Basketball Recap: Nantahala Comes Up Short

Nantahala lost against Cherokee back in January of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Monday. The Nantahala Hawks took a blow against the Cherokee Braves, falling 96-55. The Hawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Cole McCoy

Points

02/10/25 @ Cherokee	26
02/07/25 @ Hiwassee Dam	15
01/31/25 @ Highlands	35
01/28/25 vs Hiwassee Dam	33
01/24/25 @ Blue Ridge Early College	38
+ 7 more games

When it comes to explaining why Nantahala lost, don't look at Cole McCoy. Despite the final result, he posted 26 points. McCoy's evening made it 12 games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. Landon Neal was another key player, putting up 11 points.

Nantahala's loss dropped their record down to 9-12. As for Cherokee, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 10-7.

Coming up, Nantahala will square off against Highlands at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Nantahala is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 63.8 points per game this season. As for Cherokee, they won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Robbinsville at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Cherokee knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past three games -- so hopefully Robbinsville likes a good challenge.