Preview: Nantahala Hawks vs. Hayesville Yellowjackets
Nantahala has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Hayesville Yellowjackets at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Hopefully Nantahala focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 20 on Wednesday.
Nantahala suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Wednesday. They had to suffer through a rough 91-38 loss at the hands of Swain County. Nantahala has struggled against Swain County recently, as their match on Wednesday was their third consecutive lost matchup.
The losing side was boosted by Dylan Baldwin, who scored 16 points along with nine rebounds and two steals. That's the first time this season that he pulled down eight or more rebounds. Another player making a difference was Chase McMahan, who scored four points along with three blocks.
Meanwhile, Hayesville unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took a 58-50 hit to the loss column at the hands of Andrews. While losing is never fun, Hayesville can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 465th, while Andrews is ranked 221st).
Nantahala dropped their record down to 3-9 with that defeat, which was their fifth straight at home. Hayesville's record now sits at 10-7.
Nantahala was dealt a bruising 76-29 loss at the hands of Hayesville in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Can Nantahala avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
