Tennessee District 1-A Tourney Action

On Saturday evening, the Cloudland Highlanders start their quest to Murfreesboro with the start of tournament play. The Lady 'Landers start the action off at 4:00 against University High who upset Unaka last night to advance against the top seeded Cloudland. The boys get in the act in the nightcap as they will compete against University High also at 8:30.

4:35: The Lady 'Landers have started the action off right as they lead 30-14 at the half time break. Cloudland recieved 12 points from Shellie McKinney in bulding the lead. The Lady 'Landers hope to spoil UH's tourney run. Both teams are guarantted a regional slot.

5:16: Cloudland advances to the championship game on Monday afternoon here at Chuckey-Doak with their impressive 49-28 victory over University High. The Lady 'Landers got out in front early and never looked back as they cruised to the victory. Cloudland got on the board early and often in the first half as McKinney dominated the inside of the paint. The Lady 'Landers led 15 to 7 at the end of the first quarter and 30-14 at the break. Jordan Miller led the way with 13 points, while McKinney totaled 12 points. Cloudland will be in the championship game on Monday at 7:30 against the winner of Hampton vs. North Greene. We will continue to update as the night continues on from Chuckey-Doak, . The first boys contest is midway through the first quarter and Unaka leads Hampton 7-3. (Congrats to the CHS Senior Lady 'Landers as tonight's victory was their 100th at Cloudland.)

Cloudland- Hughes 6, McKinney 14, Johnson 4,Potter 3, Buchanan 2, Birchfield 2, Miller 13, Reece 7.

5:40: The first quarter is over and the Unaka Rangers lead Hampton 11-7. These two teams have played close games all season with the last game going to overtime and Hampton coming out on top.

5:55: We are at the halftime break and Unaka leads Hampton 29-25.

8:30: Game time for the Highlander boys. Both Hampton squads advance to the championship as the Lady Bulldogs just held on to a 46-42 victory. Next up, the 'Landers and Jr. Bucs square off to see who will play in Tuesday's championship game. Both teams were tied for the #2 seed, but the 'Landers will be the home team tonight as they won the tiebreaker. We will update at soon as possible.

9:10: It's halftime here in Afton and Cloudland leads 23-20 at the halftime break. The 'Landers used an 8-0 run early in the second to take the advantage. Logan Morgan leads the 'Landers with eight points, seven of which came in the second quarter. Matthew Potter has not been able to play much due to early foul trouble.

9:49: Quick update: CHS leads 49-43 with 1:21 remaining.

10:00: We have a final as Cloudland advances to the championship on Tuesday as they defeated UH by a score of 56-55. They will play Hampton on Tuesday at 7:30. We will have more information on this contest later in the weekend. Thanks for reading and hope you join us on Monday for the Lady 'Landers championship bid.
Box
Cloudland- Johnson 6. Morgan 18, Potter 12, Presnell 6, Clawson 13

State Wrestling Tournament Update

Avery High School's Brock Yackey continues to compete at the North Carolina state wrestling championships in Winston-Salem. Results during the two-day event for Avery's 112-pound classification representative are as follows:

On Friday evening, Brock fell short in his first match, as Nate Smith from North Lincoln emerged with a hard-fought 5-2 win. Yackey then dropped to the consolation bracket and fought a tough opponent in Trevor Jones from Ayden Grifton High School. Yackey came away with a victory in overtime by a final of 5-3.

Yackey lost two points in the match after being called for illegal moves by the official, but Yackey did not allow a single takedown for the entire match. Yackey earned a takedown with 20 seconds remaining in overtime to secure the win and advance to the second round of consolations on Saturday morning.

UPDATE: This morning Yackey was prepared to take on opponent Clint Callahan, who had lost by pinfall in the championship quarterfinals. Yackey earned a victory over Callahan by forfeit, however, to advance to the third round of consolations. If Yackey wins his third round match, he will place in the state championships at the 112 pound class.

We'll have further updates on whether Yackey places when they become available.

UPDATE #2: Brock has completed his third round consolation match, wrestling Zakary Berckman from Eastern Guilford High School. Unfortunately, Brock was unable to come away victorious in his final match, falling by a final match score of 9-6.

Congratulations to Brock on his great success and qualifying for the state tournament this season.

A Night to Remember! Four Champions Crowned; All-Tournament Teams Announced; Yackey State Wrestling Update

The Western Highlands Conference tournament has just concluded with the crowning of the #2 seeded Mountain Heritage Cougars as the men's tournament champions, upsetting #1 seed Madison by a 55-53 final score before a raucous and packed house at Viking Gym.

The final three games of the night were each decided by three points or less, with only the Avery Lady Vikings JVs 55-33 thrashing of Madison serving as the only one-sided affair of the night. Congratulations to the JV Lady Vikings on their fifth consecutive conference tournament title, as well as to the evening's other champions.

Immediately following the tournament, the coaches selections for the All-Tournament Teams were announced. They are as follows:

Women's WHC All-Tourney Team:

Kaitlin Franks (Polk County)
Brooks Walz (Hendersonville)
Kourtney Burchfield (Owen)
Tori Whittaker (Madison)
Jerica Ledford (Mountain Heritage)
Katie Ellis and Samantha Shook (Avery)
Samantha Smith, Whitney Jones (Mitchell)
Tournament MVP: Laken Norris (Mitchell)

Men's WHC All-Tourney Team:
Kamron Kerr (Polk County)
Keyvon Young (Hendersonville)
J.D. Chaplain (Owen)
Dustin Clarke (Avery)
Corey Greene (Mitchell)
Ramsey Elsayed and Anthony Swann (Madison)
Will McCurry, John Cannon (Mountain Heritage)
Tournament MVP: Steven Wilson (Mountain Heritage)

We'll have a full tournament recap later in the weekend. Special thanks to men's basketball coaches Bo Manis and Reggie Oakes & athletic directors Matthew Bentley and Jay Smith for all their assistance with information and accommodations throughout the tournament, as well as all the Avery High staff and employees for doing a terrific job hosting this season's tournament!

Also, Brock Yackey of the Avery wrestling team wrestled two times on Friday during the NCHSAA state wrestling tournament in Winston-Salem.

He lost 5-2 in his first match of the evening, but bounced back to defeat his opponent from Aydon-Grifton High School by a 5-3 score in overtime. Yackey earned a takedown with 20 seconds remaining in the overtime session to take the win and advance in consolation bracket. Yackey will next wrestle on Saturday morning around 8:30 a.m. We'll have further updates on his progress in the tournament as it becomes available.

Varsity Girls Championship: Avery vs Mitchell Round Three

6:53: The teams are warming up in front of a full house as the Lady Vikings and Lady Mountaineers prepare for what looks to be an outstanding game. We will have updates as soon as possible.

7:41: What a first half! Neither team has had a clear advantage as they ended the first quarter tied at 16 and then went into the locker rooms tied at 32. It has been that rough physical game that we thought we would have. Big Red Country is loud and rocking tonight as it is a standing room only. We will have a full game rundown as soon as possible after the contest.

8:35 What a game! Neither team deserved a loss,but one had to go home in 2nd. The teams ended the third period tied, but Mitchell hit a late two point shot with six second remaining to take the 61-59 victory. A rough and tough game, but an excellently played one. We will have more information on this contest and on the Madison and Mountain Heritage varsity boys championship later this evening.

9:00: The Lady Avery Vikings and Mitchell Lady Mountaineers were tied at the end of the first three quarters. It was fitting that it ended on a last second shot. Despite playing a tough physical game, the Lady Vikings fell 61-59 as Samantha Smith hit the game winner with six seconds remaining. The teams traded shots and neither team could get ahead more than sixc points in the contest. The Lady Vikings were led by Allison Vance's 14 points and had three players with 10. Mitchel was led by Lakin Norris' 17points. More information will be posted later.

BOX
Avery 16 16 14 13- 59
Mitchell 16 16 14 15- 61

Avery 59
Avery 10, Singleton 2, Vance 14, Shook 8, Ellis 10, Eudy 10, Wiseman 3

Mitchell 61
Jones 8, Jensen 3, Smith 12. Ayers 1, Norris 17, Thompson 13, Glenn 7

Championship Friday Games One and Two: Avery Captures JV Girls title

The first Western Highlands Conference title game is in the book and the Lady Vikings of Avery has captured their fifth straight tournament title as they defeated the Madison Lady Patriots 55-33. We will have more information on this contest later this afternoon. Mitchell leads 25 to 20 as we near the halftime break in the JV Boy's Championship contest.

Avery will return to the court at 7:00 or 15 minutes after the JV Boys as the Lady Avery Vikings look to beat the Mitchell Lady Mountaineers in the Varsity boys contest. Madison and Mountain Heritage will square off in the nightcap for the varsity boys title. Stay tuned to the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog for more information as the night progresses.

6:27: With one quarter remaining, Mitchell and Mountain Heritage are tied at 35. Both teams are playing a hard fought battle. On deck: Avery vs. Mitchell.(Special thanks to Avery Coaches Bo Manis and Reggie Oaks for allowing us to use their office to bring you these updates.)

6:51: The Mountain Heritage Cougars have just won a thrilling 50-47 contest over the Mitchell Mountaineers in JV boys action. The contest came down to a shot with 30 seconds remaining before Mitchell had to foul.

Western Highlands Conference Varsity Girls Championship Preview

Tonight at Avery High School the Avery Lady Vikings and Mitchell Lady Mountaineers meet for a third time this season, and for the second straight season for the WHC tournament championship.

Leading up to this evening's game, we offer a brief look back at the storylines from the team's first two contests.

First Meeting (February 5 in Newland) - Mitchell took an early double-digit lead on Avery, only to see the Lady Vikings erase the deficit on two occasions. The Lady Mountaineers led by 10 at halftime only to see Avery roar back in the second half. The trio of Katie Ellis, Lauren Avery, and Allison Vance teamed for 19 points in the third quarter to cut the Mitchell lead to six going into the final period.

The teams were tied at 58 with under two minutes left in the game but Mitchell went 20 for 25 from the free throw line in the second half to maintain its advantage. Mitchell got a boost from reserve Lyndsey Jensen who hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to ice the 65-61 Lady Mountaineer victory. Laken Norris and Autumn Thompson each scored 19 points to lead Mitchell, while four Lady Vikings reached double-figures. Katie Ellis and Lauren Avery scored 16 points each. Samantha Shook scored 13, with ten from Allison Vance.

Second Meeting (February 13 in Ledger)- The rematch between the teams was a lower scoring affair as defense was the name of the game on Mitchell's senior night. Avery scored the first five points of the game, but once Mitchell substituted a pair of its usual starters, Norris and Thompson, into the contest, the tide turned.

Norris scored eight in the first period to tie the score at 12 after one period.

Both frontcourt players Katie Ellis and Katelynn Eudy were whistled for third personal fouls early in the second quarter to hamstring the VIkings defensively and offensively. Mitchell capitalized with a 25-5 scoring run to close the first half. Norris hit three 3-pointers and matched her game total from the teams' first matchup by halftime with 19 points. Teammate Whitney Jones scored eight to help the Lady Mountaineers lead 36-19 at halftime.

Avery came out in the second half and forced a third foul on Norris, putting her on the bench for a period of time. Avery outscored Mitchell 18-6 for the third period as Allison Vance netted eight points, with eight combined points from Lauren Avery and Katelynn Eudy. Avery cut the Mitchell lead to 42-37 with eight minutes to play.

Laken Norris scored only two second-half points, but her presence on the floor was tangible and key to Mitchell maintaining its lead. Midway through the frame, both Katie Ellis and Katelynn Eudy had fouled out and the Viking offense suffered, scoring only two points for the entire final quarter. Avery's bench scoring was non-existent as no reserve registered a single point for the contest. Mitchell scored only eight points in the quarter themselves, but controlled possession of the basketball late to secure the 50-39 win.

Allison Vance was Avery's only double-figure scorer with 12 points. Sam Shook added nine, with eight from Avery. Mitchell held Avery's leading scorer Katie Ellis to only four points.
Norris led Mitchell with 21 points and seven steals, with 11 points and 9 rebounds from Thompson and 8 rebounds from Jones.

Tonight's contest begins at 7 p.m., or 15 minutes following the conclusion of the junior varsity boys championship game.

Updated Tourney Brackets; Championship Friday Set

Below are the varsity men's and women's brackets as Championship Friday begins at 4 p.m. at Avery High School. The Lady Vikings JV team looks to defend its tournament title when it takes on the Madison Lady Patriots. Mountain Heritage and Mitchell square off in the men's JV tournament title game starting around 5:30 p.m.

The varsity championships kick off around 7 p.m. when the #2 seed Avery Lady Vikings take on the #1 seed and winner of all 13 conference games this season, the Mitchell Lady Mountaineers. Mitchell is the "home" team for the contest, but expect a raucous crowd to be gathered to support both teams tonight.

Finally, the Mountain Heritage Cougars play the Madison Patriots this evening for the men's varsity championship. Heritage came from behind to defeat Mitchell last evening, while Madison looked strong in defeating Hendersonville.

Follow the Blog all evening long for game updates, the first release following the contests of the All-WHC Tournament Teams, photos, and more.

WHC Semi #4: Mountain Heritage Claws Mitchell to Earn Men's Title Game Berth

Late third quarter from Avery as Mitchell looks for the upset. The Cougars lead 43-38 with 1:10 left in the third quarter.

UPDATE #3: 2:14 remains in the semifinal and the Cougars are up 60-55. Both teams have missed a couple of inside shots over the past couple of minutes. Crunch time awaits...

UPDATE #4: A tip in by John Cannon of Heritage pushes the lead to 62-55 with under 1:06 left to play in the game. Free thross by Cannon gives the Cougars a 64-55 advantage with 45 seconds to play.

FINAL SCORE: Mountain Heritage 70, Mitchell 59. The Cougars will play Madison for the men's varsity tournament title.

The Avery Lady Vikings will take on Madison in the JV ladies championship at 4 pm on Friday, while the Avery varsity girls will take on Mitchell in the varsity girls championship at around 7 p.m.

Thanks for checking in. More coverage to come on Friday from Big Red Country!

WHC Semi #3: Mitchell holds on to defeat Upset-Minded Lady Cougars

In game 3 of the evening, the top-seeded Lady Mountaineers of Mitchell defeated the #4 seed Mountain Heritage by a 40-31 final score. Mitchell led in a defense-driven first half by the score of 17-16.

Heritage led 20-19 early in the third quarter, but an 11-3 Mitchell run in the final three and a half minutes of the third period built a 30-22 lead. A buzzer-beater by Heritage brought the Lady Cougars within five at 30-25 at the end of the third period.

Mountain Heritage had open looks inside the paint, but came up short on multiple opportunities early in the final quarter. A basket from Danielle Ayers midway through the fourth cut the lead to a pair at 32-30, but five straight points from Laken Norris keyed an 8-1 Mitchell run to close the game.

Mitchell moves on to the final to take on the Avery Lady Vikings in the varsity girls championship on Friday. The final boys semifinal of the night between #2 Mountain Heritage and #3 Mitchell is coming up next!

WHC Game 2: Madison- Hendersonville -- Patriots Move On

7:00 PM - Madison has defeated Hendersonville by a final score of 85-77. A pair of Hendersonville players fouled out late in the game as Madison held upwards of a 15-point lead for much of the contest. The Patriots move on to the championship to take on the winner of the final game of the evening between Mitchell and Mountain Heritage.

The girls are on the court warming up for the Mountain Heritage/Mitchell girls semifinal contest. The winner takes on the Lady Vikings in tomorrow evening's title game. WKYK-940 AM from Burnsville is in the building providing live radio coverage of the final two games of the night, and can be tuned in online

The Mitchell/Mountain Heritage boys game will wrap up the evening of semifinal action.

WHC Game #1: Avery vs. Polk County Girls

The Western Highlands Conference Tournament is being held in Big Red Country tonight and tomorrow night. Tonight, we have a full slate of varsity action, with the Lady Vikings tipping off first against Polk County at 4:00.

4:25: The games have begun and the Lady Vikings have started off impressively. With 5:45 remaining in the 2nd, Avery leads 23-16. It has been a tough physical game so far. Keep checking back for more information on the contest.

5:00: The third quarter is wrapped up as Avery has a commanding 27 point lead with the Lady Vikings lead 67-40. It has been a gutsy performance for Avery. We will have stats online shortly after the game. Barring a major comeback, the Lady Vikings will face the winner of Mitchell and Mountain Heritage at 7:00pm tomorrow. The Lady Viking JV squad secured a berth in tomorrow's championship night as they will face Madison at 4:00pm in Big Red Country. Stay tuned!

5:30: Game 1 is in the books and the Avery Lady Vikings have moved on with a 87 to 60 victory. Avery jumped out to a quick 21-8 lead at the end of the first quarterbefore Polk went on a tear and closed the gap to 23-16 with 5:40 remaining in the first half. Avery went on a 21-8 tear after that point to take a 44 to 24 lead into the locker room. In the second half, the Lady Vikings kept that pace up as they continued to dominate the contest. Polk County's leading player KiKi Miller got in early foul trouble as she did not play in the second half and did not score. Avery had four players in double figures and nine players score. The Vikings weere lead by Katie Ellis' 19 points, Katelynn Eudy 17points, Sara Wiseman 14 points, and Allison Vance 12 points. Ellis also had 14 rebounds, three steals and assists, and 1 block. Eudy added nine rebounds. Polk was led by Toya Twitty's 18 points and Kaitlin Franks' 14 points. The Lady Vikings move on where they will await the winner of Mitchell-Mountain Heritage. They will tipoff in game three tomorrow evening at 7:00.


Polk 8 16 16 20- 60
Avery 21 23 23 20- 87

Polk 60
Hemphill 2, Franks 14, Mazzilli 4, Edwards 13, McDowell 6, Price 2, Twitty 18, Godsey 1

Avery 87
Avery 5, Singleton 5, Perry 3, Vance 12, Shook 8, Ellis 19, Tennent 4, Eudy17, Wiseman 14

WALL TO WALL WHC TOURNEY COVERAGE TODAY with The AJT!

Avery High School plays host to this year's Western Highlands Conference varsity basketball tournament semifinals and varsity and JV championship games. Thursday is Varsity day at Viking Gym with four exciting matchups in men's and women's action, and look no further than the AJ-T Sports Blog as your first-hand source for all things WHC.

It's ladies first at 4 p.m. as the #2 seed Avery will have home court advantage as it takes on #3 seed Polk County with a tourney title game berth on the line. The men take the floor next at approximately 5:30 pm as #4 seed Hendersonville plays top-seeded Madison.

Tonight's evening session will be dominated by two schools. At approximately 7 p.m. rivals #4 seed Mountain Heritage takes on top-seeded and state ranked Mitchell in ladies action. The varsity boys teams from the two schools will hook up in the night cap, as #3 seed Mitchell takes on #2 seed Mountain Heritage.

We'll have the final score and recap of the Avery girls game posted shortly after the game's conclusion, and will be posting score updates and game recaps for the other semifinal matchups throughout the afternoon and evening.

To get your fix of WHC Tournament information, keep your browser connected with us here at THE DEFINITIVE SOURCE for 2009 Western Highlands Conference Basketball Tournament information!

Polk County/Avery WHC Semifinal Preview

The #2 seed Avery Lady Vikings will take on the #3 seed Polk County Lady Wolverines in a Western Highlands Conference semifinal matchup this afternoon at 4 p.m. in Viking Gym. Avery defeated Hendersonville 79-41 in first round action, while Polk County defeated Madison 62-61 on Monday evening. Kaitlin Franks scored a team-high 20 points and Kiki Miller hit the final two of her 13 points for the game on a go-ahead basket with one second remaining to send the Lady Wolverines into today's matchup. Denise Edwards scored 11 in the win.

Breaking Down Today's Matchup:

First Meeting (January 9, 2009 Columbus, NC): Avery 55, Polk County 62

Score By Qtr: 1 2 3 4 F
Avery 10 15 21 9 55
Polk 12 17 13 20 62

Turnovers: Avery: 27 Polk: 18

FT: Avery: 6/17 (35.2%) Polk: 24/32 (75.0%)

Individual Statistics:
Avery: Katelynn Eudy: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals
Lauren Avery: 8 points, 3 rebounds
Allison Vance: 8 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds
Katie Ellis: 8 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks (fouled out)
Samantha Shook: 7 points, 4 rebounds (fouled out)

Polk: Kiki Miller: 25 points, 13 rebounds (13/16 FT)
Kaitlin Franks: 14 points
Denise Edwards: 12 points, 9 rebounds

Storyline: A four-point Avery lead after three quarters was erased by Polk County. Kiki Miller was dominant in the post as two Avery starters fouled out in the final period, including Katie Ellis. 27 Avery turnovers led to Avery’s first conference loss of the season.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Second Meeting (February 9, 2009 Newland, NC): Polk County 61, Avery 78

Score By Qtr: 1 2 3 4 F
Polk 14 11 12 24 61
Avery 18 21 20 19 78

Turnovers: Polk: 22 Avery: 31

FT: Polk: 20/35 (71.4%) Avery: 26/34 (76.5%)

Individual Statistics:
Polk: Kiki Miller: 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals (16/18 FT)
Denise Edwards: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists
Kaitlin Franks: 7 points (fouled out)
Haley Price: 7 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals

Avery: Allison Vance: 18 points, 4 assists (4/4 FT)
Katie Ellis: 18 points, 18 rebounds, 5 blocks, 5 steals, 3 assists (6/7 FT)
Katelynn Eudy: 12 points, 8 rebounds (6/9 FT)
Samantha Shook: 12 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals (6/6 FT)

Storyline: Avery outscores Polk 14-2 to close first half to take 14-point halftime lead. The Vikings opened the second half with an 11-3 run to build 22-point advantage and cruised to the win.

JV Girls Advance to Tournament Final; JV Boys Fall in Semis

The Avery junior varsity basketball teams traveled to Madison High School this evening for the semifinal round of the Western Highlands Conference Tournament.

Avery's boys junior varsity squad took to the floor 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 will square off in the JV boys championship game against Mitchell, who defeated Hendersonville 64-49 in the other JV boys semifinal matchup from Wednesday.

Although the JV boys did not advance to Friday's tourney final, the team has played with loads of determination and heart, improving by great strides over the course of the season and have much to be proud of. Congratulations to the Avery Vikings junior varsity boys basketball squad for a tremendous season!

Avery's Lady Vikings took the floor following the boys and were victorious over Polk County by the final score of 49-27 to advance to Friday afternoon's tournament championship game in Newland.

Sophomore forward Mary Chesnut Smith led all Avery scorers with 12 points in the win. Mercedes Bentley added ten points, Lacey Barrier started for Savannah Dellinger who was out due to illness and tallied nine points. Emily Pritchard added six, with points each from Logan and Shayna, and two points from Monica Estep to round out the Lady Vikings offensive attack.

Avery's junior varsity girls team has won thirteen consecutive conference contests on the season and will look to extend its streak of conference tournament championships on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. in Viking Gym. The Lady Vikings will take on Madison, who defeated Mountain Heritage 48-39 in Marshall on Wednesday.

Special Thanks to Serena Smith for information used in compiling this post.

Tennessee District 1A Pairing Annouced

On Wednesday, the pairings were announced for the District 1A. In the girls bracket, there was a 3-way tie between Cloudland, North Greene, and Hampton for first while the boys bracket saw a two way tie between Cloudland and University High for the second seed. The seeds were drawn out. The games are scheduled to be at Chuckey-Doak High School.

(Girls)
Friday, Feb. 20
6:00 (4) Unaka vs. (5) University High

Saturday, Feb. 21
4:00 (1) Cloudland vs. Unaka/University High Winner
7:00 (2) North Greene vs. (3) Hampton

Monday, Feb. 23
6:00 Consolation
7:30 Championship

Boys

Friday, Feb. 20
7:30 (4) Unaka vs. (5) North Greene

Saturday, Feb. 21
5:30 (1)Hampton vs. Unaka/North Greene Winner
8:30 (2) Cloudland vs. (3) University High

Tuesday, Feb. 24
6:00 Consolation
7:30 Championship

Junior Varsity Girls and Boys in Tournament Action Tonight

Both the junior varsity girls and boys teams from Avery will be on the hardwood this evening at Madison High School in semifinal games of this week's Western Highlands Conference Tournament.

Avery's 4th-seeded junior varsity boys team which upended the Madison Patriots 50-48 in Newland Monday afternoon, squares off in Marshall with the top-seeded Mountain Heritage Cougars. Avery upset Heritage in JV boys action just last week in Newland. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 pm.

Immediately after the boys game, the Avery JV girls, who are riding a 12-0 conference record and string of four consecutive conference tournament championships, will square off with Polk County.

Scores and information from both games in Marshall will be posted promptly following this evening's contests.

Vikings Battle to End in Conference Tourney Loss to Cougars

The Avery men's varsity basketball team made the opening round game of the Western Highlands Conference Tournament at Mountain Heritage interesting Monday night, but the taller and more experienced Cougars team withstood a great effort by the Vikings to advance to the tournament semifinals with a 66-56 win in Burnsville.

Monday night's version of the Vikings looked nothing like the team that was blown out by over 40 points the last time the team stepped foot on the Cougars' home floor. Avery moved the basketball around and out-hustled Heritage through the first quarter of play. Sophomore Colton Blackburn scored seven points in the first period to help Avery to a 15-9 lead after one period of action.

The Cougars grabbed their first lead of the game midway through the second quarter as part of an 11-1 scoring run that propelled them to a 32-24 lead with 1:50 left before halftime and eventual 38-31 halftime advantage.

Avery cut the lead to as little as three points at 44-41 with 4:52 left in the third quarter, but Heritage regrouped to score five straight points and extend its advantage back to eight. A basket by the Big Red in the final ten seconds of the period drew the Vikings within six at 49-43 after three quarters.

Mountain Heritage won the battle on the boards in the second half to extend possessions and create second and third shot opportunities. Steven Wilson and John Cannon were the primary recipients, using their height advantage to pull in 20 rebounds between them for the evening. Seven different Heritage players scored in the final stanza, with five points off the bench from Drew Letterman.

Avery looked to rally with the shooting of Dustin Clarke. The sophomore guard scored 13 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, but Avery could not muster the final run needed to overtake the Cougars.

Kody Hughes was the only other Avery player in double figures with 12 points. Cole Blackburn added nine, while Chase Watson scored six off the bench. The Vikings conclude the tournament with three wins on the season, and with only one senior on the roster and a strong junior varsity roster, the future looks bright for the Big Red to make great strides in 2009-10.

Mountain Heritage advances to play Mitchell, a 74-48 winner over Owen on Monday, in a semifinal matchup at Avery High School on Thursday evening. Fourth-seeded Hendersonville upended #5 seed Polk County by a 75-53 final score to advance to take on top-seeded Madison in the other conference men's tourney semifinal on Thursday night at Avery.

Updated Tournament Brackets

Below are the updated Western Highlands Conference Tournament brackets following Monday and Tuesday's first round contests. Click on an image below for a larger version.

Lady Vikings Rout Hendersonville; Advance to Semis

The Avery Lady Vikings dominated early and often in blitzing the Hendersonville Lady Bearcats by a final score of 79-41.

Through the first quarter the Lady Vikings worked to seize momentum. Katelynn Eudy scored six points in the opening eight minutes to pace Avery to a 16-6 lead by period's end. Avery outscored Hendersonville 18-7 over the opening five minutes of the second quarter to build a 34-13 lead.

By halftime a trio of Lady Vikings: Eudy, Katie Ellis, and Samantha Shook, had all reached double-figures scoring in assuming a commanding 43-19 halftome lead. Brooks Walz led the Lady Bearcats with 12 first half points.

Avery continued its scoring barrage with 16 points in the third quarter. Six different Lady Vikings scored in the quarter as the Big Red led 59-32 at the end of three stanzas and closed the tournament win in style with a 20-9 scoring run in the final eight minutes. Avery had seven players score in the final quarter and every player had scored by game's end.


It was a balanced scoring effort for Avery in the win. Katie Ellis finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, and five steals. Samantha Shook scored 13, with ten from Katelynn Eudy.

Allison Vance had a terrific all-around night with eight points, six rebounds, three steals, and nine assists. Lauren Avery also netted six for the victorious Lady Vikings. Walz finished with 19 points for Hendersonville.

In the other Western Highlands Conference tournament games Monday night, #3 seed Polk County defeated #6 seed Madison 62-61. Kiki Miller hit a layup with two seconds to play on an assist from Denise Edwards to lift Polk to the Western Highlands Conference tournament win over Madison.

Miller finished with 13 points, while Kaitlin Franks led third-seeded Polk with 20. Edwards added 11 points for the Wolverines, who led until No. 6 Madison took a 47-46 lead in the fourth quarter - teams combined for 48 points in the final period.

Heather Jenkins poured in 25 points for Madison, including a basket with six seconds left to play. Torri Whitaker added 19.

Fourth seeded Mountain Heritage defeated #5 seed Owen 66-65 in double overtime. Owen came-from-behind to force overtime and the teams were forced to additional basketball as overtime also finished tied. Mountain Heritage had a chance to win the game in regulation and overtime but couldn't convert on a long-range heave at the horn either time.

The Cougars (11-13) outscored Owen 15-4 in the second overtime. Mountain Heritage had four players in double figures, including Jessica Ledford (16), Kayla Shepherd (14), Courtney Huskins (13) and Landry Fox (10).

Kourtney Burchfield paced Owen with a game-high 21 points, while Stephanie Jones scored 13. Owen trailed 25-22 at the break.

Avery will host Polk County in one semifinal game at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Earlier in the evening, the Avery JV boys won a thrilling 50-48 game. Timmy Stewart hit a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to put the game on ice. Avery will now play in the Western Highlands JV Tournament semifinals on Thursday at Madison High School.

Vikings Lose Three of Four at Mitchell; Conference Tournament Brackets Set

***UPDATE***

Avery's Junior Varsity boys team and Lady Vikings varsity girls team will host a Conference Tournament Doubleheader THIS EVENING. The JV boys will take the court at 5:30 PM to host the Madison Patriots in the first round of the JV boys Western Highlands Conference tournament.

The Avery Lady Vikings will begin its defense of their Western Highlands Conference Tournament championship this evening when they host the #7 Hendersonville Lady Bearcats.


Previous Meetings:
Avery defeated Hendersonville 74-31 in their first meeting in Newland, and swept the regular season series with an 85-55 win in Hendersonville.

Key Players:
Hendersonville Lady Bearcats:
Brooks Walz - 15 ppg, 3 rpg in two meetings vs. Avery this season
Lydia Stoney: 17 points in second meeting with Avery (DNP in first meeting)
Alexis Hubert: 5 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 spg in two meetings vs. Avery this season

Avery Lady Vikings:
Katie Ellis: 19 ppg, 14 rpg, 3 spg, 2.5 apg, 3 blocks/per game in two meetings v. Hendersonville this season
Allison Vance: 11.5 ppg, 2 rpg, 7 spg, 6 apg in two meetings v. Hendersonville this season
Katelynn Eudy: 12 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3 spg, 2.5 blocks/game in two meetings v. Hendersonville this season
Samantha Shook: 9 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 2.5 spg, 2.5 apg in two meetings v. Hendersonville this season.
Sara Wiseman: 10 ppg, 9 rpg, 3.5 blocks/gm. in two meetings v. Hendersonville this season.
Megan Tennant: 5.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg in two meetings v. Hendersonville this season.

The Avery Vikings traveled to Ledger Friday night for the regular season finale against the Mitchell Mountaineers.

In JV girls action, Avery defeated Mitchell 42-33 to finish the regular season undefeated in conference at a perfect 12-0. Avery gets a first round bye in this week's conference tournament, and will play at Madison on Thursday evening against an opponent yet to be determined.

The JV boys fell 61-36 at Mitchell to snap a four-game conference winning streak. Avery finishes the conference season with a 6-6 mark and will be the higher seed in its first round conference tournament matchup next week.

The Avery Lady Vikings fell 50-39 at Mitchell Friday night to finish the regular season with a 15-9 record overall and a 9-3 mark in conference play. Allison Vance led Avery with 12 points in the game, with nine from Samantha Shook. Laken Norris led Mitchell with 21 points.

Avery's varsity boys team played a hard-fought game but fell 70-65 at Mitchell in an entertaining game Friday night. Dustin Clarke poured in 27 points with eight rebounds and three steals to lead all scorers, with 12 points, five rebounds, and three steals from Joey Potter and 10 from Colton Blackburn.

The brackets for the Western Highlands Conference varsity basketball tournaments are now set with the following schedule:

BOYS Bracket:

Tuesday's games:
No. 7 Avery County at No. 2 Mountain Heritage, 7 p.m.
No. 6 Owen at No. 3 Mitchell, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Polk County at No. 4 Hendersonville, 7 p.m.

Thursday's games:
Hendersonville-Polk County winner vs. No. 1 Madison, 5:30 p.m.
Mountain Heritage-Avery County winner vs. Mitchell-Owen winner, 8:30 p.m.

Friday's game: Championship, 8:30 p.m. at Avery

GIRLS Bracket:

Monday's games:
No. 7 Hendersonville at No. 2 Avery County, 7 p.m.
No. 6 Madison at No. 3 Polk County, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Owen at No. 4 Mountain Heritage, 7 p.m.

Thursday's games:
Hendersonville-Avery County winner vs. Madison-Polk County winner, 4 p.m.
Owen-Mountain Heritage winner vs. No. 1 Mitchell, 7 p.m.

Friday's game:
Championship game, 7 p.m. at Avery