The Avery Lady Vikings began their quest for a state title with a convincing 89-63 win over the Lady Braves of Cherokee.
Avery scored the first 15 points of the contest and never looked back in claiming the lopsided victory. Laura Lacey led four Lady Vikings in double figures with 18 points in the win, to go with five rebounds and five assists. Katie Ellis had an outstanding contest with 14 points, 11 rebounds, five steals, and five assists. Kimberley Gragg scored 10 points with nine rebounds and three steals, with ten points each from Hayley Pyatte and Samantha Shook.
Avery will take on a familiar foe on Wednesday night as Swain County rolls into Newland fresh off a 32 point win over Nantahala in its first round contest. Four players scored in double figures for Swain (16-11). Cayla Crawley and Kayla Myers led the Maroon Devils with 16 points each.
Wednesday will mark the third consecutive year the two squads will meet in the playoffs, as the teams have split the first two meetings with the home team winning on both occasions. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. in Viking Gym.
