The last time Cherokee and Swain met, the Maroon Devils suffered through their worst start of the season and had to come from behind to take an overtime win from Cherokee. This time around the Maroon Devils made sure that didn’t happen. Swain bolted out to a 30-10 advantage midway through the second quarter, then held on down the stretch to take a 58-52 win from their county rival.
With the win the Devils advance to face number 1 seed Hayesville in Friday SMC Tournament Championship game. The Devils and Jackets split during the regular season, with both teams winning on their home floor.
Full Box (No Cherokee stats were kept)
| Cherokee vs. Swain |
Cherokee (52)
Jesse Toineeta 1-4 4-4 6, Brandt Sutton 0-0 0-0 0, Seth Littlejohn 7-16 2-5 20, Raven Frankiewicz 2-5 5-6 9, Kennan Panther 0-0 0-0 0, Darius Thompson 0-2 0-0 0, Dustin Johnson 3-8 1-2 7, Jalen Lossiah 0-0 0-0 0, Silas Reed-Littlejohn 1-1 2-2 4, Eli Littlejohn 2-5 2-2 6, Dillon Bird 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-41 16-21 52
Swain (56)
Matthew Maennle 6-16 5-8 20, Clay Young 3-4 1-2 7, Greg Tisho 2-6 2-4 6, Raymius Smith 3-9 1-2 8, Jamy Oocuma 0-0 0-0 0, Tanner Burrell 2-3 0-0 5, Corbin Panther 5-12 2-2 12, Michael Mazur 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-50 11-18 58
| SCORE BY PERIODS | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | TOTAL |
| Cherokee | 8 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 52 |
| Swain | 19 | 14 | 9 | 16 | 58 |
FG%: Cherokee .390, Swain .420. 3-pt FG:Cherokee 4-11 (Littlejohn 4-9, Johnson 0-2), Swain 5-19 (Maennle 3-9, Tisho 0-1, Smith 1-5, Burrell 1-2, Panther 0-2). Rebounds: Cherokee 0, Swain 31 (Panther 14). Fouls Cherokee 0, Swain 20. Fouled out: none. Technical: none. Assists: Cherokee 0, Swain 16 (Smith 6). Steals: Cherokee 0, Swain 12 (Maennle 5). Blocked shots: Cherokee 0, Swain 6 (Tisho 3). Turnovers: Cherokee 0, Swain 18. Attendance: 0.