Kolbe Ashe leads Hayesville state championship comeback win vs. Chatham Charter

RALEIGH — It had to be Kolbe Ashe.

After Chatham Charter prevented Hayesville from finding any semblance of flow through the first three quarters Saturday, the Yellow Jackets' only chance at prevailing in the rockfight was to let their senior point guard go to work down the stretch.

With a series of fourth-quarter step-throughs, crossovers, pull-ups and one particularly impressive turnaround jumper, Ashe did just that, turning a quiet night into a legendary one.

In a game Hayesville didn't lead until the fourth quarter, Ashe took over late to force overtime and then run away with it, etching his name in Yellow Jackets lore by powering a 54-43 win over Chatham Charter for the program's second state title.

"Dreams into reality," the four-year starter said after the game. "Whatever it takes to win. Whatever my team needed, I was gonna do it."

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Ashe scored 24 of his 31 points after the start of the fourth quarter, going 5-for-5 from the field over the final eight minutes of regulation to erase a five-point deficit and put Hayesville (28-0) in position to complete an undefeated season.

A transition and-one tied the game at 28 and began the Palm Beach Atlantic signee's burst. He was left alone to operate at the top of the key for the rest of the period and showed off his one-on-one attacking skills, capped with a go-ahead turnaround jumper to take a 36-34 lead with 1:40 to play at Reynolds Coliseum.

"He's the best ball-handler in the state, I think. Any level," Yellow Jackets coach Michael Cottrell said. "If we can get him the ball and control the game, then we usually can pull it out. And he proved that tonight."

The NCHSAA boys record holder for consecutive made free throws missed three crucial ones, however, allowing the Knights to get to overtime with a late bucket. Senior Jake McTaggart, whose steady offense had kept the Yellow Jackets afloat in the earlygoing, also split a pair of late free throws to leave the door open.

In the extra period, Ashe's nerves calmed back down, and he went 13-for-14 from the stripe to give the Yellow Jackets plenty of separation.

"Of course we want to hit the free throws, we want to seal the game, but it didn't go our way," Ashe said. "So, next play. That's always our mindset."

Hayesville was certainly eager to move on from the opening two quarters.

The Yellow Jackets trailed 21-14 at halftime, unhappy with the officiating and frustrated by a Chatham Charter gameplan that forced several turnovers and took the air out of the ball on offense. Hayesville shot 5-for-20 from the field in the first half. McTaggart labored his way to seven points, a far cry from his 32-point Regional performance.

"We just couldn't hit anything in the first half," said McTaggart, who finished with 16 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks. "At halftime, we were talking like, our shots are going to start falling eventually. So we just have to lean on our staple all year, which has been our defense."

Having trailed nearly all game and struggling to sustain momentum in the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets didn't play the defense they're used to, however, implementing a zone pressure rather than sitting back in their usual man-to-man.

The switch was effective, forcing the type of turnovers they had been committing earlier in the game and keeping the deficit at 28-23 entering the fourth quarter.

"This team really really makes [in]-game adjustments well," Cottrell said. "We haven't run that half-court press since, gosh, early in the season maybe. But I knew we had it in our back pocket, and we work on it every day in practice. So they made that adjustment, and it worked."

Finally having secured some control of the game on defense, it was time for one of the most prolific players in Hayesville history to win it with the ball in his hands.

The son of a longtime Yellow Jackets assistant coach, Ashe spent four years controlling the program's offense, transforming his body over the course of a career that included six conference championships, more than 1,500 points and, entering Saturday, 89 wins.

"When anything comes down to it, he's there. He's ready to play," junior Kyle Lunsford said. "It wasn't anything new for me; I've seen him do it 100 times. But that was special."

Getting win No. 90 required repeatedly hitting the clutchest shots of Ashe's life. He delivered time and time again, capping his time as the Yellow Jackets' maestro with an MVP performance that produced their first state championship since 2004.

"It was a dream for both of us to try to get there together," Cottrell said. "Very few times does a kid reach his goals and his dreams in high school. And he did."

This story has been updated. Live updates from the game are below.

PREDICTION: Analysis and prediction for the state championship game

BOX SCORE

Chatham 11 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 6 — 43

Hayesville 6 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 17 — 54

INDIVIDUALS

Chatham - Beau Harvey (16p, 8r, 4 stl), Adam Harvey (11p, 9r), Amir Mapp (10p), Brennen Oldham (3p, 12r)

Hayesville - Ashe (31p, 5r), McTaggart (16p, 17r, 7 block), Logan Caldwell (3p), Taylor McClure (2p, 6r), Lunsford (2p, 4r)

Hayesville vs. Chatham Charter: 2021 NCHSAA 1A basketball championship updates

FINAL: Hayesville 54, Chatham Charter 43

Kolbe Ashe came alive after the third quarter, scoring 24 points in the fourth period and overtime. Wildly clutch performance from the senior — excepting the missed free throws at the end of regulation —and the Yellow Jackets complete an undefeated season and win their second title in program history.

1:50 OT: Hayesville has scored the first nine points and leads 46-37. Three points from McTaggart, then six consecutive free throws from Ashe, whose nerves seem to have calmed.

End Regulation: Hayesville 37, Chatham Charter 37

Yellow Jackets missed four free throws down the stretch, and we head to overtime.

0:49 4Q: Hayesville leads 37-34 with 41.5 seconds left and the ball. Kolbe Ashe has 11 points in the fourth quarter. High degree of difficulty, too, and has his team on the cusp of a ring.

3:39 4Q: Tied at 32. Ashe has scored the last 7 for the Yellow Jackets as we go back-and-forth.

6:09 4Q: Five straight points for Ashe gives Hayesville its first lead of the game, 30-28. Chatham Charter calls timeout.

End 3Q: Chatham Charter 28, Hayesville 23

Not a particularly pretty game thus far. Yellow Jackets began pressuring and forcing much-needed turnovers late but struggled in transition.

3:50 3Q: Hayesville has cut it to four, but this game looks a lot like what the Knights want. Taking the air out of the ball on offense, preventing Hayesville from getting in any rhythm.

Halftime: Chatham Charter 21, Hayesville 14

A putback and-one from Jake McTaggart pulls the Yellow Jackets back within single digits. He has seven points at the break. Beau Harvey has 12 for the Knights, who are winning the rebounding battle 19-13.

1:30 2Q: Chatham's lead opens up to 19-11 after three consecutive sloppy Hayesville turnovers.

4:30 2Q: Hayesville with five straight points to pull within 13-11. A Kolbe Ashe triple, then a Kyle Lunsford lay-up from an Ashe dish.

End 1Q: Chatham Charter 11, Hayesville 6

Yellow Jackets missed multiple good looks, both at the rim and from deep. Good defense from both sides, overall.

4:00 1Q: Chatham Charter has an early 7-0 lead. All points coming from Beau Harvey, including a 3-pointer.

8:00 1Q: Hayesville wins the tip. We're off.

4:30 p.m.: The 1A girls trophy presentation is over, and Hayesville and Chatham Charter are taking the court.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Kolbe Ashe leads Hayesville basketball state championship win vs. Chatham Charter