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Maddie Spates passes to a teammate
Hannah Styles
hstyles@thesmokymountaintimes.com
The Lady Devils took on the Lady Braves last Wednesday for a conference game but ultimately fell in the last half.
Cherokee started the scoring off with two baskets right out of the gate. The referees called back-to-back fouls for both teams and foul shots brought Swain’s first points. Mazie Helpman and Savana Smith broke out with a two-point basket each, and right as the 1st quarter buzzer went off, Helpman swooshed a three pointer, looking good going into the 2nd quarter, only three points behind Cherokee with 15-12.
Both teams continued to play a scrappy game in the 2nd quarter, as Cherokee started off the scoring again with a three pointer that was retaliated by two points from Swain. Maddie Spates slipped in a three-pointer and Helpman ran down a loose ball by Cherokee and returned for a two-point basket, ending the first half with 25-19, Cherokee still in the lead.
After halftime, Cherokee got a three-pointer right at the start and the 3rd quarter went back and forth with fouls and scoring. Spates hit a layup right at the buzzer to make the score 38-31 in Cherokee’s favor.
Cherokee opened the final quarter with two baskets and there was lots of tension between coaches, fans, and refs. With 1:19 on the clock Smith got two points and Helpman scored a three-pointer. With only 11 seconds left, the referee called on a foul on the Devils before the ball was even thrown in. Turnovers were a major problem for Swain, who ultimately ended the game with a 58-46 loss.
Highest scoring players for the game were Helpman with 23 points and 12 rebounds, Spates with six points and Smith with six points and eight rebounds.