Hayesville Shoots Their Way to a Regional Championship
Hayesville Basketball, Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports March 7, 2022
The Hayesville Yellow Jackets played the most important game in over a decade for their program. They played a regional final, just the third in school history and only the 12th in conference history. Only three teams have won a regional final to earn a trip to the state championship in Smoky Mountain Conference history. Cherokee has done it once, and so did the now-defunct Cullowhee high school. Hayesvilles’ 72-66 win over Winston Salem Prep Saturday is their third Regional title in school history.
Jake Mctaggart battles for a tough basket inside.
1st Quarter:
The Winston Salem Prep Phoenix scored first, but Hayesvilles Jake Mctaggart answered with a long three-point jumper. This gave Hayesvilleville a 3-2 lead, but the Yellow Jackets would not lead again in the quarter. The Phoenix would score the next eight points to take a 10-3 lead. Mctaggart would dribble the ball up and hit a deep three from beyond the volleyball line. Just a possession later, Ethan Hooper would hit a three of his own to trim the deficit to one point. Shortly after, Hayesville would get called for an intentional foul, which gave Prep two free throws and the ball. This helped them extend their lead back to up seven points. A Logan Caldwell three followed up by Mctaggarts third three of the quarter would help Hayesville keep it close. The Phoenix, though, would carry a 21-18 lead into the 2nd quarter.
2nd Quarter:
Hayesville struggled with turnovers the entire first half, and that trend continued at the start of the second quarter. Once Hayesville finally settled down some, you could tell the game started to trend back in the Yellow Jackets’ favor. The crowd that traveled from Hayesville to AC Reynolds in Asheville for the game was incredible. They had a significant impact on the game, and as the Yellow Jackets started to play better, the crowd got louder and louder. Perhaps the loudest cheer of the night to that point was when Kolbe Ashe hit two free throws with 11 seconds left in the half. This gave Hayesville a 33-32 lead at halftime and was the first lead since the 3-2 mark in the first quarter.
Ethan Hooper nails one of his four made three-pointers on the night.
3rd Quarter:
Hayesville came out firing in the third quarter; Ethan Hooper hit a big three to start the half. Prep was not going anywhere, though, as they continued to fight back each time the Yellow Jackets extended their lead at all. Hayesville was hot to end the quarter, though, which helped finally build a multi-possession lead. The Yellow Jacket lead got as high as 11 points as Ethan Hooper, just as he started the quarter, finished it with a three. Hayesville looked strong going into the last quarter of play leading 55-44.
4th Quarter:
The Yellow Jackets would watch their lead shrink possession by possession as the Phoenix would not go away lightly. A Hayesville technical really hurt at the start of the quarter and essentially gave Prep three straight possessions to shrink the lead. The Phoenix worked all quarter to cut down the lead and got it within one point. In fact, they had a and one free throw to tie it but missed. Free throws were a big key to the game as Hayesville went 6-7 from the free-throw line down the stretch to keep their lead as Prep fouled at the end of the game. While on the night, Prep was only 8-13, with Hayesville being 9-11 from the line. The Final straw was the one miss in the fourth quarter. Mctaggart missed the front end of a one and one but got his own rebound as he caught the Phoenix sleeping. That was followed by Kolbe Ashe hitting two free throws to make the score 72-66, which was the final score after a missed final shot by Prep.
Kolbe Ashe hits a smooth step back jumper.
Hayesville Notable Individual Stats:
Jake Mctaggart 32 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks
Ethan Hooper 16 points 4-6 from Three, 4 assists
Kolbe Ashe 11 points, 4 assists
Logan Caldwell 9 points
Hayesville will now play in the state championship on Saturday, March 12th, at NC State in Reynolds Coliseum. The Yellow Jackets will play Chatham Charter at 5:00 PM.
Game Highlights:
Interviews:
Hayesville’s Madison Logan Wins Regional Golf Title
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports October 18, 2021
Hayesville Yellow Jacket women’s golfer Madison Logan won her third straight western 1A/2A regional title today at Salisbury Country Club. Logan put together an impressive two-over in the one-day tournament. She defeated 37 other golfers but faced some stiff competition along the way.
First 9 (Back 9):
Logan played the back 9 first to start her round and had a picture-perfect start. She birdied her first two holes, starting the round two-under and giving herself some cushion. Logan would continue to play well and went onto par the next four holes to maintain her lead over the field. She would face her first bit of adversity of her day on the 16th and 17th holes. She uncharacteristically double-bogeyed the 16th following it up with a bogey on 17. In two holes she went from having a two-stroke lead to being down a stroke. Many golfers would have struggled to turn it around after that. Not Logan though, her championship composure could be seen as she came back to par the 18th hole.
Second 9 (Front 9):
Then it continued on the front 9, even after a dicey tee shot on the 1st hole she was able to scramble and save par. She would go on to par the next four holes as well, making it six pars in a row finding herself back in the lead. She bogeyed the sixth hole which dropped her into a tie for 1st. After making par at 7 and 8, the pressure was on at the 9th hole. Caroline Johnson had just finished her round at two over and Logan knew she needed at least a par on the last hole. She did just that, making it look easy and it put her into a tie for first to end the round.
The Playoff:
18 holes were not enough to decide it as Logan and Johnson were tied at two over. Logan showed why she was the two-time defending champion though. The playoff hole was number 1, where she had hit a bad tee shot earlier in the day. Not this time though a perfect drive and approach shot left her with a 3-foot birdie putt to win the match. Logan sank the putt and defended her crown now moving onto the State Championships next week where she will be one of the favorites.
Interview with Madison Logan:
Q: You started off really hot in your round then cooled off a little bit. How did you maintain focus coming into the end of your round when you needed a par on the last hole to force a playoff?
A: I did start off really strong, I knew I needed to as the back 9 was the easier side of the course. Which is why I cooled down a little bit on the second 9. On the last hole, I had a four-foot putt to force the playoff. Those types of putts I put a lot of practice into which gave me the confidence I needed to make it.
Q: What was your mindset going into the playoff hole on number one?
A: I pulled my drive a little left the first time I played it. So I knew I needed to hit a better tee shot which I was able to. It put me at about 55-yards out which is a distance I am very comfortable at. I was able to hit the second shot to three feet. Which as I said earlier I practice my short putting a lot and I was able to make it to win the match.
Q: You have won three straight regional championships. What is your goal and thought process going into the two-day state championship tournament?
A: It is my senior year so I am really hoping to win it this year. I have put in a lot of practice in with that goal in mind. State last year was only one day so that was really difficult. The two-day state tournament this year will help me a little bit. I always play better on the second day of tournaments. I am going to go out and grind it out this week in practice then try to play my best at state.
Quote from Women’s Head Golf Coach Amanda Thompson:
“I was very proud of Madison today, she played very well and kept great composure throughout her round. Her stellar performance in the playoff resulting in a birdie is evidence of what an incredible golfer she is.”
