Last Wednesday the Avery Vikings varsity boys basketball team made the three-hour journey to After an evening of questionable officiating, multiple technical fouls and ejections, and a premature exit from the game officials, players and fans alike were left scratching their heads as Nantahala was awarded the victory to end an otherwise successful Avery season.
Throughout the game, held at the K-12 Nantahala School which boasted 40 high school students among its numbers, Avery found itself in an uphill battle against a talented Hawks squad as well as the men in the striped shirts.
In the first quarter Avery held its own against the up-tempo Hawks. A Dylan Eppley three-point play gave the Vikings their largest lead of the game at 7-4 just two minutes into the contest. The lead was short lived, however, as senior guard Josh Griffith and his Nantahala teammates utilized their height advantage and skill to push the Hawks ahead 15-9 after one quarter.
Avery found itself struggling to hit open shots as Nantahala used a 2-3 zone defense to stifle penetration inside by the slashing Viking ball-handlers. In turn Avery rushed a number of shots and was unable to cash in on open opportunities through the first ten minutes of the contest.
Griffith led the Hawks on a 22-5 scoring spurt over a seven-minute stretch in the first half to put the Hawks up by 20 points at 32-12, while the Avery offense went six minutes without scoring a point. The Vikings had a difficult time containing the senior guard who tallied a game-high 38 points, most coming by driving to the basket or at the free throw line. Hawks teammate Wesley Holden was also a handful for the Vikings defense, as the 6’5” center crashed the boards for 14 rebounds in the first half and converted a number of missed Nantahala shots into second-chance baskets.
Avery tried to use its defensive pressure to stay close, but the local Smoky Mountain Conference officials called tightly, whistling the Vikings for an astounding 15 fouls in the first half compared to just four for the press-defense-oriented home team.
Foul trouble mounted quickly against the Vikings. Avery spark plug Dustin Clarke was whistled for three quick fouls by midway through the second quarter, along with three assessed to teammate Timmy Stewart. Following a Joey Potter layup late in the period, Potter was issued a technical foul, counting for a fourth personal foul for the junior in the half.
With the Vikings hamstrung by fouls, the Hawks picked over a depleted Avery defense with a 10-2 scoring run in the final two minutes of the first half to lead 47-21 at intermission.
As a team with a penchant for second half comebacks throughout the season, the Vikings worked immediately to scratch its way back into the game. Avery opened the second half on a 16-7 run to cut its deficit under 20 points at 54-37 within the first three minutes of the half.A Kody Hughes three-pointer and a Clarke field goal brought the Vikings to within 59-42 with 3:40 left in the third period, but things quickly unraveled for the Big Red. Clay Wooten built the lead back to 20 points with the second of three 3-point baskets in the period. Seconds later Dustin Clarke was whistled for a fourth personal foul, with fourth fouls assessed as well to Timmy Stewart and Kody Hughes on successive plays. A couple of trips down the floor later Avery head coach Bo Manis was assessed a technical foul disputing a traveling call on Viking forward Dylan Eppley which could have been ruled a jump ball.
Following the technical foul, Nantahala went on an 11-4 scoring run to build a 73-46 lead early in the fourth period. Avery’s 25th team foul of the game was called at the 6:53 mark of the quarter as a charge was whistled against Clarke, his fifth foul disqualifying him from the rest of the game. The official then quickly assessed the junior guard an additional technical foul for not leaving the floor in a timely fashion. The next trip down the floor Kody Hughes was disqualified with his fifth personal foul, much to the dismay of the Viking faithful who made the trip to support the team.
Viking players, coaches, and fans were frustrated throughout the contest with what they felt was less-than-fair officiating. Five additional fouls, including a fifth foul on Potter, was assessed against Avery within a two-minute stretch, helping Nantahala take an insurmountable 80-50 advantage.
Although shorthanded, the Vikings continued to battle. Spencer Blackburn came off the bench to hit a pair of three-pointers in the quarter, while teammate Luke Pittman chipped in with six points in the second half.
With the game no longer in doubt, the frustration on the court escalated and the game situation bordered on absurd.
After free throws shot by the Hawks, one of the game officials assessed a second technical foul against Avery’s Manis, forcing the coach to leave the bench and go to the locker room. Assistant coach Reggie Oakes, upon asking for clarification on the reason for the technical foul was also given a technical foul and ordered to leave the floor. Avery’s players in solidarity stood to follow their coaches off the floor and the game officials jogged off the floor to the referees’ locker room.
After being urged to stay and finish the game by their coaches, the Viking players returned to the bench, but the officials refused to return to the floor and deemed the game over with over two minutes remaining to be played.
Dustin Clarke scored 12 points in limited action for the Big Red in the loss, with 10 points each from senior Luke Pittman and Kody Hughes, nine points from both Spencer Blackburn and senior Dylan Eppley, and four from Timmy Stewart.
“I’m proud of the players this year. They’ve worked so hard this season,” Coach Manis said following the end to his team’s season. “We began work right after the tournament back in March with open gym and they’ve been at it all the way up to this season besides the mandatory dead time in August. The kids put a lot of hard and soul into this year and it shows what hard work can do. I hope that next year the guys will continue to want to work harder to reach our goals.”
Avery ends its season with an 11-12 overall record, doubling its win total from the past two seasons combined. The Vikings lose a total of four seniors from this season’s roster, but will look to again contend for a Western Highlands Conference championship next season.
“We played right with the conference leaders and won several conference games this year. All I can do is tell our guys we can win conference next year. We have to work hard to get better as the other teams will be working hard to improve,” Coach Manis said. “By being this close this year, I believe our team will have renewed determination for next year.”
