AHS roared out to an early lead against the Gryphons and never looked back in the game at historic Cool Springs Gym in Forest City. The Lady Vikings defense surrendered only one first-quarter point and only four total points for the entire first half. AHS took 22 shots in the first period, hitting 10, while holding TJ to only 18 shots for the half.
AHS led 21-1 after one period, led by nine points from sophomore guard Kelsie Clarke. The Lady Viking press defense smothered the TJ offense, garnering numerous steals in the Gryphons backcourt and easy AHS hoops. The Big Red did not surrender a field goal through the first 10 minutes of the contest en route to taking a 36-4 halftime lead.
The second half was merely a matter of how many points the Lady Vikings would score and what the point differential would be, as AHS scored seemingly at will on the way to its first conference win.
“The game gave us the chance to work on some things and play everybody, kind of as we did against West Wilkes. But it also gave us the chance to get back in the flow of playing, with players not able to get to practices with the weather being so bad lately,” Lady Vikings head coach Missy Lyons said following the win. “It wasn’t a lot of competition, but it gave us an opportunity to run and get back into playing. The girls had a lot of fun.”
Clarke led all scorers with 25 points. Nine different Lady Vikings put points on the board, as Lauren Burleson was the only other Avery player who reached double-figures with 10 points. Katelynn Eudy added eight points, with seven points from Savannah Dellinger and six points apiece from Mary Chesnut Smith and Megan Tennant.
The following evening Avery met a potentially difficult foe in the Owen Warlassies, a team returning a number of players from last season and was predicted as a top-tier conference team in the preseason.
The first half of the game was physical, as both clubs struggled early to find the range shooting the basketball. AHS snatched an early four-point edge at 14-10 after one quarter but extended its lead to double-figures at halftime at 32-21.
The spurt was due largely to the hot shooting hand of senior guard Mercedes Bentley, who torched the Warlassies for three three-point baskets in the first half and 15 total points through two periods.
Owen never threatened the AHS lead in the fourth period, as the Lady Vikings held the Warlassies to just seven points over the final eight minutes in running away for the win.
Bentley topped all scorers with 18 points, with 11 points from Eudy. Dellinger scored eight in the victory, with six from Burleson.
“I felt like we didn’t shoot well, but our defense really won the game for us. Our press looked good and we got a lot of steals. We knew they had beaten Mitchell the previous night and that they will likely be one of the better teams in the conference this season,” Lyons said after the win. “We just had to dig in and play well and play hard. We kept playing hard. Mercedes hit some key outside shots, especially in the second quarter to help us pull away. Chesnut and Katelynn played some great defense and picked up some steals which helped us get some scoring opportunities.”
The win gives Avery a perfect 2-0 record in Western Highlands Conference games, with one conference game this week at Hendersonville before taking a break from WHC play for the holidays. For the Lady Vikings, the wins were a solid springboard to help the club realize its goal of a regular season conference crown.
“We felt all season like we have a shot at a conference title, but we have to take it one game at a time. We know we have to beat Mountain Heritage and Owen because they are two tough teams, but we’re focusing on working toward our goal,” Lyons said. “Mountain Heritage and Owen play each other this week, which should give us a little better picture of where we stand in the conference at this point.”
Avery traveled to Hendersonville last Monday, Dec. 20, defeating the Lady Bearcats 72-21, and will travel to Draughn High School in Morganton for a Christmas tournament on Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 27 and 28.
