Basketball Recap: Haywood Takes a Loss

Haywood lost against Fayette Ware two weeks ago and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Haywood Tomcats fell 65-56 to the Fayette Ware Wildcats. While losing is never fun, the Tomcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 96th, while the Wildcats are ranked 25th).

Defeat or not, Haywood got some senior leadership from Antrell Jones and Jaybyon Snipe. Jones posted 15 points and four steals, while Snipe went 5 of 12 to rack up 12 points and five boards. What's more, Snipe also racked up two blocks, the most he's had since back in December of 2023. Lekendric Phillips was another key player, putting up 12 points and six rebounds.

Fayette Ware's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Tacarien Freeman, who went 6 for 12 en route to 20 points in addition to five assists and five boards. The matchup was Freeman's sixth in a row with at least 16 points. Another player making a difference was Tarecous Stevens, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Haywood's loss dropped their record down to 13-12. As for Fayette Ware, the victory was the 11th in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 19-5.

Looking ahead, Haywood will square off against Bolton at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Haywood is facing Bolton at the right time seeing as Bolton is stuck on a six-game losing streak. As for Fayette Ware, they have already played their next game, a 72-69 win against Trinity Christian Academy on the 8th.