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Photo by Ryan Hanchett/Staff Reese Schmitt guards an Avery County player.
Highlands’ girl’s basketball season came to an end on Saturday at Mountain Heritage High School in Burnsville following a 42-27 defeat in the third round of the NC High School Athletic Association 1-A state playoffs.
Despite the final setback, head coach Brett Lamb was proud of the season the Lady Highlanders put together. The team captured the Little Smokey Mountain 1-A Conference title and played some of the top teams in the state down to the wire.
“We had a great year, and I can’t say enough about how far this group came from the first game to the last game,” Lamb said. “We have a great group of seniors that set the tone and we have five juniors that all played significant minutes for us. I am proud of the girls who are getting ready to graduate and I am excited to see what next year holds for our current juniors and underclassmen.”
Second Round:
Highlands 69
Avery County 32
Highlands run through the 1-A playoff bracket continued Thursday night when the Avery County Vikings made the trip to Macon County.
The Lady Highlanders started fast and never looked back in a 69-32 beatdown.
Julia Schmitt scored six points in the opening two minutes of play and pushed Highlands to a 12-0 lead. Avery County’s only points of the first quarter came courtesy of a Khloe Burleson 3-point basket.
Highlands held a commanding 20-3 lead after the first eight minutes and widened the advantage to 41-15 at halftime.
“Our defense really fed our offense early, and since we were able to force some turnovers that allowed us to push the tempo,” Lamb said. “We were playing well as a team, moving the ball, and multiple girls were knocking down shots.”
Highlands’ lead continued to grow in the second half as Lamb found time to rotate in players off the bench. Of the 12 players who entered the game for Highlands, nine recorded at least one point.
Hayley Borino paced Highlands with 16 points. Also in double figures on the score sheet were Reese Schmitt with 15 points, Julia Schmitt and Bella Wilson, each with 10. Julia Schmitt paced the victors with eight rebounds.
Third Round:
Mountain Heritage 42
Highlands 27
Unfortunately for the Lady Highlanders, the offense that overwhelmed Avery County stagnated against Mountain Heritage on Saturday.
“We actually scored on our first two possessions, but after that we kind of got away from what we do well and things began to go the other team’s way,” Lamb said. “We thought if we could pressure their guards, who are a young group, we might be able to create some turnovers out of our press and get things going offensively. Unfortunately, we just didn’t make enough shots.”
Lamb noted that Highlands only made one 3-point field goal and missed 14 free throws in the contest.
“If we make half of those, we are right in the game late,” Lamb said. “That isn’t to take anything away from Mountain Heritage. They are young, mostly sophomores and freshmen, and they are going to be a very good team for the next several years.”
Highlands finished the season with a record of 18-10.
“In our league we play Murphy (the number one seed in the state), Cherokee, Robbinsville, Rosman, a lot of good teams and we were competitive with that group,” Lamb said. “When I thought back about it, we were a total of 19 combined points from winning five of the games we lost.”
On the bus ride home Saturday, Lamb’s message to the team was bigger than basketball.
“Every year I hope we teach our team a lot about the game, but also a lot about life,” Lamb said. “I told them that just because they come from a small place doesn’t mean they can’t do great things. With all they have been through over the past two years, with the pandemic, and quarantines, etc. There is nothing they can’t do.”
- By Ryan Hanchett