The Nantahala Hawks lost against the Hiwassee Dam Eagles last Tuesday, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. Nantahala took a serious blow against Hiwassee Dam, falling 68-27. While losing is never fun, Nantahala can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 582nd, while Hiwassee Dam is ranked 194th).
Despite the defeat, Nantahala saw an underclassman step up: Zoey Passmore scored 13 points. That was a full 48.1% of Nantahala's points, marking the third time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Delaney McLean was another key contributor, scoring eight points.
Nantahala's loss dropped their record down to 2-14. As for Hiwassee Dam, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 18-4 record this season.
Nantahala will head out on the road to challenge Highlands at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Nantahala is coming into the match with 15 straight defeats on the road, meaning Highlands will have to defend against a squad hungry for a victory. As for Hiwassee Dam, they will be playing at home against Blue Ridge Early College at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Blue Ridge Early College is coming into the contest with 11 straight defeats on the road, meaning Hiwassee Dam will have to defend against a team hungry for a victory.