SECTIONAL CHAMPS!!! Avery Demolishes Hiwassee Dam to Punch Ticket to Winston-Salem

The Avery Lady Vikings made history on Friday night as they
upended the Lady Eagles from Hiwassee Dam High School by an 80-53 final score, clinching a berth in the Western Regionals in Winston-Salem next week.

Avery looked nervous in the early going as they missed a number of close shots and layups. The team eventually regrouped, punishing the Hiwassee 2-3 zone with a 14-2 run to close out the opening period to the tune of a 25-13 lead.

The staple press defense smothered the Lady Eagles consistently all evening long, forcing a large number of turnovers in the backcourt that Avery turned into quick offense. Hiwassee Dam's offense sputtered throughout much of the contest, but most notably in the second period, where the Lady Eagles missed their first 12 shots of the quarter and made only two Kareen Abling field goals in the eight minute stretch.

Avery's offense slowed down somewhat in the quarter as well, converting only five field goals in the stanza, but still managed a 16-point halftime lead at 39-23. Senior Kim Gragg paced Avery with ten first-half points. Katie Ellis was the stalwart defensively, pulling down nine rebounds and picking up four steals in the first half to go with five points.

As the third quarter ensued, the wear and tear of Avery's press and depth began to show on the Lady Eagles. Six points from Joy Jennings in the period, as well as an 8-0 scoring run midway through the quarter, pushed the Big Red advantage to 59-37 after three periods.

Avery's lead grew to as many as 24 points before a mini-run by Hiwassee Dam cut the lead to 19 at 69-50. The Lady Vikings closed out the contest in style, finishing the contest with an 11-3 run to close out the game and cruise to the first sectional championship in the history of Lady Vikings basketball.

Gragg and Katie Ellis both posted double-doubles on the evening. Gragg finished the contest with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Ellis finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Jennings tied Gragg for team-high scoring honors with 20 points, to go with six rebounds and six assists. Hayley Pyatte also reached double-figures with 12 points scored. Hiwassee Dam's Kareen Abling led all scorers with 26 points in a losing effort.

Avery's next game will take place at Atkins High School in Winston-Salem at either 7 p.m. or 8:30 pm on Wednesday evening. Contrary to some previous reports, Avery's next opponent will be determined on Monday morning as the sectional championship team representatives meet and seeds are re-drawn at a press conference at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem. The Avery Journal-Times plans to be on the scene Monday morning and will post the draw right here on the blog soon after the conference concludes.

Congratulations to the Avery Lady Vikings-- 2008 Sectional Champions!

Lady 'Landers to host Oliver Springs with trip to the 'Boro on the line

On Saturday night, the Cloudland Lady 'Landers will be one step away from the reaching their season goal of Murfreesboro. However, Oliver Springs stands in the way.
"They are a good team," Lady 'Lander coach Matt Birchfield stated after practice on Friday. "They are a rich traditional program." Oliver Springs have played in sub-state games and the state tournament in both 1A and 2A. Birchfield looked for Oliver Springs to be a very fast team and have a lot of speed. The showdown between Cloudland and Oliver Springs is Saturday at 7:00pm. The gates will open at 6:00pm at Cloudland High School. The winner of the contest will advance to the state tournament.

Avery Routs Swain; Hosts Sectional Final Friday Night

The Avery Lady Vikings were decisive in winning 70-47 over visiting Swain County Thursday night. Kimberley Gragg led all Avery scorers with 12 points, followed by 10 points each from Laura Lacey and Joy Jennings.

Avery hosts the #7 ranked Hiwassee Dam Lady Eagles in the Sectional Final Friday night. Hiwassee Dam defeated Alleghany on Wednesday to advance to the third round. For a full recap of Avery's progress in this year's tournament, read next week's Journal-Times. In the meantime, we'll keep you updated after each game here on the blog.

Lady 'Landers Claim Regional TItle

The Cloudland Lady 'Landers defeated the Cosby Lady Eagles 54-30 to win the Region 1A title. The Lady 'Landers will host Oliver Springs on Saturday at 7:00pm with a trip to Murfreesboro at stake! Good luck Lady 'Landers, and keep checking back for updates.

From The Student Section.,.....Playoff Basketball

Hello on a cold and snowy night. I hope everyone is having a great week so far, and that you have stayed warm. Here is a quick look around the world of sports from my viewpoint:

• The Lady 'Landers and Lady Vikings are still playing basketball. The Lady Vikings play Swain tomorrow night at 7:00 in Newland in a makeup game. Jamie will have you covered on that contest, and any other developments on that front. The Lady 'Landers play in the Region Championship tomorrow night at 6:00pm in Chuckey-Doak. The Lady 'Landers will play in the sub-state round on Saturday night. If they win tomorrow, the contest will be at home. If they lose, they will travel. We will keep you updated on the tournament schedule.


• The college basketball season is really heating up. The Tennessee Vols beat Memphis in the game of the year, but then lost to Vanderbilt last night. The smaller conferences will start having their tournaments next weekend.


• Are you ready for some spring sports? It will not be long as Avery Baseball as already had a scrimmage. Jamie has a post below this one with the recap.


• The NFL combine had some impressive performances. One of those belonging to App State's Dexter Jackson. Jackson ran a 4.27 in the 40 yard dash (yes, I said 4.27) and improved his stock greatly. Who is going to be the #1 pick? It is anyone's guess.


• A special shout to AJT friend Matt Hill of the Johnson County Tomahawk. Matt always has an entertaining and informative take on the sports storys of the moment. Matt has posted an excellent article on his weekly blog about should writers be fans of the teams they cover (you can check it out at http://www.thetomahawk.com/Detail.php?Cat=SPORTS&ID=57313). His article brings up some excellent points, and it is a great read.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoy the playoff basketball!

Are You Ready for Some.....Spring Sports??

The weather may still be chilly, but spring sports regular seasons are just around the corner! Avery girls soccer takes to the pitch for the first time this week, and another sport, Avery baseball, took to the diamond for the first taste of live competition in 2008.

Coming off a state quarterfinal finish a season ago in varsity play, the Avery varsity and junior varsity baseball teams began the 2008 campaign on a clear, breezy day last Saturday with a trip to Wilkes Central High School for five-inning scrimmages against host Wilkes Central as well as Hibriten.

The scrimmages were structured to give a wide array of players the opportunity to both get at-bats as well as play defense in the field. Avery manager Benny Wellborn used the scrimmages to give several pitchers work on the mound and see an array of players at various positions in the field.

The Vikings struggled to score against Wilkes Central, a perennially strong 2A school who used one of its ace pitchers on the mound during the contest. Avery countered by starting right hander Brooks Oakley, a tall athlete with a strong arm and solid control.

“Brooks threw well for us. Wilkes threw their ace their first three innings and the score was only 3-0. Their ace has been shutting teams down for a long time, and we were able to get a few runners on,” Coach Wellborn remarked after the scrimmage.

Avery bounced back to score multiple runs in the second of the scrimmages against Hibriten. Vikings senior right hander Seth Phillips took the ball for Avery in the back half of the doubleheader, showing the velocity and tenacity that made one of the region’s notable prospects and one of the most respected hurlers in Western North Carolina.

“In the second game we were hurt by a lot of passed balls which cost us some runs, and we had some missed signs as well. We didn’t put the ball in play as much and we just didn’t have the mindset to swing the bats as much as I would have liked to see,” the coach added.

Progress at such an early time of the season is not measured so much by wins and losses or even by runs on the scoreboard. Rather, the early timing of last weekend’s contests simply gave seasoned players the chance to see live pitching and go through the paces of actual game pace and new players the opportunity to get some experience under their belts.

“This year we have some kids who haven’t played who I felt should have been playing for four years. We’re coming out and moving kids around. We have several returning kids who know the game, but it’s really a work in progress right now,” the coach explained. “The good thing is since I’ve been at Avery we have never played this early, and we’ve never seen a live arm until the time of our first ballgame. That was what my main goal to accomplish was today.”

Avery opens its season on Tuesday, March 4th with a non-conference contest at Wilkes Central. First pitch is scheduled at 6:30 p.m.

'Landers vs. Hampton

Half: The Highlanders are trailing Hampton 28-23 at the half.
Final: The 'Landers fall to Hampton 66-50 ending their season. More details to come later on. Congratulations to the 'Landers on an outstanding season.

The Lady 'Landers will play on THURSDAY at 6:00pm.

Lady Vikings Defeat Cherokee, Will Meet Swain in Second Round

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.

Lady Vikings to host Cherokee in 1A Basketball Playoffs

The Avery Lady Vikings will host the opening round of the NCHSAA 1A West state basketball playoffs on Monday night. The Lady Braves of Cherokee will roll into Viking Gym for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

Avery (17-7) hopes to build on the momentum of their thrilling overtime victory over Mitchell in the finals of the Western Highlands Conference Tournament. Cherokee (11-14) enters the tournament with a wild card berth. The winner of Monday's contest will play the winner of the Swain County/Nantahala contest. Avery will host Wednesday's contest with a win over Cherokee.

Hensley Finishes as State Runner-Up at NCHSAA 1A/2A Wrestling Championships

Congratulations to senior John Hensley, who advanced to the state finals in the 130 pound weight class. Hensley met defending state champion Jose Sanchez from Mount Pleasant High School. Hensley fell by a 6-2 final match score, but had an excellent run through the tournament.