The Hayesville Lady Yellow Jackets will be hosting the Polk Co. Lady Wolverines in the first round of the NCHSAA state playoffs. The game will be played at 6:30 p.m. at the Hayesville High School gymnasium. It is a season-long goal for every team to host a first-round playoff game. There are 112 teams playing girls basketball in the NCHSAA, only 64 make the playoffs and only 32 get to host a first round game. This will be a matchup of two 15-win teams each from strong conferences.

The Hayesville girls are up and down, at times capable of playing with the best teams in the state as shown in their wins against Cherokee and Robbinsville. Then at other times, we have seen them falter against some lesser teams when shots aren’t falling. While Polk Co. started the year 12-1, they have faltered down the stretch against some tough competition going 3-7 to end the year. This has all the makings of a great game and one of the more exciting matchups in all of the first round matchups. 

Playoff Bracket

Polk Co. is very young with not a single senior on the team. As a team, they average 52.7 points per game. They are led in scoring by a sophomore Olivia Overholt with 15.9 points per game, followed by a junior Marissa Twitty who averages 9.3. They only average 1.9 3-pointers made per game, so they look to get it inside often. 

It will be interesting to see how such a long road trip will affect the Lady Wolverines. Long road trips can have adverse effects on young teams. Can they make their trip and come out with good focus early in the game? It is a 135-mile one way trip, probably taking about three hours by bus. The Lady Jackets need to get after it early to give them a better chance at a win.

Here are Polk Co. Wolverines head coach Brandy Alm’s thoughts on the first round playoff game.

1.What do you know about your opponent Hayesville and expect from them.

I know very little about Hayesville, I know they play in a tremendous conference and are very aggressive. 

2. How would you describe your team, things they do well, are you fast paced or slow paced, etc?

We definitely play hard and try to create offense through our defensive intensity. 

3. Who are your star/key players?

Our leading scorer is sophomore, Olivia Overholt. 

Here are Hayesville Lady Yellow Jackets head coach Chad McClure’s thoughts on the first round game.

1. What are your expectations/goals in the playoffs?

Playoffs are an exciting time especially when you get to host games.  Anything can happen on any given night so you just prepare the best you can and try to win and advance.  This young team has competed all year and I expect that to continue. Right now the goal is to take it one game at a time and advance as far as possible.

2. What do you know about your opponent and what type of game can fans expect?

Polk County plays in a very good 1A/2A league and finished third. They have several good players and are very similar to us, so fans can expect an exciting game.  They have won 15 games like us so it should be fun and a great atmosphere. I encourage all fans to be here and support these teams.  

3. If there is one key as a team to your playoff success what would it be?

We have to continue to play quality defense and rebound.  If we shoot it well and execute on offense, we will be a tough out for anyone.

This game has all the makings of a hotly contested playoff matchup. The key for Hayesville can they execute on offense and get good looks? Secondly, can they knock down shots when they get good looks? When the Lady Yellow Jackets have shot well in games, they have been very tough to beat. Lastly, can they get off to a good start.

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