exhausted, Koleson Dooley (220) rises to a knee after securing a 3-2, sudden-death overtime win over Swain County’s Blake Sain on Jan. 19. Dooley went to overtime with Sain during the James Orr Invitational on Jan. 14 and went to ultimate-tiebreaker in Saturday’s conference Tournament. Dooley triumphed on all three occasions. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Conference conquered

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Robbinsville – When a program has won 25 Smoky Mountain Conference titles in just 46 years of existence, the term “powerhouse” is certainly applicable. But this year was supposed to be different, critics said. Of the six state champions Robbinsville Wrestling produced last year, just two returned.

Donovan Carpenter glances down at his handiwork in the closing seconds of Tuesday’s comeback victory at Cherokee. Carpenter’s dunk resoundingly affirmed a 58-48 win for the Black Knights. Photo by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Slow and steady wins the race

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Cherokee – It was time to take the Braves to school.

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.

Robbinsville’s Eli Lambert (12) splits a pair of Maroon-Devil defenders during the Black Knights’ win over Swain County on Jan. 5. Photos by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Middle school hoops splits final slate

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Lady Knight Chloe Adams pulls away from a Swain County defender for a second-half transition basket Jan. 5. 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.

Robbinsville Middle’s Cameron Allison glides to the basket during home action Nov. 17 against Hayesville. Four days later, Allison was seriously injured at Swain County, when a Maroon Devils player slammed the 13-year-old to the floor late in the game. Photos by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Troubling incident leads to game ending early

Kevin Hensley

Friday, December 2, 2022

Bryson City – It has to be one of every parent’s worst nightmares: you witness your child being attacked, and you can’t get there in time to stop it.

Eli Lambert (second from right) is greeted cheerfully by his teammates Nov. 17, moments after he drained a 3-pointer at the final buzzer to stamp Robbinsville Middle School’s 45-27 win over Hayesville. Photos by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Robbinsville continues perfect run at home

Kevin Hensley

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Robbinsville – Simply put, the middle-school Black Knights shine on their home court. Robbinsville (3-1) came to life after halftime Nov. 17’s tilt against Hayesville, dropping 31 across the final two quarters in a 45-27 stifling of the Jackets.

Robbinsville’s youth football program collected three Cracker Bowl championships Saturday in Sylva. The Termite Black Knights shutout the previously-unbeaten Franklin Panthers 6-0. Photos by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

3 games, 3 titles

Kevin Hensley

Thursday, November 3, 2022

Sylva – Nail technicians across the region had to be swamped Monday morning.