TeamFYNSports All-Area Basketball Awards & Honors
Business, TeamFYNSports March 20, 2023
FYN- What a ride it was for our coverage area basketball teams in 2023. From the Robbinsville girl’s unprecedented run to the Regional Finals to the Lumpkin County girl’s back-to-back state championship appearances, every time we saw one of our teams take the court you knew you were in for a show. Now that we have had some time to digest things after everyone has wrapped up their seasons, we would like to present our 2022-2023 TeamFYNSports Media Awards and All-Area Teams, starting with our Players of The Year.
Desta Trammell, 2023 Area Player of The Year
23.4 Points Per Game, 5.1 Assists Per Game, 2.2 Rebounds Per Game
In her Senior campaign, Trammell helped her team advance to the Regional Finals for the first time in school history. She wrapped up her career at Robbinsville as the Lady Knight’s All-Time assists leader while also tallying 1,950 total points for her career- good enough for second in school history. Trammell will go down in Lady Knight’s history as one of the best to lace ’em up, and her contributions to the team and the community will not soon be forgotten.
“A phenomenal player and an even better person, Desta is the kind of player that makes everyone around her better in games and practice. She finished her career as 2X Smoky Mountain Conference Player of The Year, 4X All-Conference Honors, and 3X All-Western North Carolina Honors. She is getting a lot of looks and offers coming right now, so we look forward to seeing where she decides to further her education and play at the next level! Whoever get her is getting a diamond.” -Lady Knights Head Coach Lucas Ford
David Dowse & Lucas Ford, 2023 Area Coaches of The Year
David Dowse led his Lumpkin County Lady Indians squad to their second State Championship game appearance in as many years. The Lady Indians finished the season with a 26-5 overall record, including an 11-1 record in region play. Dowse’s homegrown squad was undefeated at home in the gold city and made Dahlonegah one of the hardest places in all of Georgia for opposing teams to come to play a basketball game. Dowse helped put Lumpkin County basketball on the map, and although this may have been his final year at the helm of the Purple and Gold, he’ll go down in history as one of the best to ever carry a whistle in North Georgia.
Lucas Ford‘s Robbinsville Lady Knights looked much different this year than they did last year, but that didn’t stop them from making history. Ford coached his team to the Final Four-Regional Championship game, the deepest run a male or female basketball team had made in school history. After a 1 and 4 start to the new calendar year in 2023, Ford’s team rallied down the stretch and finished the year on an 11 and 2 run, including a 1 point OT loss to rival Cherokee in the Conference Championship game. Coach Ford had this to say about his year with this 2023 team:
“This team was the epitome of the phrase “Hard work Pays off.” At the first of the season, we were not a real good basketball team at all. They continued to grind and with each day things slowly started coming together. We knew we had a great scorer/player in Desta and a great athlete/shooter and best defender all around in Kensley, and then the rest of the girls had to figure out who they were and what they could do. As coaches we had to figure out how to fit it all together. Our post players Aubrie and Liz developed very nicely through the year and they played a huge role in our success down the stretch! WE really started playing well at the right time and had some things fall our way. I felt like God sure showed favor on our team! We stayed healthy and the stars aligned and we hosted the first round of the regionals for the first time in school history. Our saying since round 1 was #NoExcuses and that kept us mentally tough throughout our run… that #NoExcuses mindset started when we got down 17-3 in the first quarter of round 2 vs Albemarle, & that mental toughness kicked in. We didn’t completely reach our goal that we had for this team, but our coaches, parents, school system, and community were certainly proud of what this team accomplished and how they put Robbinsville girls basketball on the map!”
Courtney Davis, 2023 North Georgia Player of The Year
Courtney Davis was the cornerstone of a 20 win Fannin County girls basketball team. Anytime the Lady rebels needed a bucket, they looked to #1. In the Rebels road playoff win vs Athens Academy, Courtney led the way with 25 points on 7 for 12 shooting, including going 3 for 5 from the 3 point line. In her Junior season, Davis led Fannin County in nearly all statistical categories and scored the 1,000th point of her career earlier this season. Davis was very efficient in her shooting, shooting 49% from the field and 40% from three this season.
Zack Skogen, 2023 Western North Carolina Player of The Year
Averaging a double-double in a league like the Smoky Mountain Conference is no small feat, but Zack Skogen came into the 2022 season and put everyone on notice. The 6 foot 5, 180lb big man was a force to be reckoned with down low, and was the focal point of the Murphy Bulldogs offense. Defensively, Skogen also helped anchor the Bulldogs as he averaged .5 blocks per game and over 3 steals per contest. With one more season to go in his high school career, if he can take another step forward like he did this year, his production could be unmatched.
Now, lets take a look at some of the best players in our coverage area that make up our #TeamFYNSports All-Area Basketball Teams-
Mens All-Area teams:
All-Area First Team:
Jackson McVey, F, Gilmer Co. (GA)
Brock Adams, G, Robbinsville (NC)
Zack Skogen, F, Murphy (NC)
Jadon Yeh, G, White Co. (GA)
Cal Faulkner, G, Lumpkin Co. (GA)
All-Area Second Team:
Trey Harvey, G, Dawson Co. (GA)
Dillian Brown, G, Murphy (NC)
Houston Henry, G, Union Co. (GA)
Donovan Carpenter, F, Robbinsville (NC)
Eli Underwood, F, Union Co. (GA)
All-Area Third Team:
Ethan Hooper, G, Hayesville (NC)
Jordan Richerson, G, Fannin Co. (GA)
Caleb Lanford, G, Pickens Co. (GA)
Hayden Hughes, F, Union Co. (GA)
Josiah Glaspie, F, Swain Co. (NC)
Girls All-Area Teams:
All-Area First Team:
Desta Trammell, G, Robbinsville (NC)
Courtney Davis, G, Fannin Co. (GA)
Mary Mullinax, F, Lumpkin Co. (GA)
Caroline Mullins, G, Pickens Co. (GA)
Averie Jones, G, Lumpkin Co. (GA)
All-Area Second Team:
Lexi Pierce, G, Lumpkin Co. (GA)
Morgan Chester, F, Dawson Co. (GA)
Dvdaya Swimmer, G, Cherokee (NC)
Isabella Hopkins, G, Pickens Co. (GA)
Whitney Rogers, G, Cherokee (NC)
All-Area Third Team:
Addie Johnson, F, Murphy (NC)
Ellie Cook, G, Fannin Co. (GA)
Kensley Phillips, G, Robbinsville (NC)
Ava Queen, F, Fannin Co. (GA)
Lara Turner, F, Union Co. (GA)
ELITE! Lady Knights Advance To The Elite Eight With Win Over Eastern Randolph
Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports February 25, 2023
Ramseur, NC- The Robbinsville Lady Knights made the LONG trek from Graham County to Randolph County to face the Eastern Randolph Lady Wildcats. The Wildcats entered the game as the number five seed sporting a 19-7 overall record, while the Lady Knights entered as the 13 seed at 19-8 overall.
The Lady Knights never trailed in this Sweet 16 matchup, as they controlled the game all the way from the tip and came away with a 60-45 victory over Eastern Randolph.
Desta Trammell led all scorers with 24 points, and as always was the straw that stirs the drink for the Lady Knights as she added in 8 assists.
Liz Carpenter and Aubrie Wachacha also came up huge for the Lady Knights down low, as they contributed more than their fair share on both sides of the basketball.
The second half was a bit of a roller coaster ride for both teams, as Robbinsville staved off multiple Eastern Randolph runs. Just when it seemed like the Wildcats were back in it, the Lady Knights went on a run of their own.
After back-to-back Desta Trammell layups to start the second half gave the Lady Knights their largest lead of the night, the Eastern Randolph Lady Wildcats went on a run of their own and cut the 13 point Robbinsville lead to just 6 after some quick fast break buckets. After a couple of ticky-tack fouls, Suri Watty settled in on offense and ended that run of ER luck with a deep three from the wing that put the Lady Knights back up by double digits.
After some back-and-forth runs by both teams, Aubrie Wachacha sank a bucket at the buzzer to allow the Lady Knights to take a 44-34 lead into the final period.
Eastern Randolph made a huge push to start the final quarter as they went on a 6-0 run to cut the Lady Knights lead to just four. But steady is as steady goes, and the steady that is Desta Trammell drained some timely buckets and helped give her team a 14-point lead with less than 4 minutes to go, their largest lead of the game to that point. That was the last-gasp effort from Eastern Randolph, as the Lady Knights stepped on their throat in the waning minutes and came away with a 60-42 victory!
Robbinsville will now face the 16-seed “cinderella story” in the Draughn Wildcats at home on Tuesday night.
Desta Trammell Named NCHSAA Performer Of The Week
Uncategorized January 26, 2023
Photo Courtesy of Joanna Mcmahan
Robbinsville’s Desta Trammell has been named the North Carolina High School Athletic Association performer of the week for week 19 thanks to her 40+ point outing vs Swain County High School. The 42 points she posted vs Swain came on the heels of a 34 point performance vs Blue Ridge. Trammell has now eclipsed the 1,600 point mark for her career.
Below is the press release from the NCHSAA:
Each week an athlete in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association is selected for the Performance of the Week Award, Powered by OrthoCarolina. These athletes are nominated by coaches, media, and school administrators for their outstanding performance.
The OrthroCarolina Performer of the Week for week nineteen of NCHSAA competition goes to Desta Trammell of Robbinsville High School and Jahreece Lynch of North Surry High School.
Desta Trammell has been lights out this season for Robbinsville High School. She has just come off a 42-point performance against Swain County High School in which she was 14/21 from the field, 5/8 from three, 9/11 from the line, and even added 7 assists and 4 steals to her incredible night. She continues to lead her team on and off the court as a senior leader on the team.
Jahreece Lynch has had a big hand in leading the No. 1-ranked team in the NCHSAA RPI Rankings for the 2A West. The North Surry Greyhounds are 17-1 overall and 7-0 in the Foothills 2A Conference. Recently, North Surry defeated Wilkes Central 87-52 and Jahreece led the Greyhounds with a career high 45 points in just three quarters of play! He shot 64% from the field, 3/5 from three, 6/6 from the line and even added 7 rebounds, 7 steals, and 4 assists in the blowout victory.
Congratulations to Desta Trammell of Robbinsville High School and Jahreece Lynch of North Surry High School an outstanding performance last week!!
Weekly recipients of the performance of the week award powered by OrthoCarolina will be recognized on the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Website and our Social Media pages. Get the orthopedic care you need in a way that works best for you, OrthoCarolina your care, your way.
Until next week, for the NCHSAA I’m Logan McNeill…. Thank you for watching!!
Robbinsville’s Desta Trammell Breaks NCHSAA Consecutive Free Throw Record
Team FYN Sports February 16, 2022
Graham County- Lady Knight’s star point guard Desta Trammell etched her name in the record books last night, as she hit her 41st consecutive free throw in the fourth quarter of the Knight’s SMC semi-final matchup with Cherokee. She would then go on to sink four more free throws in the same quarter, extending the record to 45. The original record of 40 was set in 1997 by Kristy Ray from Pisgah. Trammell’s streak first started against Smoky Mountain when she went 6 for 6, and she since hasn’t missed a single free throw over the last 7 games.
Trammel at the line over the last 7 games:
@ Smoky Mountain- 6/6
vs Murphy High School- 2/2
vs Cherokee High School- 14-14
@ Andrews High School- 4/4
@ Hayesville High School- 3/3
@ Hiwassee Dam High School- 1/1
vs Cherokee High School (SMC Tourney)- 12/12
Needless to say, Robbinsville Lady Knight’s Head Coach was proud of his star guard, going on to say:
“Desta’s been a great player for us for 3 years now, she’s a hard worker who’s consistently in the gym working on her game, so it’s good to see somebody that works as hard as she does get recognized individually. Team success and team records and things of that nature will always come first and she will be the first one to tell you that, but it’s great to see her hard work pay off in an individual aspect too.”
Already this year, Trammell has surpassed the 1,000th point mark for her young career, and has helped lead the Lady Knights to a top 5 state ranking and a 17-5 overall record. Up next for Robbinsville will be the SMC Tournament Championship game on Friday, where they will seek revenge against rival Murphy.
Halee Anderson’s Double-Double Helps Lead Knights To SMC Championship Game
Team FYN Sports February 15, 2022
Bryson City- Two of the top girls teams in the state went at it for the third time in the past month on Tuesday, this time in the semi-finals of the Smoky Mountain Conference tournament. Cherokee was looking to avenge their 2 regular season losses by knocking off the Knights when it mattered, but they were unable to do so as the Lady Knights made it three in a row against Cherokee with a 65-58 victory.
The Black Knights got it done in the trenches, out rebounding the Braves and hitting all but 3 of their free throw opportunities. Desta Trammell was the leading scorer on the night with 27, but Halee Anderson was the difference maker in this one, posting a line of 11 points, 13 rebounds, 5 steals and 1 assist. Anderson and Zoie Shuler did a lot of things for the Knights that won’t show up in the stat book
Game Recap-
In the first, the Lady Braves had their role players involved early and often, as Loshi Ward and Aryionna Hill lit up the scoreboard and gave Cherokee a 17-14 lead at the end of 1. Lady Knights Head Coach Lucas Ford made some quick between-quarter adjustments though, and Robbinsville went on a 13-3 run to start the second. Thanks to Halee Anderson’s 6-7 performance from the line and a buzzer beater layup from Delaney Brooms, the Knights were able to take a 35-29 lead into the break.
After a sloppy third quarter, Cherokee’s Whitney Rogers got the Lady Braves right back in it with 5 quick points to start the fourth. Robbinsville held a 49-44 lead with 5:11 left in the game, but Rogers drilled her 8th p0int of the quarter from behind the arc, and cut the lead to just 2. After some big time Zoie Shuler offensive rebounds, Desta Trammell was fouled on a three point shot and hit all three free throws that followed, making it 52-47. The Black Knights eventually built their lead up to 9 at one point with less than four minutes to go, but Leilaya McMillan was not going to allow the Lady Braves to go quietly. McMillan was bale to grab a quick steal and bucket to cut the Knights lead to 59-56, but it was too little too late from the Braves as Robbinsville took the win, 65-58.
Up Next for the Knights-
Friday night at Swain County High School, Murphy and Robbinsville will face off in the SMC Tournament Championship game. Murphy bested Robbinsville twice in the regular season, but it is always a dog fight each time these two teams take the court.
Tip off will be at 6:30, but you can bet the gym will be packed with fans of all teams wanting to see some good basketball, so get there early for a seat.
Anderson 13 rebounds
steal from mcmillian makes it 59-56 rville with 2 minutes to fo in the game.