The Avery Junior Varsity girls defeated Hendersonville 47-16 Monday night in Hendersonville. Taylor Hobbs led Avery with 10 points. Jessie Ramsey added four points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists, while teammate Katie Rigdon added nine points, two steals, and two assists in the win. Shannon Smith and Haley Woody added six points each.
The Viking JV boys lost to Hendersonville 56-46. Avery trailed 21-11 after one period, but cut the lead to 29-25 at halftime. Avery trailed by only four at 41-37 after three quarters before Hendersonville pulled away in the final period for the ten-point win. Chance Watson led Avery with 15 points, with seven points each from Luke Wotell and Zack Guy, with six points from Ty Polsgrove.
The Avery Lady Vikings continued its winning ways by defeating Hendersonville 72-21. Avery led 19-3 after one quarter and held a 35-7 lead at halftime. The Big Red was paced by 14 points from Mercedes Bentley, to go with three steals and three assists. Lauren Burleson added 12 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Katelynn Eudy scored eight points with five rebounds, five blocks, and three steals, while Megan Tennant added eight points and seven rebounds. Savannah Dellinger scored seven points with seven assists in the win, with Kelsie Clarke and Mary Chesnut Smith scoring six apiece and Monica Estep chipped in with five points.
The Avery varsity boys trailed 5-4 early in the first quarter, and the Bearcats pulled away to take a double-figure lead as Avery fell behind 46-33 at halftime. Hendersonville used a hot shooting touch and strong pressure defense to extend its lead to 73-45 after three quarters before cruising to an 84-64 victory.
The Bearcats pressured the Avery backcourt all game long and double-teamed reigning WHC Player of the Year Dustin Clarke virtually every time he touched the basketball, holding the senior to just three points for the game. Clarke did have nine assists, seven rebounds,and three steals.
Joey Potter led Avery with a season-high 23 points, with 15 points from Alex Villanueva and 11 points from Benji Stewart, both coming off the bench. Avery committed 28 turnovers in the game.
For Hendersonville, Paul Posthumous scored a career-high 26 points, with 17 points and six rebounds from Marquis Johnson. Shawn Rogers finished with 12 points, six steals and three assists and Sam Wilkins finished the night with nine points and three assists. Rishad Felton added four assists and two points.
The Avery Lady Vikings varsity club will compete on Monday and Tuesday, December 27 and 28 in the Draughn Christmas Tournament. The varsity boys and jv clubs are off for the holiday break until Avery takes on Polk County on January 4.
