The Avery Lady Vikings junior varsity girls basketball team had a difficult time shaking away a tough Patton Lady Panthers team over the first two periods of play. A strong second half on both sides of the court turned a once close contest into a rout, however, as Avery won by a 54-31 final score.The first quarter was nip and tuck, as the teams were tied 14-14 after one quarter of play. Avery went to the free throw line early and often, converting on 10 of 12 free throws in the first seven minutes. Mercedes Bentley scored six points in the quarter, with four points from Savannah Dellinger.
Both Patton and Avery worked to dictate tempo in the second period, but the game turned into a defensive struggle. The Lady Vikings scored seven points to Patton’s four in the quarter, giving the Big Red the narrow 21-18 halftime advantage.
A 18-2 run over a five minute span of the third quarter put the game away for the Big Red. Avery’s defense held Patton to only one field goal in the entire quarter, while Avery received points from six different players in the period, led by six from Monica Estep to stake the Vikings to a 39-24 lead after three quarters.
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Throughout the second half the Lady Vikings used its pressure defense to turn the tide in their favor. Avery held Patton to a single field goal and five free throws for the fourth period. In the meantime, the Big Red tickled the twine for 15 fourth-quarter points for the convincing victory.
Mercedes Bentley led the Avery attack with 14 points, with ten points, including a perfect 8 of 8 free throws, from Savannah Dellinger. Both players also had three steals in the win. Estep’s six points were complemented by five points and five rebounds from Shayna Vance, to go with three points, ten rebounds, and five steals from Mary Chesnut Smith. Avery shot 23 of 29 from the free throw line as a team for the game.
“We shot well from the line and did a good job of getting to the line tonight,” Avery girls JV head coach Pat Daniels said following the win. “We didn’t execute as well with our fast-break offense, and aren’t looking up with the ball as well as we need to. We did a great job with taking care of the ball in the first half, and had 21 steals in the game to go with 43 rebounds. Our intensity was much better after halftime and we pretty much kept our eye on the prize in the second half.”
The Avery JV boys team showed marked improvement from its earlier loss at Patton. Avery led 12-6 after one quarter of action behind a pair of three-point baskets from Mark Polsgrove and two field goals by Alex Villanueva.
Patton went on a scoring run early in the second quarter, scoring the first five points of the period to quickly tie the contest at 12-12. A pair of three-pointers in the quarter helped the Panthers to take a narrow 21-18 lead at halftime.
Neither club found scoring easy in the third quarter of play, as Avery outscored the Panthers by a 6-4 margin to trail by a single point at 25-24 going into the fourth quarter.
Patton pulled away in the fourth quarter to take the victory by the final score of 46-39.
Avery’s Hunter Shields found the shooting touch in the fourth quarter with five points, including a three-point basket, but Patton held on for the win behind the strength of a perfect 9 of 9 effort from the free throw line in the final stanza.
Alex Villanueva led the Viking scoring charge with 14 points on a team-high seven field goals. Dustin Clark added eight points for the Big Red, with seven from Shields and six from Polsgrove.
Both Avery teams are idle during the holidays and will return to the court on January 6th for their second conference contest of the season against Hendersonville.
