The Cherokee Lady Braves defeated the Robbinsville Lady Black Knights 72-71 to win the Smoky Mountain Conference Tournament at the Ken Solesbee Athletic Center at Andrews High School on the evening of Friday, Feb. 17. With the win, the Lady Braves have gone undefeated in conference play this season. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
ANDREWS, N.C. – Whitney Rogers, Cherokee sophomore, hit a free throw with 19.4 seconds left on the clock in overtime to seal the deal as the Lady Braves won the Smoky Mountain Conference (SMC) tournament on Friday, Feb. 17. Cherokee defeated the Robbinsville Lady Black Knights 72-71 in a barn-burner at the Ken Solesbee Athletic Center at Andrews High School.
“Robbinsville had a very good game tonight to try to slow us up a little bit,” said Ann Gardner, Lady Braves head coach. “It was successful. We had to adjust and figure out how to make our style of game work. We were able to do that and pull away. But, they (Robbinsville) just don’t have any quit in them – credit to them. They really showed up to play tonight.”
The win is the 19th in a row for the Lady Braves who finished the SMC regular season in first place and went through all conference play undefeated.
Cherokee’s Whitney Rogers (#32) goes inside for a shot in the first half. She finished the game with 19 points.
“I can’t say enough about these girls,” said Coach Gardner who recently got her 300th career win. “They’ve bought in, and they come every day ready to work and get better. This is just the payoff right here to be able to win both the conference and the tournament.”
Cherokee has received a number three seed in the 1A West in the state championship brackets and will host Highland Tech on Tuesday, Feb. 21 (time TBA).
Coach Gardner is looking forward to making a run in the playoff. “I think we needed a game like this. We needed to be able to be pushed and make us grind it out. So, this will be very helpful for us going forward into the playoffs.”
Friday’s game was tight the whole way. Cherokee took an early 7-2 lead in the first period, but the Lady Black Knights chiseled away and cut that lead to 19-18 at the end of the first.
Robbinsville took the lead early in the second, but Cherokee came back with some three-point shots extending their lead to eight points (31-23) midway through the period. The Lady Braves led by six (37-31) at the half.
Robbinsville kept it close and ground the Cherokee lead down to three (45-42) at the end of the third.
Cherokee’s Dvdaya Swimmer (#4) brings the ball up the court during the first half.
She finished the game with 19 points.
Midway through the fourth period, the game was tied at 51-51. Cherokee managed to get a five-point lead (58-53) with just under three minutes left and kept that margin leading 64-59 with just 45 seconds left in regulation. Robbinsville stormed back with a 6-1 scoring margin in those last 45 seconds to send the game to overtime at 65-65.
The first few minutes of overtime saw the score remain tied as both teams matched baskets. Then, with 19 seconds left, Rogers was fouled, hit a free throw, and the Lady Braves played defense to seal the victory.
Rogers and Dvdaya Swimmer led Cherokee on the night with 19 points each. Other Cherokee scorers included: Kyla Moore 8, Loshi Ward 11, AJ Hill 4, Creedon Arch 2, and Kamia Wiggins 9. Robbinsville scorers included: Abby Wehr 4, Desta Trammell 26, Suri Watty 3, Liz Carpenter 17, Kensley Phillips 2, and Aubrie Wachacha 19.
Cherokee received an opening round bye in the tournament and faced Swain Co. in the second round. They defeated the Lady Maroon Devils 72-46 on Monday, Feb. 13 to advance to Friday’s final against Robbinsville.
Robbinsville’s Aubrie Wachacha (#44) goes up for a short shot as Cherokee’s Creedon Arch defends. Wachacha finished the game with 19 points for the Lady Black Knights.
