HMS Boys’ Basketball Opens the Season with A Win Over Robbinsville

Press Release

Monday, November 3rd, the Hayesville Middle School Men’s Basketball team traveled to Robbinsville to kick off their 2025-2026 season. Facing off verse an experienced Black Knight team returning most of their roster from the previous season, the Jackets quickly set the tone with their tenacious defense. After the Jackets jumped out to a 12-3 lead, the Black Knights quickly burned their first time out hoping to slow the pace and establish some momentum on offense. The first quarter would end 16-9. The second quarter saw some early foul trouble for multiple Jacket starters. Strong bench play not only helped maintain the Yellow Jacket lead, but further expanded the margin to 12 points at half, 27-15. The third quarter saw very little scoring as the pace of the game slowed considerably with the Black Knights trying to find some semblance of an offense. The stingy, disciplined defense of the Jackets held Robbinsville to 4 points in the 3rd quarter and only 2 in the fourth. The Jackets offense continued to find scoring opportunities and pulled away with a 15-2 run in the fourth. The final score was 46-21.

Coach Rob Peck noted that his Jackets are trying to establish their identity early in the season. He notes the depth of his team and the discipline and teamwork they exhibit. “We pride ourselves on playing team ball. Unselfish! And we want to be known as a great defensive team. We are excited for the season ahead. Anytime you can go to Robbinsville, a good program with good coaching, and come out with a W, that is a good day.” Peck noted that the season is shaping up to be an exciting one with several strong programs in the SMC.

“Coach Eli Roberts, Coach Blake McClure and I are proud of the work this group has put in thus far. Like all the teams in the league, the season came quick, with less than two weeks from tryouts to the first game. Thankfully the core of this team has played a lot of ball together over the years. We want to continue to build upon Monday’s win with each practice and game. We have high expectations. We will keep working.”

The Jackets shot 65% from the floor Monday and 44% from behind the arc. Eight different players contributed to the scoring and the Jackets out rebounded the Black Knights. “We need to clean up a few things, but overall, it was a great opening game. We saw a lot of positives to build on,” stated Peck.

Hayesville hosts Rosman for their home opener on Thursday at 5PM at the HMS Gym. Little is known about Rosman as they have been out of the conference for the last several years. That said, the Jackets were back in the gym today, preparing. “In the SMC we expect everyone to bring their best. We are looking forward to Thursday and hope we have a lot of local support for both the girls and guys teams as we face off verse Rosman.” The girls tip off at 4PM and the boys at 5PM.

Come out and support your Lady Yellow Jackets and Yellow Jackets basketball teams.