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: