Bryson City – It wasn’t suppose to end this way, not storybook seasons. The Maroon Devils were supposed go all the way and end their dream season with a championship. But when the final horn sounded Thursday the Maroon Devils found themselves eliminated from the playoffs. Albemarle took a 58-50 win to advance to the 3rd round of the state playoffs.
Ice cold shooting doomed the Maroon Devils. For the game Swain shot an uncharacteristic 27% from the floor, and made only three 3-point baskets. Only twice during their previous 26 games did the Devils shoot under 40% as a team, and the mark of 27% is their lowest mark all season. Over a six minute stretch in the third and fourth quarters, the Devils were only able to manage 1 point. That stretch allowed Albemarle to pull away just enough to make their lead stand up for the win.
For the second straight game the Devils started slow, and trailed 16-12 after the first. But unlike Tuesday the Devils responded with a big run in the second quarter, as they outscored the Bulldogs 20-9, to take a 32-25 lead into the half. The second half proved disastrous as Albemarle outscored the Devils 33-18 over the game’s final 16 minutes.
For the second straight game the Devils were saddled by foul trouble. Brier Younce and Clayton Catolster would both foul out, while Zeke Bradley and Phinehas Little finished the game with four fouls each.
Catolster led the Devils with 13 points, turning in his usual gritty performance Catolster also pulled down 8 rebounds. Phinehas Little and Brett Treadway finished with 10 each for Swain. Zeke Bradley pulled down a game high 11 rebounds to go along with 4 assists.
Swain ends their season with an overall record of 23-4.
Unofficial Stats:
Albemarle (17-10 )
Collin Egan 1-7 6-9 8, Josh Willis 2-6 2-2 6, King Medley 0-1 0-0 0, Cameron Williams 2-2 0-0 4, Washington Noble 4-19 5-7 15, Brandon Christian 3-5 2-2 9, Jimere Davis 6-10 0-0 12, Javon Blackman 1-4 2-4 4. Totals 19-54 17-24 58
Maroon Devils (23-4 )
Evan Bradley 1-13 2-2 5, Darren Blankenship 0-5 0-0 0, Brier Younce 3-7 1-2 7, Brett Treadway 4-7 1-2 10, Zeke Bradley 1-6 5-8 7, Phinehas Little 3-14 4-4 10, Clayton Catolster 5-9 2-4 13, Nolan Arkansas 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-62 15-22 52
| SCORE BY PERIODS | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | TOTAL |
| Albemarle | 16 | 9 | 16 | 17 | 58 |
| Maroon Devils | 12 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 50 |
FG%: Albemarle .352, Maroon Devils .274. 3-pt FG:Albemarle 3-15 (Egan 0-2, Medley 0-1, Noble 2-9, Christian 1-1, Blackman 0-2), Maroon Devils 3-22 (Bradley 1-10, Blankenship 0-4, Younce 0-2, Treadway 1-1, Little 0-3, Catolster 1-2). Rebounds: Albemarle 30 (Noble 9), Maroon Devils 32 (Bradley 11). Fouls Albemarle 21, Maroon Devils 22. Fouled out: Younce, Catolster . Technical: BRADLEY. Assists: Albemarle 19 (Egan 4), Maroon Devils 17 (Z Bradley 4). Steals: Albemarle 17 (Egan 3), Maroon Devils 12 (Younce 3). Blocked shots: Albemarle 1 (Noble 1), Maroon Devils 0. Turnovers: Albemarle 14, Maroon Devils 17. Attendance: 0.