The Avery junior varsity basketball teams had a light schedule heading toward the holiday break. The Vikings JV squads were idle on Friday as Thomas Jefferson does not field junior varsity basketball teams, so Avery’s only game of the week involved hosting Owen on Saturday, Dec. 18, in a makeup game from a matchup postponed earlier in the week. Avery’s teams pulled off the clean sweep, with both the JV girls and boys earning their first conference victories of the season.
The JV girls played a tight first half against the JV Warlassies, leading only by a 13-9 score after one quarter and by a half-dozen points at 21-15 at halftime. Freshman Katie Rigdon tallied eight points in the half to pace the Big Red, with six points from Bre Heaton.
In the third period, the pressing defense of the Lady Vikings began taking a toll on the Owen club, as Avery created several turnovers and converted them into points which helped the Lady Vikings outscore Owen 14-6 in the quarter and lead 35-21 heading to the final stanza.
Avery saved its best offensive quarter for last, as Heaton netted a pair of three-point baskets as part of an eight-point quarter for herself, while Rigdon scored nine points in the second half and a game-high 17 points for the contest.
In all, the Big Red tallied 15 in the period en route to a 50-33 victory.
Heaton scored 14 points to put a pair of Lady Vikings in double-figures, while Haley Woody added six points and Shannon Smith added four points in the win. Jessie Ramsey and Taylor Hobbs added three points each for AHS, with a pair from Karmen Gragg and a point from Sela Pittman. Whitney Montgomery paced the Owen scoring attack with 10 points, but Avery allowed no other Warlassies player to score more than four points in the contest.
“Our freshmen guards played hard and shot the basketball well for us tonight,” Lady Vikings JV girls head coach Pat Daniels said after the win. “Haley Woody did a good job for us playing inside rebounding and blocking out, and our press gave them some trouble, especially in the second half. We’re still a young team and we made some mistakes, but we’re continuing to improve and working hard to get better.”
In the JV boys game Avery battled Owen in a low-scoring contest, with the Vikings prevailing by a final score of 47-42.
The Viking offense raced out of the gates quickly, posting 17 points in the first quarter to grab an eight-point lead after one period. The inside combination of Payton Lowery and Luke Wotell were dominant on the glass and had their way in the paint, as the duo scored 12 of the team’s points for the stanza. The dynamic duo combined for all eight AHS points in the second quarter as well, but the Warhorses outscored the Vikings 12-8 in the frame to cut the Big Red advantage to only four points at 25-21 at halftime.
The third quarter proved decisive in the Viking victory effort, as the team outscored Owen 10-4 in the stanza. Bryce Pittman, Chase Buchanan and Ty Polsgrove each netted a field goal in the quarter to help the Vikings build its lead to double-figures at 45-35 with seven minutes to play.
As the final period ensued, the Warhorses refused to surrender as it scored 17 points in the frame, 10 coming by way of free throws, to keep the contest close.
The Vikings managed to withstand the Owen charge, however, with its own 12-point output, sparked by Buchanan, who scored six of his eight points for the game in the fourth quarter. Teammate Chance Watson added a pair of baskets, along with a bucket from Lowery to help secure the five-point win.
Lowery scored 14 points with nine rebounds to lead the Vikings, with 12 points and nine rebounds from Wotell. Buchanan’s eight points were supplemented by seven points from Watson to keep Avery unbeaten in conference play.
“Coming into this game, we stressed the need to establish the inside game, and Payton and Luke really stepped it up. The guys did a good job getting the ball in to them early. Owen’s scrappiness in the second half and the adjustments they made really kept them in the game. I was really pleased with the guys, especially considering we couldn’t have a full practice this week due to the weather,” JV boys head coach Reggie Oakes said after the win. “The defense in really improving both inside and on the perimeter, post play was great and we’re rebounding the ball better, which I believe actually won the game for us tonight.”
The JV teams traveled to Hendersonville on Monday, Dec. 20, to take on the Bearcats before an extended break for the holidays.
