The Quest Continues!!! App Wins Thriller in Richmond

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

RICHMOND, Va. - Trailing by three points with 3:26 to play, Appalachian State University football drove 70 yards in 12 plays to score the winning touchdown with 10 seconds to play to defeat Richmond, 35-31, to advance to the NCAA Division I FCS semifinal against Montana.

On third and goal, Armanti Edwards found Matt Cline in the end zone for the score to take the second lead of the game.

Two drives earlier, ASU drove 73 yards to take its first lead of the game at 28-24 on a three-yard Edwards run. The Apps then stopped Richmond and forced the Spiders to punt with three and a half minutes on the clock.

On the punt return, UR's Eric McBride forced a fumble and returned it eight yards to regain the lead at 31-28.

Edwards rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries and two scores and threw for 216 more on 21 completions. Devon Moore also had two scores on the ground.

In addition to his game-winning catch, Cline was the leading receiver with 87 yards on nine grabs.

Linebackers Jacque Roman and D.J. Smith had 10 tackles each for the defense.

Appalachian travels to Montana next weekend for the national semifinal game.

Stay tuned to www.goasu.com as well as the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog as we look

Title Denied: Lees-McRae Falls 1-0 to Fort Lewis in Men's Soccer Division II National Championship

The national championship dream for Lees-McRae College was dashed by a goal from Fort Lewis' David Barden, his fifth game-winning goal of the season, in the 78th minute as the Skyhawks outlasted the Bobcats 1-0 in Saturday's NCAA Division II Men's Soccer National Championship contest.

The match was scoreless through the first half of play in a defensive affair. Fort Lewis scored the lone goal of the afternoon when Kyle Wood assisted on the Barden tally. Lees McRae managed 11 shots on goal compared to 14 for the Skyhawks, and keeper Sean Paradise made six saves in goal.

Lees-McRae enjoyed a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks for the match, and were whistled for 14 fouls in the match, while Fort Lewis was whistled 12 times. Neither team managed a clean sheet for the match, as the Bobcats were carded on three occasions, while the Skyhawks received a pair of yellow cards.

The Bobcats end their terrific and historic men's soccer season as national runners-up with a sterling 18-3-2 record.

Bobcats Advance on PKs: Paradise Lifts Lees-McRae to NCAA DII National Championship

12/3/2009

Courtesy Lees-McRae Sports Information

TAMPA, FLA. -- Senior Florida native, Sean Paradise, had five saves, including a penalty kick in regulation and a save in the shootout, to take the Lees-McRae College Bobcats to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer National Championship with a shootout win over the Lewis University Flyers Thursday afternoon.

Paradise came up big for the big for the Bobcats at the end of the first half when Lewis' Acxer Eduardo attempted a near post shot, but Paradise turned it away to keep the game scoreless at the half.

In the second half in the 58th minute, a Bobcat hand ball gave the Flyers a penalty kick, but Paradise made a diving save to his right on Robert McGowan's attempt to keep the game scoreless. The penalty kick saved turned out to be the second biggest save of Paradise's career as a Bobcat - his biggest save was yet to come.

In the 79th minute, Nestor Hernandez collected a punt and scored to put the Flyers up 1-0, and one minute later, Hernandez received a pass from Charlie Bucio and buried his second goal of the game to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead.

But the Bobcats didn't give up and rallied in the 85th minute when Grant Elder, who came off the five minutes before, took a pass from Sam Kennedy and beat the Flyers' keeper high to the far post to cut the lead to 2-1.

Two minutes later, Lee Squires, a two-time All-American who missed all but seven matches, buried the game tying goal. Squires found himself on the back post one-on-one after a Jamie Bladen shot was blocked by a Flyer defender.

In the overtime periods neither team was able to end the match on a golden goal forcing a shootout.

The Bobcats went first in the shootout and Richard Guffens buried his attempt, and Paradise made the save on McGowan's attempt for Lewis' first attempt for the biggest save in his four year career for the Bobcats.

"It was the same guy that attempted the penalty kick on me in regulation," Paradise said. "I knew he wouldn't try to go the same way on me, and I saw him open his hips and go to his left my right."

David Palmer buried his attempt and was followed by Squires, Berin Boracic and Jamie Bladen how sealed the win on his attempt that he tucked in the left corner. Bladen's game-winning goal lifted the Bobcats to the Final Four in the team's 1-0 win over Tampa.

Lees-McRae outshot Lewis, 19-11, and held a 9-8 corner kick advantage.

Paradise's five saves earned his 15th win of the season. Going back to last season he has saved seven of the last 15 penalty kicks against him.

For a school of 670 students, one of the smallest in the NCAA Division II, the Bobcats have put themselves in the title game. One-hundred plus people packed into Williams Gymnasium in Banner Elk on the campus to watch the game.

The Bobcats will face Fort Lewis Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Pepin Field in Tampa! This is the first time in the history of the school in NCAA competition a team has competed for a national title!

Related Item: Box Score

Visit lmcbobcats.com for the latest news and info on Lees-McRae College Athletics.

BOBCATS ADVANCE TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH WITH COME FROM BEHIND WIN OVER LEWIS

The LMC-Lewis National Semifinal NCAA Division II Soccer match is currently being streamed online by the NCAA. You can click the following link to access the live stream.

http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=ncaa&media=155635

GO BOBCATS!

Update: With approximately 30 minutes to play in the second half LMC keeper Sean Paradise fends off the best scoring opportunity for either club thus far in the match, a penalty shot attempt from Lewis' Robert McGowan, diving left to deflect the ball away from goal. Match still scoreless midway through the second half.

Update #2: Lewis scores two goals (Dexter Hernandez) over a two-minute span to take a 2-0 lead over the Bobcats with under 20 minutes to play.

Lees-McRae answers with a goal to cut the Lewis lead to 2-1 in the waning minutes of the second half. With just three minutes left to play, Lees McRae scores on a Lee Squires goal to tie the match at 2-2. The semifinal match is headed to OVERTIME!

Update #3: Neither team is able to score in the overtime session. The match will now be decided by PENALTY KICKS (best of 5).

Lees-McRae converts its first PK to take a 1-0 lead. Paradise saves Lewis' first PK attempt. 1-0 LMC after round one. David Palmer attempts LMC's second PK and scores on the right side of the goal to take a 2-0 lead in penalty kicks. Lewis' Jose Lopez attempted the second kick for Lewis and scores to narrow the lead to 2-1 after round two. Lee Squires converts the team's third penalty kick attempt to boost LMC's advantage to 3-1. Paradise stops Lewis' next attempt, but the official orders a do-over due to the keeper being off line. Lewis capitalizes to keep Lewis within a goal at 3-2.

Lees McRae calls on Boracic to give the Bobcats a fourth goal. Boracic scores on the lower left side of goal to give the Bobcats a 4-2 lead. Lewis slips another PK past LMC's Paradise to narrow the gap to 4-3. A goal on LMC's final kick by Jamie Bladen will send the Bobcats to Saturday's title game.

Bladen puts the shot in the lower left side of net to win the match 5-3 in Penalty Kicks!!! The Bobcats will be playing for the Division II National Championship with a thrilling 3-2 win over Lewis. Congratulations Bobcats! Lees-McRae will take on Fort Lewis beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Bobcats Weekly Wrap

Men’s Soccer:
The Lees-McRae College men’s soccer team departed this past Monday for Tampa, FL and the Division II Final Four held at Pepin Stadium. The Bobcats will take on Fort Lewis in a national semifinal, with the winner playing the winner of the match between this evening. The Bobcats have been on a roll since a 1-0 upset loss at the hands of Coker College in the Conference Carolinas Tournament, defeating the University of Tampa 1-0 in Banner Elk on November 21^st as part of a three-game tourney win streak to punch its ticket into the Final Four.

Lees-McRae achieved its first-ever #1 ranking in NCAA Division II during the regular season and currently stands at 18-2-1 on the season.

Ladies Volleyball:
This past week Whitey Justice earned First Team All-Southeast Region according to the AVCA and Second Team All-Southeast Region according to Daktronics and Luana Rocha, earned First Team All-Southeast Region from the AVCA for the Lees-McRae College women’s volleyball team.

The AVCA is voted on by the Southeast Region coaches, while Daktronics is voted on by the SIDs of the Southeast Region.

Justice, who was named All-Conference Carolinas First Team and Player of the Year, had 386 kills in 125 sets for an average of 3.09 kills per set. She also had 116 total blocks, 17 solo blocks and 99 block assists, for an average of .93 blocks per set.

Rocha, who was named First Team All-Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year and First Team, had 675 digs in 125 sets for an average of 5.40 digs per set.

The Lady Bobcats finished first in the Conference Carolinas regular season and won the tournament to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they lost in the first round to Flagler.

Men’s Basketball:
The Pfeiffer University Falcons defeated Lees-McRae College, 124-65, in the Bobcats men’s basketball Conference Carolinas opener Tuesday, November 24^th.

Pfeiffer opened the game on a 19-0 run before Jeremy Helms hit a free throw and went on to score the first nine points and 13 of the team's first half 19 points. Pfeiffer took a 56-19 lead into the half time.

The Falcons were 59 percent from the floor and a whopping 70 percent from behind the arc, while the Bobcats were 25 percent from field goal range and 37 percent from three.

In the second half, the Bobcats offense scored 46 points, but Pfeiffer responded with 68 points to win the game 124-65.

Lees-McRae improved to 59 percent in the second half from the floor and 62 percent from three, and Pfeiffer was 68 percent from the floor and 57 percent from three-point range in the half.

Sam Youse scored 16 points to lead the Bobcats, and Helms added 15 points. Josh Kurtz and Stephen Haymer collected four rebounds, and Daniel Sepokas had five assists.

Sixty of Pfeiffer’s 124 points came from three-point range.

Lees-McRae will travel to St. Andrews Saturday, December 5th for their next game with tipoff set for 4 p.m.

Women’s Basketball:
The Lees-McRae College Lady Bobcats dropped their Conference Carolinas opener, 70-61, Tuesday night to the Pfeiffer University Lady Falcons in women’s basketball action.

Lees-McRae jumped out to an early 9-2 lead with 17:18 left to play in the half, but four minutes later Pfeiffer would give the game the first tie at 11.

The two teams would tie the game twice over the next two minutes before the Lady Bobcats would take an 18-15 lead on a Jessica Blair made three pointer. However, the Lady Falcons would battle back and take a 21-19 lead one-minute later and hold the lead for the remainder of the half.

Pfeiffer pushed the lead to seven on a field goal just before the half to take a 34-27 lead into the locker rooms.

In the second half, Lees-McRae closed the lead to three, 36-33, three minutes into the half on a Colette Montgomery layup, and again to three on two Icey Patterson free throws with 16:34 remaining in the half.

Pfeiffer would counter with an 11-2 run to take an 49-38 lead with 12:18 remaining, but again Lees-McRae would close the gap to three on Brittany Williams' layup with just over eight minutes remaining. After a defensive stop and a Blair field goal, the lead was one, 55-54, but the Lady Bobcats would not regain the lead as the Lady Falcon stayed just out of reach to win, 70-61.

The Lady Bobcats were 39 percent from the floor and 26 percent from three-point range, while Pfeiffer was 37 percent from the floor and 15 percent from behind the arc.

Lees-McRae was led by Montgomery, who had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Patterson just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine assists. Blair added nine points, and Lauren Casey collected eight rebounds.

Devona Knight had 14 points for the Lady Falcons and was followed by Jamila Harris, who had 11 points. Knight also had a double-double with 10 rebounds to go along with her 14 points.

The Lady Bobcats returned to action this past Monday when they hosted Milligan College. In a tight contest, the Lady Buffaloes held off the Lady Bobcats by a final score of 59-55.

Lees-McRae held a slim 29-27 edge at intermission, but the Lady Bobcats could not overcome 20 points from Heather Mandela. Lees-McRae was more accurate shooting the ball in the loss, hitting 38.5 percent of its shots compared to just 35.1 percent for the Lady Buffs.

Lady Bobcats guard Lauren Casey led the way with 14 points on 5 of 11 shooting to go with six rebounds. Icey Patterson chipped in 11 points off the bench for the only Lees-McRae players in double-figures scoring. Collette Montgomery added a team-high nine rebounds for the contest.

The team will host North Greenville on Thursday evening at 5 p.m. and travel to take on St. Andrews on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

For more on Lees-McRae athletics, visit the school’s site at www.lmcbobcats.com or visit www.ajtsports.blogspot.com, the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog.
Information from LMC and Milligan College Sports Information was used in compiling this report.

Avery Wrestling Opens Season with Home Match, Indian Duals Tourney

The Avery wrestling team got down to business last week by opening its regular season with lots of mat action.

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving the Vikings welcomed a strong Freedom High School wrestling team to Viking Gym. The Big Red ended the evening on the short end of a 67-6 loss.

Avery had to forfeit a total of six weight classes during the match as it was unable to field competitors for the respective bouts. A pair of Avery grapplers, CJ Vance at 189 pounds and Devin Buchanan at 125 pounds, was defeated by technical fall but were not pinned. The lone victor for the Vikings was returning state qualifier Brock Yackey, who pinned Freedom’s Austin Pearson with just four seconds left in the opening period.

“Not having a full lineup hurt us pretty badly,” Avery head wrestling coach Stacey Clark said after the match. “Freedom has a good team. They had a level somewhat comparable to teams that we see at the Indian Duals.”

The next morning, the Vikings bussed to Hickory to compete in the annual Saint Stephen’s Indian Duals Tournament, an event featuring some of the best teams regardless of classification in the western portion of the state.

In its first match of the day, the Vikings took on East Mecklenburg High School. The day began on a good note as Avery came away with a 36-24 dual victory. However, as the day wore on, competition stiffened for the Vikings. Avery fell in the remainder of its dual meets against South Caldwell (27-54), Saint Stephens (9-68), Davie County (6-77), and Kernersville Glenn (18-60).

“We started off well and matched up well weight-wise with East Meck. After that, we didn’t match up well with many of the teams we faced,” Coach Clark explained. “Not having a full lineup hurt us pretty badly, as did the lack of experience.”

Despite the limited team success, a number of individual Viking wrestlers tasted success with victories on the mat. Buchanan picked up a win by pinfall over South Caldwell’s Nathan Potter. Jacob McKinney picked up back-to-back victories at the 119 lb. class by pinfall over opponents from East Mecklenburg and South Caldwell, respectively. At 130 pounds, Nick Malgadey earned a forfeit victory and won an 11-6 decision over South Caldwell’s Priceton Braswell, as well as a first period pinfall win over Glenn’s Aaron Hendricks.

Avery’s Brock Yackey won his first three matches of the day at 135 pounds, the first by forfeit and the next two via pinfall. At 160 pounds Cody Price earned a forfeit win as well as a pinfall over Davie County’s Jordan Hedricks. CJ Vance earned a forfeit victory at 171 pounds and also won a tight match by a 3-2 decision over Cory Seabock from Saint Stephen’s. Lucas Lecka competed at 215 pounds and earned a forfeit win as well as a pair of first-period pinfall victories over opponents from South Caldwell and Saint Stephen’s.

“When we had an opportunity to match up with opponents of like skill level and experience, I thought we wrestled well. Our guys wrestled to what they knew,” Coach Clark said. “We as coaches have a lot to do this upcoming week in getting ready for Ashe County this weekend. We’ll go over some things we’ve already covered. But for the first week and first event we had enough success to keep the kids interested and gave us as coaches a good look at what we need to work on.”

Avery will travel to Jefferson for a dual meet with Ashe County on Friday, and will compete in a tournament the following day at the same venue.

JV Basketball Opens 2009 Campaign with Defeats to ‘Landers

The 2009-10 edition of the Avery Vikings junior varsity basketball teams hit the hardwood on Tuesday, November 24^th with a matchup in Roan Mountain, TN against the Cloudland Highlanders.

Avery played hard and looked sharp at times, but the ‘Landers proved too much to handle in both junior varsity games, winning the girls game by the final score of 44-42 and the boys game by a final score of 67-38.

The Lady Vikings got off to a slow start with only four points in the first quarter while the Lady ‘Landers took an 11-4 advantage through one quarter. Avery rallied to cut the margin in the second quarter behind a pair of baskets from Monica Estep and three points from teammate Kelsie Clark. By half’s end the Lady Vikings found themselves down a single point at 17-16.

As the second half began Estep heated up offensively for the Big Red. She tallied six points in the quarter as part of a game-high 15-point output. Unfortunately for Avery, Sydney Miller also found the shooting touch for Cloudland, as she scored eight of her team-high 14 points in the third quarter to extend the ‘Landers advantage to 36-29 after three periods.

Cloudland extended its edge to 40-30 with just over five minutes to play, but Avery rallied behind the tandem of Clarke and Estep, who scored 12 of the team’s final 13 points, as well as by using its press defense. A pair of Bethany Chambers free throws put the Lady ‘Landers up by five points in the final 20 seconds of play, but a Clarke three-pointer for Avery narrowed the lead to two. Cloudland then ran out the remaining time to provide for the final margin. .

Summer Hughes was the only other Cloudland player in double figures with ten points, while Estep’s 15 was complimented by nine points from Clarke and four assists from Shayna Vance.

“This was our first game where we were able to let our starters play extended time. We started slowly but we made a comeback to cut the lead to two in the final quarter,” junior varsity girls head coach Pat Daniels said following the game. “I feel good about our girls and I think we will do well again this year. Monica really stepped up and all our sophomores are pretty solid for us. We were disappointed in the loss, but we’re pumped up to be able to play Cloudland at home this week.”

The junior varsity boys team followed up the girls contest and was unable to tame a tough Cloudland squad. Cloudland used a balanced scoring effort to take a 16-5 advantage after one period and led 35-19 at intermission.

Avery looked to get back into the contest behind the play of Dustin Clark, who scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half en route to a double-double for the game. Cloudland answered with the play of Taylor Whitehead, who tallied 13 of his game-high 17 points in the second half to keep Avery at bay. A 26-point third period by the ‘Landers dashed any hope for a Viking victory.

“You could tell we were young and still trying to work out some things defensively and offensively. I thought Cloudland’s pressure gave us some trouble early on and we didn’t respond well at first. Later on we seemed to play better,” JV boys head coach Reggie Oakes said after the game. “We worked to get to the line and shoot more free throws than our opponent, and I was pleased that we made it to the line as much as we did. We just have to do a better job of keeping the opponent off the line. Cloudland was very quick to the basketball and that gave us trouble, but it was a good early test that will help us when we play our conference opponents down the road.”

In addition to Clark’s scoring effort, Bryce Pittman scored seven points, with four points apiece from Austin Lyons and Brandon Huff.

The junior varsity squads returned to action Tuesday night with the rematch at Viking Gym against Cloudland, then will host Watauga this Friday night.

Vikings Basketball Competes at Harvest Hoops Invitational

This past Friday and Saturday the Avery Vikings men’s and women’s varsity basketball teams took part in the fourth annual Unimin Harvest Hoops Tournament held at neighboring Mitchell High School. Both teams played identical opponents over the two-day event, taking on R-S Central High School on Friday evening and Sullivan North (TN) High School on Saturday afternoon.

In the opening game of the tournament, the Avery Lady Vikings took on a tough opponent in the R-S Central Lady Hilltoppers. Despite the absence of starting guard Hayley Pyatte, the Big Red grabbed the early 12-8 lead after the first eight minutes of action paced by four points apiece from senior guard Lauren Avery and sophomore forward Megan Tennant.

Avery extended its advantage to five at 29-24 by halftime behind production from the Lady Viking bench. Junior forward Katelynn Eudy tallied five points in the frame, with four from junior guard Mercedes Bentley.

Early in the third period the Lady Hilltoppers rallied to take a 34-31 lead before an Avery timeout. After a conversation with head coach Missy Lyons, the Lady Vikings clicked on all cylinders. The Lady Vikings took advantage of nine points from Sara Wiseman to race out on an 18-6 scoring run over the next seven minutes to lead 49-40 with 5:19 left in the contest.

R-S Central showed its fighting spirit in refusing to fold. Shannon Hines scored nine points in the final stanza to help bring the Lady Hilltoppers with its own 12-5 scoring spurt to tie the game at 54 with only 30 seconds remaining.

On its final possession Avery found inspiration from one of its seniors, as Elyse Perry hit a short jump shot to break the tie and put the Lady Vikings ahead by a pair. Central had a chance to tie with two free throws, but could only hit one of two shots as the Lady Vikings held on to the narrow 56-55 win.

“We got off to a good start, but R-S Central was a decent and a fast team. We missed a ton of shots which was frustrating to the girls, but to hold on to win that close game after having lost the close game at Cloudland gave us confidence going into Saturday,” Avery head girls varsity coach Missy Lyons said following the win. “We played with much more confidence on Saturday, and I felt like we got over a hurdle in that game to finish strong. Sara played really tough in the post like I want her to do and she made her presence known inside. We didn’t hit our free throws as a team down the stretch, but we did some good things and were able to get the win.”

Wiseman led the Big Red with 19 points to go with nine rebounds and four blocks. Lauren Avery was the only other Lady Viking in double figures as she scored 12 points and hauled down ten rebounds. Perry added eight points and seven assists in the win.

The following day Avery had a quick turnaround with a rare noon start time against the Sullivan North Lady Raiders. Despite the early tip time, the Lady Vikings appeared fit and fresh in building a 19-9 advantage through one quarter and a commanding 35-19 lead at intermission.

Wiseman picked up where she left off from Friday, as she tallied ten of her 12 points for the game in the first half. Avery and Perry each scored seven through the first two periods to pace the Lady Vikings.

Avery put the contest away in the third quarter. The Lady Vikings blitzed the helpless Lady Raiders to the tune of a 24-6 scoring margin in the stanza. Eight different players scored baskets for Avery in the quarter en route to a 59-25 lead after three stanzas and an eventual 71-41 lopsided victory.

The Lady Vikings shot 43 percent from the field and their pressure defense forced numerous turnovers in the win.

Wiseman scored 12 points with eight rebounds as part of an All-Tournament weekend performance, while Elyse Perry’s seven points and ten assists earned her All-Tournament team member status as well. Hayley Pyatte scored 12 points with five rebounds and four steals, while Megan Tennant scored 11 points with eight rebounds.

“The girls wanted to play a good game, and we had everybody back together. Elyse was awesome with assists and we set the tone with our defense which created our offense,” Coach Lyons said. “Our press worked a lot better than in our other games and we came together on several things. All our players contributed in the game which boosts the overall spirit of the team. Sullivan North had played Cloudland tough the previous week, so I hope the tournament gives us some confidence going into this week’s games and going forward.”

The Avery varsity boys team contended with the same pair of opponents over the weekend in the Unimin Harvest Hoops Tournament. On Friday evening the Big Red took on an athletic R-S Central Hilltoppers squad.

Avery got off to a slow start against Central, falling behind 21-9 after one quarter of action. The Vikings picked themselves up offensively, however, as junior Dustin Clarke scored ten of his 14 points for the half in the second stanza. R-S Central picked up 16 combined points in the stanza from teammates Darrien Watkins and Kyle Holmstrom, many off offensive rebounds through their height advantage, to maintain a double-digit lead at 41-27 at halftime.

Central used an 18-point third quarter to boost the lead to 20 points at 58-38 with eight minutes to play.

In the final stanza the Vikings made a scoring run to get back to within as few as nine points. Kody Hughes scored five of his ten points in the game in the closing quarter and Clarke added six for a game-high 26 points, to go with a team-high in rebounding and steals for the contest. R-S Central withstood the late Viking rally, however, to take a 72-61 win.

“We gave up at least one quarter where we’re not scoring well and allowing our opponent to score. We’re still working on putting together a complete game. I thought we started out a little flat on Friday. We weren’t as sharp early as we were against Cloudland,” Avery varsity boys head basketball coach Bo Manis said following the tournament. “They were an athletic and good shooting team, but we learned as the game went on that we could play with them. Our effort was good at times, but can still be inconsistent. We want to work on consistent effort on both ends of the floor.”

The following afternoon Avery tangled with the Raiders of Sullivan North High. Dustin Clarke led five Viking players in double-figures scoring, but it was not enough as North took a 78-70 win.

Unlike its prior tournament game, Avery generated offense from the opening tip, putting up 20 points in taking a 20-12 lead after eight minutes. North answered the Viking flurry by finding its own scoring touch and using its size to generate second-chance baskets. The Raiders outscored Avery 22-9 in the second stanza, led by 14 points in the quarter from Mark Solyers to take 34-29 halftime lead.

As the third quarter began, the Vikings looked to spark a comeback. Junior Mark Polsgrove drained a pair of three-point baskets in the quarter, but North’s William White responded by accumulating 12 of his 25 total points in the stanza to push the Raider lead to eight points at 56-48.

Clarke’s jump shot heated up in the final eight minutes of play with nine of his team-high 17 points in the quarter, but foul trouble plagued him and his teammates. Clarke, as well as teammates Kody Hughes and Timmy Stewart ended up fouling out late in the contest. North took advantage of its opportunities from the free throw line with a 30 of 39 effort from the charity stripe to help seal the Avery fate.

In addition to Clarke’s 17, teammates Hughes, Stewart, and Spencer Blackburn each tallied 11 points, with ten points and six rebounds from Polsgrove. Luke Pittman added six points and six rebounds as he and Clarke were named to the All-Tournament Team.

“We played well offensively through the first three quarters, but we weren’t able to keep the pace in the fourth quarter which ended up being a big factor,” Coach Manis said. “I was not pleased with the effort on Saturday. I thought we could have given more. We also missed some shots inside that we have to make. We really needed to execute better, and as time goes on our execution has to improve.”

Avery returned to action Tuesday night with a rematch at Viking Gym against the Cloudland, with the varsity girls picking up a 60-36 victory, while the Cloudland boys got revenge for last week's loss with a 71-45 win. Avery hosts rival Watauga this Friday night. A full recap of both nights of varsity action can be found in next week’s edition, as well as here on the Blog!

Middle School Hoops Roundup

Both local middle schools were in action on the hardwood early last week, as well as immediately following the holiday weekend.

The Avery Middle School Lady Panthers traveled to Harris Middle School Monday, November 23^rd for a Toe River Conference game. Undefeated, Avery came in at 7-0 and held a two-game lead over Harris and East Yancey atop the Conference standings with three games remaining. A win over the Lady Blue Devils would clinch at least a tie for the regular season championship.

Harris relished in the role of spoiler as it held serve against the Lady Panthers through the first half of play, leading Avery 24-17 at the half. The Lady Devils enjoyed a height advantage inside which contributed to the halftime lead.

In the second half the Avery defense began to dominate as they have for much of the season, limiting Harris to only seven points for the quarter and a half following intermission while pulling to within two points.

Harris stretched the lead back to nine points with only two minutes left to play. The Lady Panthers put together a late charge to close to within three points with 38 seconds left. In need of a shot from behind the arc to tie the contest, Avery was unable to find the equalizer as three starters fouled out in the game’s final minute. Harris hit its free throws to clinch the win by the final score of 43-38.

Lauren Burleson led Avery with 17 points and Breanna Heaton added 14 points. The loss snapped a 16-game regular season win streak in conference play as Avery dropped to 7-1 on the season and saw its conference lead shrink to a single game.

“Our shooting was just a little off in the game, but Harris played really well. Had they played anyone in the conference that night, they would have beaten them,” Lady Panthers head coach Donnie Johnson said after the loss. “We trailed as many as nine and closed it to three before we had the foul outs. They capitalized on that, but overall I credit Harris more than anything for playing well.”

The Avery Middle School boys entered their game against Harris last week in first place, a game ahead of Cane River in the standings. The Panthers battled hard throughout the contest with the home-standing Devils in a very tight see-saw battle.

Chance Watson led Avery with 11 points but it was not enough as Harris held on to upend Avery with a shot at the buzzer to win by a final score of 36-34. With the loss, the Panthers dropped back into a tie for first place with Cane River.

This past Monday evening the Panthers looked to bounce back with a game against a strong East Yancey Panthers team. Both Avery clubs came away victorious on the evening, as the girls won by a 30-25 final score and the boys won 36-23.

In the girls contest Avery was forced to play a slowed down tempo that was dictated by East Yancey. Behind five points from Jodi Poore AMS took an 8-3 lead after one period.

The two teams continued to seek its offensive rhythm, but defense remained tough as Avery could only manage a 12-7 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter play remained physical, and the AMS Lady Panthers began to take control. Baskets from Lauren Burleson, Breanna Heaton, Jessie Ramsey, and helped build double the Avery lead to ten points at 21-11 to begin the fourth and final stanza.

Late in the final period the East Yancey girls made a game of it, cutting the lead to as little as two points at 27-25. Avery used a breakaway layup by Haley Woody to pad the Avery lead to two possessions and sank a final free throw to provide for the final margin.

The win by Avery clinched a third consecutive Toe River Conference regular season championship and the top seed in next week’s conference tournament.

“We struggle with wanting to settle down because we’re faster than most teams, and it can be hard for our girls to switch styles and get into the offense,” Avery coach Donnie Johnson remarked after the win. “All our girls do a great job defensively. I feel like we’re pretty deep and I’m happy with how we play as a team. It might have been a little sloppy at times, but it was a W and that’s all that matters.”

In boys action Avery took a 5-2 edge over East after one quarter and stretched its lead to 21-11 at the half. The Avery defense held East to only two points in the third quarter while stretching its lead to 30-13 after three periods and cruised to the 36-23 conference victory.Dalton Tennant and Chance Watson led the scoring charge for Avery with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Cranberry Middle School basketball squads were in action with a trio of contests in the past week. On Monday, November 23^rd the Wildcats welcomed the Cane River Rebels to town.

In ladies action, the squads battled in a nip-and-tuck affair. Cranberry led 8-6 after one quarter behind a pair of baskets from leading scorer Katie Rigdon and maintained the slim edge at 21-19 at intermission.

The two teams continued to play to a virtual standstill in the final two quarters. Both teams shot well from the field, but Cranberry refused to give up its lead, holding a 30-28 lead after three periods.

Cranberry scored the first two baskets in the opening two minutes of the final stanza to extend its lead to 34-28. The Lady Rebels scratched back, however, scoring on a layup in the final 15 seconds to cut the Lady Wildcat lead to 35-33. Cane River’s desperation shot from half-court fell short as the buzzer sounded, giving Cranberry the narrow two-point victory.

Katie Rigdon led the Lady Wildcats with 15 points, while teammate Bethany Burleson added nine in the win.

Cranberry’s boys then took the floor for a matchup with the visiting Rebels. The Wildcats played the contest without the services of head coach Jeremiah Norman, who was unable to attend due to illness. Assistant coach Kenny Gouge took the reins for the conference showdown.

Cane River opened the contest on a 16-2 run to take early control of the contest and lead 16-5 after one period. Tyler Pittman was able to tally seven points through the first half, but overall Cranberry continued to struggle from the field in the second stanza. The Wildcats scored only eight points combined in the second and third quarters against a tight Rebels defense as Cane River extended its edge to 24-9 at halftime and 33-13 after three periods. Cranberry outscored the Rebels 10-8 in the final six minutes of play, but Cane River won going away by a 41-23 final score.

Tyler Pittman led all Cranberry scorers with 13 points in the contest.

The next evening Cranberry traveled for a doubleheader with the West McDowell Titans in a non-conference tilt. In ladies action, the Lady Titans raced out to an early lead and did not look back, holding the Lady Wildcats offense in check in a 54-13 Cranberry defeat.

Rigdon again led Cranberry scorers with seven points, with four points from Sierra Jones. In the nightcap, the Wildcats boys squad played a tough Titans team. Chandler Austin was effective on offense for Cranberry to start the game as he scored all eight Wildcat points in the opening stanza. However, it was West that took an 11-8 lead after one quarter.

It was in the second quarter when the contest got away from Cranberry. An 18-4 West McDowell scoring margin in the frame extended the Titan lead to 29-12 at halftime.

Cranberry regained its offensive stroke coming out of the locker room for the third quarter, putting 17 points on the scoreboard in the six-minute period, but the Wildcats could not effectively shut down the Titan attack, as West led 44-29 after three periods and pulled away for a 54-31 triumph.

Austin led the Wildcats with 12 points in the contest, with eight points from Tyler Pittman.

Following the holiday weekend, the Lady Wildcats made its final road trip of the regular season, venturing back into conference play this past Monday to take on the Harris Blue Devils.

In the girls matchup, the Lady Devils and Lady Wildcats played a nip-and-tuck first half, as the squads went into the locker room tied at 17-17. In the second half of play, however, the home team Harris club improved its shooting, forced a number of turnovers, and asserted control, as Cranberry was unable to answer in a 38-24 loss.

Bethany Burleson led the way for the Lady Wildcats with ten points in the contest.

The second half of the twin bill saw the Cranberry and Harris boys square off. The Wildcats hung within striking distance of the Blue Devils, trailing by only ten at 24-14 at intermission.

In the second half Harris found its touch on the offensive end of the floor en route to defeating the Wildcats by a final score of 54-23. Tyler Pittman was the only Cranberry player in double-figures with ten points in the contest.

Avery and Cranberry renew their intracounty rivalry on Thursday night.

Pair of Avery Running Alumni Excel at Collegiate Level

A pair of Avery High School graduates has enjoyed great measures of success at the next level in college after excelling at the prep sports level.

Ben Crenshaw, a senior runner at Mars Hill College, achieved All-South Atlantic Conference honors as a sophomore in 2007.

Ben, who originally hails from Linville Falls, competed with his Lions teammates at the NCAA Division II National Championship Cross Country Meet at the University of Southern Indiana on November 21^st. The Mars Hill men's cross country team finished 24th overall. In the 10K event, Crenshaw finished as the fifth Mars Hill runner to complete the course, running the distance with a time of 36:49.

A teammate of Crenshaw’s at Avery High School who has achieved success in her own right on the cross country course is Banner Elk native and Lenoir Rhyne University sophomore runner Kate Griewisch.

Griewisch earned All-American honors at the 2009 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships as she finished 19th out of 184 runners in the women’s race and ran a 21:30 on the 6K course, less than a minute behind individual champion Jessica Pixler of Seattle Pacific. Kate became the first-ever Lenoir-Rhyne runner to earn NCAA Division II All-American honors in cross country, and also finished first at both the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional race two weeks ago and the 2009 South Atlantic Conference Championship in October in Newton, N.C. Griewisch also led L-R to back-to-back league championships.

For her efforts, Griewisch was named the USTFCCCA (United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) NCAA Division II Southeast Region Women’s Athlete of the Year and the 2009 SAC Runner of the Year.

An outstanding student as well, Griewisch was received the 2009 South Atlantic Conference Women’s Cross Country Scholar Athlete Award.

Although both athletes have found successes at the intercollegiate level, they give credit for their triumphs to the lessons learned as prep runners at Avery.

“I believe that my experience running at Avery contributed to much of the success I've had at LR, especially the hills and elevation that I trained in every day,” Griewisch said in a recent interview. “Also, the fact that my training at Avery was relatively laid back allowed me to really come to love running and not get burned out from over training.”

“In my ninth grade year, Coach Justin McKenzie was the first person to consider me an athlete. It set me on my path. My running experience at Avery High School has contributed greatly to running on a college level,” Ben Crenshaw said. “All my Avery coaches and teammates have added to this and I’m grateful to all of them.”

The discipline that came with running transfers to other areas of living for these student-athletes, from work to school, family to faith.

“If you can find the discipline to do anything, it tends to carry all around, such as commitment to quality of work, determination and cooperation. If you can be responsible to get up every morning, rain or shine and run your designated mileage, you can be responsible for whatever is asked of you,” Crenshaw said. “My teammates at Avery and at Mars Hill were all truly religious. It’s amazing how much better athletically that helps you to become.”

“There are definitely disciplines that come with running cross country that apply to other areas of my life. I find that if I put the same work and dedication into school, church, and relationships that I have for cross country I will experience the same amount of success in those areas,” Griewisch added. “Like many things in life, you get out what you put in. Running has given me a mental toughness and taught me that all I can do is try my best and leave the rest to God.”

Throughout their prep and collegiate careers both Kate and Ben are the first to give credit to the many people who helped shape them and make them the student-athletes and people they are today.

“All my coaches, teammates, friends, and family have helped me get where I am now, but I am especially thankful for the support of my parents and brother,” Griewisch stated. “Their encouragement means more to me than anything because I know they will be there for me no matter how well I perform in athletics or academics.”

Crenshaw noted multiple Avery influences that helped chart his course.

“Coach Don Reinhoffer made me fast enough to get the attention of college coaches. Once you get your head in the right place, your body follows, and Coach Don could say the words that made you a runner better than anyone I ever knew. After that, all I wanted to do is practice, and I know I owe him a lot,” Crenshaw elaborated. “Coach Mike Owens at Mars Hill also understood what to say to inspire me to run more and run better, and many of my Mars Hill professors were also runners and were supportive of the team. Knowing that I had their backing made me work harder in the classroom as well as out. My parents had the biggest role to play by supporting me every step of the way. Without them I don't know where I'd be."

Congratulations and best wishes for continued success to these outstanding individuals and representatives of Avery County athletics!