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The Avery Vikings varsity boys hoped to put together their first winning streak of the season following a thrashing of Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, but it was the visiting Bearcats that ran wild and struck early and often.Hendersonville built a 24-8 lead behind a full-court pressing defense that consistently harassed any Viking player attempting to bring the basketball upcourt. The Bearcats upped the offensive ante in the second quarter, turning defense into offense to the tune of a 27-point second quarter burst.
Avery scored nearly double the points it tallied in the first quarter, as Kody Hughes led Avery with all seven of his points for the game during the stanza. Fifteen second quarter points only dug a deeper hole for the Vikings to climb from, as Hendersonville led 51-23 at halftime.
The third quarter proved more of the same, as Hendersonville turned the basketball game into a track meet with 27 additional points in the quarter to amass a 78-31 lead after three quarters and eventually won by the final score of 96-45.
Senior Jared Ward was the only Avery player in double-figures, scoring 14 points, with seven points from Hughes. No other Viking scored more than four points for the game. Hendersonville registered five double-figure scorers, led by 19 points from Keyvon Young.
“Hendersonville is a game we felt best to forget. But we can use it as a motivation tool. They got on the floor more than we did, which was an example our team needs to strive to follow,” Coach Bo Manis said following Tuesday’s loss. “They played awesome and we just played poorly.”
On Friday night the Vikings looked to win for the second straight season at Polk County, the site of Avery’s lone conference victory a season ago. As the game began, it was evident almost immediately that the Vikings were quick to forget the disappointment of Tuesday’s loss. Dustin Clarke shook off his four-point effort against the Bearcats by torching the Wolverines for seven points in the first quarter alone, including a basket from behind the three-point arc. Cole Blackburn added five points in the period as Avery held a 16-14 lead after the first quarter expired.
Polk County responded to the Avery surge with a second quarter run. Forwards Trent Carson and Parrish Gary scored two baskets each to help the Wolverines take over control of the game and a 31-26 lead into halftime. Clarke scored 11 points over the first two quarters, while Blackburn added eight.
The Vikings opened the third quarter with a scoring flurry to erase its deficit and regain the lead at 37-35 early in the period. Play on both ends of the floor was rough and physical, and both coaches appeared flustered at times with officiating through the contest. Polk head coach Craig Culbreth received a technical foul in the quarter for complaining too vehemently with an official, and his team responded by regaining the lead at 42-39 by quarter’s end.
A Clarke three-pointer in the opening minute of the fourth period drew the Vikings within a pair at 44-42, but the Wolverines found the ability to answer an Avery threat every time they needed to do so. Polk scored five straight points, including a Trent Carson three-pointer to extend the Polk lead to 49-42.
Avery appeared to show signs of physical and mental fatigue as it tried to dig deep for one final push to win. “The worst combination you can have in sports is mental and physical fatigue. When those two factors come together, you’re in trouble. I believe those came into play as we got a little tired and started taking bad shots that we didn’t need to take,” Coach Manis stated after the game.
Reserve guard Kasey Jackson came up huge for the Wolverines in the fourth quarter with a pair of baskets. Jackson entered the game averaging less than one point per contest, but scored nine points off the bench against the Vikings. Kamron Kerr led the Wolverines on the floor with 14 points, eight of which came in the second half to help Polk defeat the Vikings 63-49.
Dustin Clarke was Avery’s lone double-figure scorer as he netted 22 points to go with five rebounds and multiple assists. Cole Blackburn scored eight points, with seven from Kody Hughes.
“Unlike Tuesday’s game, tonight’s game is definitely one that our team can build off of. We were able to be successful working together in game situations. But we’re still a young team who needs to learn how to respond to adversity,” Coach Manis said after the contest. “In all of our close games this season we’ve had the same problems with foul trouble and taking better care of the basketball. In the second half we had the lead and had no reason to rush into anything, but they came at us and we felt like we had to score, and we basically fell apart.”
The Vikings hosts Madison on Tuesday night, and travel this Friday to Burnsville for a matchup with Mountain Heritage.
