Avery High School to PAINT IT BLACK (OR RED) on Senior Night

Avery High School is asking for the help of all fans and students to PAINT IT BLACK or RED in "The Octagon" (a.k.a. Viking Gym) during Avery's regular season home finale on Friday, February 12th vs. Mitchell by wearing black or red t-shirts!

Young Adults Helping Haiti & UIC, in conjunction with the Avery SGA raised $320 to assist the country of Haiti with earthquake relief at Avery's recent home contest against Polk. The groups plan on holding a second fund raising effort for Haiti during Avery's Senior Night contest in Big Red Country against Mitchell on Friday, February 12th.

Help support the Vikings in these causes!

Avery Wrestling Ends Regular Season with Dual Meet at Madison, Conference Tourney

The Avery Vikings wrestling team completed its Western Highlands Conference regular season dual meet schedule by grappling at Madison High School on Tuesday, February 2nd, then a trio of wrestlers on Saturday to Owen High School for the weather-delayed Western Highlands Conference tournament.

Avery battled hard in Marshall against the Patriots, but came up short by a final match score of 64-9.

Three Vikings earned wins on the evening. Avery’s Brock Yackey earned an impressive come-from-behind 15-13 overtime win in the 119 pound weight class over Madison’s JJ Davis.

Yackey trailed early in his match with Davis, falling behind 12-9 entering the third and final period. Brock battled back with a late rally to tie the match at 13-13 and send it to overtime. Yackey earned a takedown in the overtime session to pick up the decision victory.

Nick Malgadey earned a 12-9 win over Tommy Worley at the 125 pound class despite trailing entering the third and final period. Lucas Lecka won his match at 215 pounds by a 6-4 decision over Madison’s Tyler Gonzalez.

On Saturday, the Vikings had three wrestlers compete at the Western Highlands Conference tournament, rescheduled twice from its originally scheduled Friday tournament date due to weather.

The weather and previous commitments prevented a number of grapplers from making the trip to Buncombe County. Three Avery wrestlers, Brock Yackey, C.J. Vance, and Lucas Lecka, each made the trip, with Yackey earning a conference championship in the 119 pound weight class and Lecka winning the consolation bracket and third place at 215 pounds.

Yackey began his championship run with first round bye, then picked up a victory over Polk’s Sean Corcoran in the semifinal to set up a rematch with Madison’s JJ Davis, whom Brock had battled to an overtime win just days earlier. In this encounter Yackey dominated from the outset of the match, winning by 15-3 major decision to take home the championship medallion.

For Yackey, the win marked his third consecutive conference wrestling tournament championship. No Avery player has won four straight championships since Mark Maya accomplished the feat around a decade ago. Yackey received All-Conference honors for his tournament win.

“Brock is one of those wrestlers who grows stronger as the season goes on,” Avery High School wrestling coach Stacey Clark said. “He still has some room for improvement, and we hope to get him ready for Regionals.”

CJ Vance represented the Big Red in the 160 pound class. Vance began his tournament drawing a tough opponent in Madison’s Corry Heath Miller and coming up short in his first-round match.

Dropping into the consolation bracket, Vance dominated Logan Robertson of Hendersonville to march into the semifinal of the consolation bracket. Vance tied up with Nate Brooks from Mitchell in the semifinal, and Brooks escaped with a difficult overtime win over Vance. Vance trailed by a point late in the match but earned an escape to tie the match and send it to overtime. In the extra session, Vance was taken down to end the match.

“CJ put forth all the effort you could ask for from a kid. There was a couple of spots where being rusty on technique kind of hurt him, based a lot on where we haven’t had the practice time with the weather,” Coach Clark said. “As far as a kid goes, though, he does whatever is asked of him and is terrific.”

Lucas Lecka received a bye in the opening round of the 215 pound tournament and squared off with Mitchell’s Kevin Hall. Hall earned a win in the encounter to send Lecka into the consolation bracket.

Lecka received a bye in the second round of the consolation bracket and met Madison’s Tyler Gonzalez. As in their encounter earlier in the week in Marshall, Lecka won the match by decision to capture third place overall in his class.

“Lucas, like Brock, still has some things he needs to work on. He definitely looks to be improving with every match,” Coach Clark added.

Despite a small number of wrestlers, Avery head coach Stacey Clark was pleased with the effort and heart displayed by his student-athletes.

“Our dual team scores were pretty ugly considering our injury situation and only being able to field seven or eight wrestlers. All our guys may wrestle well in a dual, but the matches still end with us losing by a lopsided margin. We’ve got some guys who are really working hard toward the end of the year and getting ready for regional and state tournaments. The guys making the trip today are getting some hard work but benefiting from the experience,” Avery head wrestling coach Stacey Clark said after the tournament.

“The three wrestlers here at the tournament really wanted to be here and they working hard to get to where then need to be. We went back “old school” here at the conference tournament and broke out the black singlets to reward those who were dedicated and able to compete.”

Avery competes in the 1A Western Regional Tournament the weekend of February 19-20 at Alleghany High School in Sparta.

Junior Varsity Basketball Roundup

Avery basketball endured a busy week of action on the hardwood, as the Vikings junior varsity teams played a total of five games over a three-day stretch. The junior varsity girls continued its roll through conference play with a pair of wins, while the JV boys look to get back on the winning track following a trio of tough losses.

JV Girls:
The Avery Lady Vikings junior varsity girls team returned to the court last on Wednesday, February 3rd with a decisive 54-24 win over Owen in Black Mountain. Avery started the game on a 16-2 run in the first period and never looked back to stay unbeaten in conference play.
Kelsie Clarke led 12 Lady Vikings scorers with 13 points (11 in the first half) and five steals in the win. Danielle Byrd added six points, with five points apiece from Kristen Burleson, Monica Estep, and Taylor Hobbs.

The following afternoon Avery took the floor in Burnsville to tangle with second-place Mountain Heritage. In one of its closest contests of the season, the Lady Vikings battled to victory and defeated the Lady Cougars by a final score of 46-33.

Avery took a 12-4 lead after one period and parlayed its margin into a 24-14 halftime advantage. The game featured physical play, with strong pressing defense by the Lady Vikings that continually harassed the Heritage offense.

In the second half, the Lady Vikings utilized a zone defense that kept the Lady Cougars guessing and forced Heritage into poor percentage shots. Avery continued its offensive pressure and led 32-20 after three quarters. Four points apiece from Kelsie Clarke and Monica Estep bolstered Avery’s effort as the Big Red secured yet another win.

Clarke led the Lady Vikings with 16 points, with nine points from Johanna Pittman. Estep and Shayna Vance netted six points apiece. Clarke added five steals and three assists, with six rebounds, three steals, and a pair of assists from Estep.

“I figured this would be a tough game down here. We handled them a little easier at home but they were a much better team here than when we last played them,” Lady Vikings head coach Pat Daniels said after the win. “Heritage slowed the pace of the game and we gave up a lot of foul shots. All my starting five played well, and Brooke (Buchanan) and Megan (Dellinger) came in and produced off the bench.”

JV Boys:
The Avery junior varsity boys team began its week with a contest at Madison on Tuesday, February 2nd. Madison built an early lead and stretched it to as many as 22 points. Avery rallied in the second half with a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter behind the hot shooting of Austin Lyons to cut the Patriots lead to as little as eight points, but the Patriots withstood the Viking charge and captured a 63-48 victory.

“I thought the kids battled hard late third and early fourth quarter. We stepped up and I told the team not to worry about the score and concern ourselves with getting better,” Vikings JV boys head coach Reggie Oakes remarked. “I thought good effort was there and we did our best job of the year with boxing out. Madison just did a great job scoring with the ball and shooting. We could have done some things better defensively with cutting players off on penetration. Lane Smith played well at the point for us. I thought Austin Lyons stepped up and hit some bit shots, and Bryce Pittman played some great defense. We’ve just got to put two good halves of basketball together, and if we can do that I believe we’ll be okay.”

Avery journeyed to Owen on Wednesday for a make-up game against the Warhorses. The contest was nip-and-tuck throughout the affair, but Owen held off the Vikings in a narrow 38-36 loss.

Owen held a slim 13-12 lead after one quarter, but the Vikings defense held the Warhorses to just one field goal in the second period to gain an 18-15 advantage.

In the third quarter Owen regrouped to recapture the lead at 26-24 after three periods, and hit a couple of key shots to fend off a Viking rally in the closing minute to capture the victory.
Bryce Pittman led Avery scorers with 14 points, with six points each from Lane Smith and Nathaniel Calvert. Shea Buchanan, who had missed multiple games with a knee injury, returned to the lineup and scored a pair of points in the defeat.

On Thursday the Vikings squared off against the Mountain Heritage Cougars in Burnsville in a physical affair, with the Cougars holding serve on its home floor in a 52-39 win.

Heritage grabbed a 12-8 lead after one quarter and extended that advantage to ten at 26-16 at halftime. The teams played virtually even in the third quarter as the Cougars carried a 36-24 lead to the final period and held on to take the victory.

Shea Buchanan scored 13 points to lead the Vikings, with nine points from Bryce Pittman and five from Dustin Clark.

Avery hosts Hendersonville and Mitchell this week to close out the Western Highlands Conference regular season slate. A full report on those games can be read in next week’s print edition and online at the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog at www.ajtsports.blogspot.com.

Lady Vikings Trounce Four Conference Foes in One Week to Reach 20-Win Mark

Continuing one of the best regular seasons in school history, the Avery Lady Vikings topped the 20-win mark after four victories, forcing close to 100 turnovers combined in three wins last week on the road against Madison, Owen, and Mountain Heritage, respectively. Avery continued its win streak by upending the Hendersonville Lady Bearcats on Monday night back in the friendly octagonal confines of Viking Gym.

In the Tuesday, February 2nd game at Madison, Avery encountered a Lady Patriot squad on their Senior Night. Avery grabbed a 14-7 lead after one quarter and blew the game open behind the hot shooting of junior Mercedes Bentley. The guard scorched the nets for 16 second-quarter points as part of a game-high 19 point effort. The flurry resulted in almost as many points as Madison had as a team for the entire half as the Big Red led 45-18 at intermission.

From that point, the Lady Vikings defense did more than enough to sustain the momentum, forcing a total of 31 Madison turnovers for the game. Junior forward Katelynn Eudy scored 13 points in the contest, but also nabbed 12 rebounds and blocked five shots as part of the 71-48 Avery triumph. Megan Tennant scored 11 points off the bench, while Sara Wiseman scored ten points and grabbed eight rebounds. Kaitlyn Huff led Madison with 18 points in a losing effort.

The following night the Lady Vikings journeyed to Black Mountain to take on the Owen Warlassies, a team that gave Avery one of its closest games of the year in a two-point win in January. Avery jumped ahead early and withstood a late Owen rally to defeat the Warlassies 69-60.

Avery raced to an 8-0 run to start the game and took a commanding 24-6 lead after one period and built the lead to as much as 30-8 early in the second stanza behind 13 first-half points from Katelynn Eudy. Owen slightly cut into the advantage with seven points from guard Shae Frizzell, leaving the Lady Vikings with a 35-21 halftime bulge.

Another Avery scoring charge in the third quarter, this time fueled by six points from Sara Wiseman, extended the Lady Viking lead to 19 at 53-34 after three quarters.

The duo of Sheena Twitty and Frizzell sparked an Owen comeback over the final eight minutes. The combination netted 10 points each in the quarter, and a Frizzell three-pointer drew Owen within single digits at 58-49 with over two minutes left to play.

Owen decided in the closing minutes to send Avery to the foul line, a decision the Lady Vikings, and Lauren Avery in particular, made the Warlassies pay for. The senior guard was 10 of 11 from the free throw line in the final period as part of a 19-point, 6 rebound performance, helping the Lady Vikings stave off a game Owen club.

The Big Red forced 33 turnovers for the game while committing only 13 themselves. Sara Wiseman had a great effort for Avery with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and three steals, with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 blocks from Katelynn Eudy. Elyse Perry added eight points and six assists in the win.

In the final leg of its back-to-back-to-back series of games, Avery visited the Mountain Heritage Lady Cougars in Burnsville, again using a strong second quarter flurry to instigate a runaway victory as the Lady Vikings earned a 63-36 win.

Through the first eight minutes the teams played evenly thanks to three 3-point baskets from Heritage’s Kayla Sheppard. The junior scored 11 points in the quarter to help the Lady Cougars to a 15-11 lead, but Avery’s Mercedes Bentley and Lauren Avery sparked a 12-0 scoring run to take the lead for good. The pair combined to score 16 points during the stretch to pull Avery ahead 23-15 early in the second quarter.

Avery’s defensive pressure caged the Lady Cougars in the second period while the Lady Vikings offense shot 10 of 18 from the field. Guard Lauren Avery scored 18 first-half points in all and dominated the inside area under the basket. Numerous rebounds and Avery’s size advantage inside was too much for Heritage to handle as the Lady Vikings led 43-22 at halftime.

The Lady Viking defense made a statement in the third quarter as it held the Lady Cougars without a point for nearly four minutes, a field goal for nine minutes of play that included the entire third quarter, and allowed only a pair of Lady Cougar free throws. Avery outscored Heritage 11-2 for the quarter to extend its lead to 54-24 en route to the 27-point win.

Lauren Avery led ten Lady Viking players with 22 points, a single point shy of a career-high, with 12 points from Mercedes Bentley and eight points from Katelynn Eudy.

This past Monday the Lady Vikings hosted Hendersonville for “Vikings vs. Cancer” Night at Viking Gym, where the Avery players and coaches wore pink and donations were accepted on behalf of Haley Calloway, former Lady Viking basketball player undergoing cancer treatments at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem.

Calloway was in attendance at the game, present on the Lady Viking bench Monday night as an honorary coach. Avery routed the Lady Bearcats 72-47 in Hendersonville a couple of weeks earlier, and with inspired play obliterated the Lady Bearcats from the opening tip in a 78-26 victory, the team’s 20th win of the season.

Hendersonville had no answer for the potent Lady Vikings offense. Avery opened the game on a 14-2 scoring run and raced to a 27-12 lead after one period. In the second quarter the Lady Vikings defense kicked into high gear, denying the Lady Bearcats a single point in the quarter. A 23-0 run in the eight minutes of play making up the period turned the game into a laugher as Avery led 50-12 at halftime.

The entire Avery roster saw extensive minutes to give every player ample opportunity for floor time, as well as give head coach Missy Lyons the chance to rest her starters for the game scheduled the next evening against Mitchell.

Everyone who saw minutes contributed to the victory as Avery build a monumental 71-17 lead after three quarters and cruised to its 20th win with only two defeats.

Avery shot 49 percent (31 for 63) from the field as a team and forced 27 Hendersonville turnovers. All five Lady Viking starters scored double-figures, led by 17 points from Lauren Avery, who added four steals, four assists, and three rebounds. Elyse Perry netted 13 points, six assists, and five steals. Mercedes Bentley added 11 points, with ten points from Katelynn Eudy and 10 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks, and three steals from Sara Wiseman. Over five hundred dollars was raised to benefit Calloway during the course of the evening.

The Lady Vikings were scheduled to host Mitchell on Tuesday for Senior Night, but inclement weather postponed the matchup to Friday night. The night will be Paint It Black (or Red) Night, as fans are encouraged to wear red or black t-shirts to support the Vikings.

In addition, Young Adults Helping Haiti will be holding a fund raising effort to help victims of the recent Haiti earthquake. A scheduled make-up game set for Friday at West Wilkes has been cancelled to play the Mitchell contest.

A full report on Friday’s action can be found in next week’s print edition as well as at www.ajtsports.blogspot.com , the AJ-T Sports Online Edition.

Vikings Shine in Road Victories Over Madison, Owen; Fall in Narrow Defeats to Cougars, Bearcats

Last week was a pivotal one for the Avery Vikings boys varsity basketball team in terms of standings in the Western Highlands Conference. The team entered the week off an emotional comeback win at home against Polk and sought to keep the positive momentum rolling in three road games over three nights.

Avery faced the Madison Patriots on Tuesday night in Marshall looking for a regular season sweep. The two teams played to a tie through the first half, but Avery surged to a late lead, making key plays down the stretch in a 62-58 win.

The Vikings grabbed an early 16-9 lead after one quarter, but the physical Patriots used four 3-point baskets in the second quarter to tie the contest at 32-32 at halftime.

Dustin Clarke and Dylan Eppley accounted for all of Avery’s scoring in the third quarter, scoring 13 points between them to propel the Vikings to a 45-40 lead with eight minutes left to play.

In the final stanza the Vikings received contributions from multiple players. Kody Hughes hit a three-pointer from the corner to extend Avery’s lead to 50-44 early in the quarter, and a basket off the bench from Luke Pittman stretched the Viking lead to eight at 52-44.

Madison refused to fold and continued to keep battling, drawing fouls on Avery and converting at the free throw line. Madison scored 12 points at the charity stripe in the quarter and took a 58-57 lead on two Colton Kent free throws with 50 seconds left in the game.

A basket in the paint from Eppley helped Avery take a 59-58 lead with 28 seconds left. After Viking guard Joey Potter drew a charge on Madison’s Corey English, Eppley was sent to the free throw line for two shots. Eppley made the first attempt, but on the missed second attempt Clarke contested Madison’s Corey English for the loose basketball, throwing the ball off English out-of-bounds to maintain Avery possession. In his anger English received a technical foul for arguing with the official. Clarke hit a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to clinch the win.

Avery was paced by 25 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals from Clarke, with 13 points and 8 rebounds from Eppley. Potter tallied 9 points with 3 rebounds.

The Vikings shot an efficient 19 of 40 from the field (47.5 percent) and was 23 of 34 from the free throw line in the win.

The following evening Dustin Clarke had a career evening, as he scored 36 points, along with 12 rebounds, 8 steals, and 5 assists to lead Avery to a 67-63 come-from-behind win at Owen.

Avery fell behind 24-14 after one quarter as Clarke netted 13 of the team’s 14 points for the frame and 22 of Avery’s first 23 points in the game. Owen maintained its working lead by dominating the paint area. The tall duo of Ben Marett and Tony Halvorson paced the Warhorses, while guard Timmy Stewart scored seven points in the second period to help keep Avery close at 39-30 at halftime.

An 8-2 scoring run to begin the second half pulled Avery to within three points midway through the third quarter, and the Vikings eventually took a 45-44 lead. Owen answered with its own 9-0 scoring spurt to close the period and took an eight point margin at 53-45 into the final eight minutes of play.

After a basket from the Warhorses upped its margin to ten points in the first minute of the fourth period, Avery scored 12 straight points to take back the lead at 57-55.

For much of the final four minutes the two teams traded baskets. With Avery holding a two-point lead, a three-pointer from Owen’s JD Chaplain missed and Avery’s Hughes hauled in the rebound and was fouled. Hughes sank both free throws to help the Big Red secure another win.

In addition to Clarke’s big night, Dylan Eppley scored 10 points, with seven points each from Stewart and Joey Potter.

On Thursday night, Avery braved the elements and traveled to Burnsville to take on the Mountain Heritage Cougars. Before a capacity crowd in attendance including Appalachian State University men’s head basketball coach Buzz Peterson, both teams put on a great show as the conference’s top two squads squared off. Avery gave the conference-leading Cougars everything they could handle, but fell in a narrow 71-65 loss.

The teams battled tooth-and-nail through one period. Avery raced out to an early 8-2 lead and led by double-figures at 15-5. Mountain Heritage answered with an 11-2 run to close out the quarter, however, leaving the Vikings with a 17-16 lead.

Avery’s defense was effective in holding Mountain Heritage 6’11” center John Cannon to just three points for the first half, while drawing a pair of first half fouls on the man in the middle. Clarke scored five points for the Vikings in the second quarter, but 11 first-half points off the bench from the duo of Trevin Miller and Jacob Neill pushed the Cougars ahead by a 32-28 margin at halftime.

In the third quarter John Cannon asserted himself for the Heritage offense with nine points, extending the Cougar lead to as large at 41-32 midway through the quarter. Avery received an offensive spark in the quarter from Kody Hughes, who tallied five straight points to help keep Avery close. Teammate Timmy Stewart went coast-to-coast in the final seconds of the quarter, making a layup to leave the Big Red trailing by a single point at 49-48 going to the final stanza.

In the first four minutes of the fourth quarter Heritage’s Steven Wilson heated up on offense, scoring three straight baskets to push the Cougar lead to 59-50. Undaunted, the Vikings were carried by the offensive will power of Clarke, who answered Wilson’s baskets with two of his own as part of a 14-point fourth quarter effort.

With 1:12 remaining Clarke converted a three-point play to draw the Vikings within 64-62. Less than 30 seconds later, a three-pointer by Hughes cut the lead to only one point at 66-65.
Forced to foul, Avery sent Alex Biggerstaff to the line and he sank both foul shots for a three-point lead. Avery was unable to hit the shot to tie the game as Mountain Heritage finished sealing the win at the free throw line.

Dustin Clarke netted 29 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and three blocks. Hughes turned in another great performance with 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting. John Cannon tallied 13 points, a career-high 20 rebounds, and 5 blocks for the Cougars.

Avery looked to get back on the winning track back home on Monday night against Hendersonville. The Vikings led at halftime, only to see a strong second half push by the Bearcats prove too much to handle in an 85-78 loss.

Avery opened the contest on fire, running out to an 8-0 run and 20 first-quarter points. Kody Hughes led the way with 9 points in the stanza on 4 of 4 shooting from the field as the Vikings led 20-12 after eight minutes.

Hendersonville rallied and a Marquis Johnson layup capped an 11-2 run cutting the Avery lead to a pair at 33-31. Avery finished the half strong with the final three points of the half, pushing its lead to a 36-31 margin at halftime.

Much like the first meeting between the teams, Hendersonville came out running and executing to start the second half. The Bearcats opened the half on a 7-0 run to take the lead that would not relinquish again in the game. Hendersonville found lanes inside and made high percentage shots near the basket. Desmond Whiteside spearheaded the Hendersonville attack with 11 points in the third quarter that helped the Bearcats pull away 70-60 after three periods.

Trailing by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter, the Vikings managed an offensive surge. Joey Potter scored three times as part of a 10-3 Big Red scoring burst that drew Avery within eight at 70-62. The Bearcats would have no part of a comeback win for the home team, as Johnson and Bracken Kirkland scored 11 points in the quarter. Hendersonville hit just enough free throws to stay comfortably ahead as Avery lost by an 85-78 final score.

Dustin Clarke was impressive yet again, as the Player of the Year candidate recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. Four players in all reached double-figures scoring, led by Dylan Eppley’s 18 points and 8 rebounds. Joey Potter chipped in with 15 points, with 13 points from Kody Hughes. Luke Pittman scored eight points with 10 rebounds. Desmond Whiteside from Hendersonville led all scorers with 24 points, while adding 8 steals and 7 assists.

“This past week we played three tough road games that meant something. The fact that we played well in all of the games showed a lot of character. All the teams, both JV and varsity, played hard and showed a lot of heart,” Avery head coach Bo Manis said after the loss to the Bearcats. “What hurt us tonight is that our players worked so hard, only to come up short. We’ve come through a tough stretch, but I would have called you crazy if you told me we would come away with two wins out of our three games last week. The team showed a lot of heart tonight that will only help us down the road.”

Avery was scheduled to take on Mitchell in the conference finale Tuesday, but bad weather forced the game to be rescheduled to this Friday night. Avery has cancelled its makeup contest at West Wilkes scheduled for Friday.

A report on Avery’s showdown with Mitchell can be found in next week’s print and online editions.

Avery Basketball Senior Night vs. Mitchell Postponed

Avery's Senior Night festivities and scheduled basketball games at home against Mitchell this evening have been postponed due to inclement weather. The games have been rescheduled to Friday afternoon at Avery High School.

The previously scheduled games to be played at West Wilkes this Friday have been cancelled.