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The fourth-seeded Avery JV boys won a thrilling opening round game on Monday at home over fifth-seeded Madison by the final score of 50-48.The first half was a low scoring affair as the Vikings held a 6-4 lead after one period and the teams were knotted at 16 at halftime.Madison took control in the third quarter to build a 28-21 advantage, but Avery slashed the lead to 30-27 after three quarters. Avery continued the run as it outscored the Patriots 12-4 over the first two and half minutes of the final quarter to lead 39-34.
Madison answered the Avery rally with a 9-4 run of its own to tie the score at 43-43 with 2:23 left in the game.A free throw by Spencer Blackburn gave the Vikings the lead back by a point with 1:25 to play, while an additional basket and free throw bumped the lead to 47-43 with under 50 seconds left, but a Madison three-pointer cut the lead to 47-46. A Blackburn free throw made it a two-point game, and two clutch free throws from Timmy Stewart pushed the Viking lead to two possessions and put the game out of reach.
Spencer Blackburn scored a season-high 23 points in the win for the Big Red, with ten points from Alex Villanueva, six from Dustin Clark, five from Taylor Potter.Avery returned to the floor on Wednesday in Marshall to take on the Mountain Heritage Cougars and played with poise and control. The Big Red was in command for a vast majority of the contest, leading after one period by a score of 7-4 and led by a half dozen at 18-12 at halftime.
Head coach Reggie Oakes' squad played with discipline as it led 24-20 after three quarters, but the Cougars defense managed to keep the top-seeded Heritage team in the contest long enough for the offense to get untracked. A Heritage 9-0 run over the first 3:00 of the fourth quarter allowed the Cougars to tie the Vikings at 24-24 with 4:50 to go, then eventually took the lead over the Big Red on the scoreboard with 4:30 left in the contest.
The Cougars preserved its lead for the remainder of the game by playing stingy defense throughout the evening, a defense that prevented Avery from running away with the contest in the early portion of the semifinal, then forced a number of turnovers from the Vikings and prevented them from mounting a comeback. Heritage held on in the game's waning minutes to emerge victorious by the final score of 37-28. Mountain Heritage defeated Mitchell on Friday night to capture the JV boys championship.
Although the JV boys did not advance to Friday's tourney final, the team has played with determination and heart, showing vast improvement throughout the season in finishing with a .500 conference record after a 1-13 overall start.
