The Avery Vikings could not hold off a strong Watauga Pioneers basketball program on Monday evening, as the rivals picked up four wins at Viking Gym.Avery's JV girls got off to a slow start and could not overcome an early run by the Pioneers, falling behind 27-8 after one period. Mercedes Bentley carried the Lady Vikings offense with 32 points, but it wasn't enough as the Lady Pioneers avenged an earlier tournament loss at the hands of the Lady Vikings by a 60-49 final score.
The JV boys played well early, but Watauga pulled away for the win. Watauga grabbed an early 16-11 advantage after one quarter. The Pioneers mounted an offensive surge to start the second quarter, eventually holding a double-digit advantage at 33-20 at halftime.
Watauga's athleticism was difficult for the Vikings to overcome all evening, but Avery cut slightly into the Pioneer lead in the third period, trailing by 11 at 41-30 after three periods. The Pioneers spread the floor and used offensive motion through a large portion of the final three minutes of play to preserve its ten-point cushion. Avery tried valiantly to mount a comeback but fell short as the Pioneers captured the second game of the evening by a 50-41 final margin.
In varsity play the Avery girls squared off with a pesky Watauga Lady Pioneers club that always seems to play competitively as a rival. The teams traded buckets for much of the opening eight minutes, with the Lady Pioneers snagging a one-point lead at 17-16 after the first period. Senior guard Allison Vance led the Vikings with five points in the quarter, along with a pair of buckets by fellow senior Samantha Shook.
Avery found difficulty dealing defensively with the size of the Lady Pioneers, particularly the play of forward Katharine Mayhew. The 5'11" junior forward was a perfect 8 for 8 from the free throw line in the first half as part of a 15 for 21 overall foul shooting half for Watauga.
Foul trouble haunted the Big Red in the first half as both Vance and forward Katelynn Eudy were saddled with fouls in the early portion of the half, prompting head coach Missy Lyons to rely on her reserves. Freshman Megan Tennant and junior Sara Wiseman responded to the call with a combined seven points.
Mayhew scored 14 in the first half and was part of a defensive rotation that held Vikings standout senior Katie Ellis to only three first half points. Sarah Miller added six points off the bench to spark the Lady Pioneers to a 38-30 lead.
Avery trailed by as many as 11 points in the late second and early third quarters before organizing a furious offensive onslaught to erase the deficit. Shook caught fire, torching the Pioneers for eight points in the third quarter. Her three-pointer gave the Lady Vikings its first lead since the opening quarter at 46-44. Watauga added a pair of points in the closing seconds of the third quarter to knot the game at 46-46 heading into the final stanza.
The Lady Vikings had played well defensively all evening, holding Watauga leading scorer Nicole Tesh to a quiet seven points through three periods of play. Things would change quickly, however, as Tesh found her shooting touch in the fourth. The 6'1" junior forward scored 11 of her team high 18 points in the fourth quarter to provide the surge the Pioneers needed to outlast the Vikings.
Avery tried to stay close behind the shooting of Allison Vance who scored five of her 10 points for the game in the quarter before fouling out late in the contest. The Lady Vikings could not reel in the Pioneers, however, as Watauga escaped Newland with a 69-59 win.
The Lady Vikings were anchored by Samantha Shook who scored 17 points to lead the club, and was complemented by Vance's ten points, two steals and five assists for Avery's only double-figure scoring efforts in the game. Katie Ellis scored seven points with 11 rebounds, while Eudy also added seven in the loss. Sara Wiseman netted six off the bench for the Big Red.
Tesh scored 18 points to go with seven rebounds to lead Watauga, with 16 points and 10 rebounds from Mayhew. Christina Rees added eight points, five rebounds, and four assists off the bench for the Pioneers. The loss drops the Lady Vikings to 3-2 overall on the season.
In varsity boys action the Avery team got off to a fast start against the Pioneers, scoring the first two baskets of the game for an early 4-0 lead. Things went downhill quickly from the Big Red, however, as a 23-4 run by Watauga was highlighted by a trio of slam dunks by Watauga's center Jeff Newell to propel the Pioneers to a 23-8 lead early in the second period.
Avery's offense began to click midway through the period as Dustin Clarke found the shooter's touch, stroking three 3-pointers out of four attempts. The sophomore led the Vikings with 11 points in the first half, but no other Viking scored more than four points before intermission.Watauga meanwhile received contributions from ten of its 12 players on the roster over the first two quarters. Newell led the charge with ten, followed by six each from Brandon Calhoun and Baine Martin. Watauga also took advantage of double-digit Avery turnovers in the half to stake itself to a commanding 43-20 halftime lead.
The Watauga offensive tsunami continued to pound the Avery club as Newell, a 6'6" senior, picked up where he left off with 12 of his game-high 24 points in the quarter. Clarke scored eight points in the quarter, including his fifth three-point basket of the night, but Watauga outscored Avery 26-15 in the quarter to lead 69-37 after three periods.
Avery showed the tenacity and no-quit attitude that has been taught by head coach Bo Manis and his staff, as the club outscored Watauga by a point in the final stanza. Lone Viking senior Jared Ward set the example for his teammates by scoring 11 of his 16 points in the final quarter. Keith McKinney added a pair of baskets, but the contest had long been decided on the scoreboard as Watauga cruised to the 90-59 win.
Dustin Clarke led Avery with 19 points, scoring all his points in the first three quarters, with 16 from Ward. Five other Vikings scored four points each in the contest. Newell's 24 points were complemented by 16 points by Caleb Courtney. Baine Martin added eight points, with seven each from Josh Coffey, Jake Wallace, and Will Koppenhaver.
The teams will renew acquaintances on Wednesday afternoon at Lentz-Eggers Gymnasium in Boone, with junior varsity action starting at 4 p.m.
