Bryson City – After three quarters the Lady Devils trailed visiting Smoky Mountain 49-35, then something remarkable happened. The Lady Devils turned the whole tide of the game around and staged a dramatic comeback that fell just 2 points shy of a comeback for the ages. Swain outscored Smoky 26-13 over the game’s final 8 minutes to pull with one point at the final buzzer, as the Mustangs held on to take a 62-61 win.
At one point midway through the 3rd period the Mustangs had built a 17 point lead, their largest of the night. They appeared as though they were going to run away with the contest, but Swain continued to chip away at the lead until they almost tied the game.
In the decisive fourth quarter Swain shot a blistering 58% from the floor, with junior guard Lynsey Hicks scoring 9 of her 14 points in the final 8 minutes. Hicks also had a team high 6 assists on the night.
Grace Cabe finished with 14 points on 7 of 11 shooting. Cabe added a game high 10 rebounds to go along with 2 blocked shots and 3 steals. Sophomore Ayianna West contributed a career high 10 points and 4 assists, while freshman Ashton Younce also nailed a career high tossing in 8 points.