The Avery Lady Vikings varsity basketball squad started the week strong with a 78-57 whipping of Madison Tuesday night at Viking Gym. One night later the Ashe County Lady Huskies successfully pulled off a season sweep of the Big Red, however, winning a close 55-50 contest. Avery got back on track quickly, however, as they traveled to Burnsville and upended the Lady Cougars from Mountain Heritage by a 58-53 final score.In defeating the Lady Patriots from Madison, Katie Ellis scored 17 points with nine rebounds and four steals for Avery, with Allison Vance and Samantha Shook reaching double-figures in the scoring column with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Avery opened the game on fire from the floor, sprinting out to a 21-10 lead after one quarter. By the end of the half, every Lady Vikings player dressed for the contest had points on the scoreboard and the Vikings had a commanding 45-26 lead at intermission.
Both teams hit a cold stretch in the third quarter as the teams would combine to score only 16 points with the Big Red leading 52-35, but the defense was a fortress the Lady Patriots could not penetrate. The Lady Vikings forced 20 turnovers in the runaway win and was dominant on the glass with over 50 rebounds as a team.
On Wednesday Avery appeared in firm control of the game with Ashe County through much of the first half. The Huskies were without their leading scorer Kim McNeil who led Ashe in scoring when the two squads met Avery's first game of the season.
The first half was a low scoring matchup as Avery led 10-7 after one quarter and 20-18 at halftime. Katie Ellis led the Lady Vikings with seven points in the first half. Ashe County showed great poise coming out of the locker room, as well as better offensive execution. An 8-0 Ashe scoring run in the first 72 seconds of the half gave the Lady Huskies the lead for good at 26-20.
Ashe was paced by Mallory Clay, who scored 13 of her 16 points for the game during the third quarter scoring run that put the Huskies up 39-30 after three quarters.
Avery had a difficult time hanging on to the basketball throughout the contest, which led to a number of Ashe scoring changes. The Lady Vikings turned it over 21 times in the game, five of which came early in the second half to jump start the Ashe offensive transition game.
The Lady Vikings would not give up as they used their own 13-7 scoring run early in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 46-43. Two Megan Tennant free throws cut the deficit to 46-45, but that would be as close as Avery would get. Ashe built its lead back late to 53-47 and won by the 55-50 final score.
Ellis led Avery with 15 points, to go with 10 rebounds, two steals, and a pair of blocks. Shook tallied eight of her ten points in the second half.
Avery got back on track as it ventured back into Western Highlands play Friday night at Mountain Heritage. Throughout the first quarter the Vikings dictated tempo and took an early lead. Katie Ellis scored four points through the first eight minutes and Samantha Shook knocked down the first of her three 3-point baskets for the game in the period to help Avery lead 13-7 through one quarter.
As important as the offensive production, the team’s defensive intensity and focus was as strong as it has been all season. Avery forced 22 first-half Lady Cougar turnovers and frazzled Heritage all night with its press defense. Avery shot only 31 percent from the field for the half, but the defense fueled the offense with extra possessions as the Big Red doubled up the Lady Cougars 30-15 by halftime. Solid free throw shooting also helped tip the scoreboard in Avery’s favor as the Lady Vikings were 10 of 12 from the charity stripe through two quarters.
Ellis, Shook, and Allison Vance each tallied six first-half points in a balanced Avery attack.
Mountain Heritage could have let the contest get away in the second half, but the veteran players stepped up to lead a Cougar comeback. Kayla Sheppard led the charge with 19 points in the second half and 23 points total to lead all scorers. She and teammate Courtney Huskins combined for 12 points to cut the 15-point Avery lead to only nine points at 40-31 after three periods.
On two separate occasions in the fourth quarter the Lady Cougars cut the Avery lead to as little as four points, the latter of which occurred with under a minute left in the game. But the Lady Vikings veteran players stepped up to stave off the hungry and upset-minded Heritage club.
Allison Vance scored eight of her team-high 14 points in the fourth quarter and hit four of five free throws in the quarter. Ellis completed a double-double performance with ten rebounds in the game to go with eight steals and four assists. Lauren Avery scored seven points with seven rebounds and Katelynn Eudy scored six with eight rebounds and four blocks.
The Lady Vikings return to conference action as they officially hit the midway point of the conference schedule with a rematch on Friday at Viking Gym against Owen.
