Lady Vikings Advance to Sectional Final with 87-36 Battering of Lady Rams

Eight Lady Vikings scored seven or more points as Avery overcame a slow start to rout the Highland Tech Lady Rams 87-36 in the second round of the NCHSAA girls 1A basketball playoffs.

Both the Lady Rams, coming off a narrow one-point win over Rosman, and the Lady Vikings, who won its first round game by 42 points, were tight and appeared shaky in the first quarter of play. Turnovers were the story through the first eight minutes as neither team could keep firm control of the basketball.

Highland Tech forward Bry'anne Robbins scored six points and pulled down five boards in the opening eight minutes, while Avery countered with the play of senior F/C Katie Ellis, who tallied five points to help the Lady Vikings to a narrow 12-11 lead after one period.

As the second period began, however, the complexion of the game changed as Robbins was whistled for a second foul. Lady Rams head coach Phillip All sat his leading rebounder for the remainder of the half, and the Lady Vikings took control of the glass and, inevitably, the game as well.

Avery outscored the Lady Rams 28-10 in the second quarter with its run-and-gun offense and smothering defensive pressure. Highland Tech looked to stop the momentum with multiple timeouts in the quarter, but the strategy was to no avail as the Lady Viking starting five, as well as a number of reserves continued to dominate the floor.

Senior point guard Allison Vance used her speed and ball-handling to penetrate to the hoop, drawing multiple fouls and earning her way to the free throw line. Vance was a perfect 5 for 5 from the line and led the Big Red with nine points for the half.

Avery was 10 for 15 for the half from the charity stripe, while the inside duo of Ellis and Katelynn Eudy combined for 15 points through two quarters and guard Lauren Avery scored six in the second quarter, pacing the Lady Vikings to a commanding 40-21 halftime lead. Highland Tech senior Courtney Clanton looked to keep her team in the contest with four in the second stanza and five points for the half.

The Lady Vikings grabbed 26 first-half rebounds, a number of them on the offensive end to generate multiple shot opportunities, while the Lady Rams suffered greatly with the presence of Robbins, hauling in only 13 boards for the opening two quarters.

Avery's defense was also paramount, forcing 20 first-half Highland Tech turnovers, then held the Lady Rams to only 15 second-half points. Avery outscored the Lady Rams 18-8 in the third period as head coach Missy Lyons used her deep bench to rotate players and keep a number of them rested in anticipation of Friday's next round.

Samantha Shook tallied six points for the Big Red in the third period, equalled by backcourt teammate Vance, who finished the game with 15 points and five rebounds. Avery led 58-29 after three quarters of action.

Avery's reserves placed a final exclamation mark on the contest, contributing heavily to a 29-7 point differential in the closing eight minutes of play. Eudy, the starter who spent the most time on the floor in the final quarter, tallied ten of her game-high 18 points in the last stanza, with six points apiece from freshman Megan Tennant and sophomore Mercedes Bentley. Elyse Perry added a team-high seven assists in the game, six in the second half, to seal the convincing 51-point win.

The Lady Vikings will be back in action Friday night as they host Robbinsville, who cruised to a 77-35 victory over Highlands on Thursday night. The Lady Knights of the Smoky Mountain Conference are 24-2 on the season and were ranked #6 in the latest NCPreps.com high school basketball poll. The Knights were ranked as high as third earlier this month.

Tip time for Friday's sectional final contest is 7 p.m.

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Box Score:

Highland Tech (6-20): 11 10 8 7 - 36
Avery (19-10): 12 28 18 29 - 87

Highland Tech (36) - Graham 12, Robbins 7, Clanton 5, Hawkins 4, Robinson 3, Butler 3, Ledbetter 2
Avery (87) - Eudy 18, Vance 15, L. Avery 10, Shook 9, Ellis 9, Tennant 8, Wiseman 7, Bentley 7, Perry 2, Singleton 2

Turnovers: Highland Tech 31, Avery 18
3-point FG: Shook
Rebounds: Avery 52, Highland Tech 28
Foul Out: None
Technical Fouls: None

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Other Girls Scores (posted as they are reported):

1A West:

Bishop McGuinness 66, Thomasville 40

East Surry 75, River Mill Academy 61

Mount Airy 45, Alleghany 22

Hiwassee Dam 52, Polk County 32

Cherryville 69, Cherokee 67