Basketball Recap: Haywood Gets the Win

Haywood won the last time they faced Bolton and things went their way on Tuesday too. In a tight matchup that could have gone either way, the Haywood Tomcats made off with a 73-72 victory over the Bolton Wildcats. Given the Tomcats' advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 95th, while the Wildcats are ranked 215th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Jaybyon Snipe

Points

02/11/25 @ Bolton	27
02/07/25 vs Fayette Ware	12
01/31/25 vs Bolivar Central	22
01/28/25 vs Bolton	20
01/24/25 @ Fayette Ware	16
+ 20 more games

Haywood got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Jaybyon Snipe out in front who went 12-for-15 to rack up 27 points and three steals. With that strong performance, Snipe is now averaging an impressive 15.2 points per game. Caden Varnado was another key player, dropping a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards.

Haywood smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bolton only pulled down six offensive boards.

Several Wildcats players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Kylan Collins, who went 5-for-9 on his way to 13 points in addition to eight steals and six assists. Collins is crushing it when it comes to steals: he's grabbed at least two every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of E'Darian Washington, who went 6-for-12 en route to 18 points.

Haywood has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a massive bump to their 14-12 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 76.3 points over those games. As for Bolton, they are on a seven-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 10-15.

Looking ahead, Haywood is taking a road trip to face off against Bolivar Central at 6:00 p.m. on February 21st. One thing working in Bolivar Central's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last four games. Bolton does not have any more games scheduled as of now.