Avery Men Host West Wilkes; Women Host Elkin Monday Night to Open State Playoffs

The Avery basketball teams will both open the North Carolina 1A state basketball playoffs with home contests.

Avery's women will take the floor at 5 p.m. Monday afternoon against the Elkin Lady Buckin' Elks. Following that contest, the Avery men will meet the West Wilkes Blackhawks. Avery defeated the Blackhawks in its lone meeting this season, as the second meeting in Miller's Creek was canceled due to inclement weather.

With an opening round win, the Lady Vikings will either host Rosman or travel to Hiwassee Dam for its potential second round contest. A win from the Avery men will set up either a home game with Swain or a road game at Nantahala.

Tennessee District 1-A

Tonight is the semifinals of the District 1-A tournament in Bristol, Tenn. in the beautiful Student Center on the campus of King College. The Lady 'Landers will tipoff against Hampton at 7:00 p.m. and the 'Landers will take on University High following that contest. Quarter by quarter updates can be found at www.twitter.com/mlawsajt and final scores and other information will be posted here.

The Lady 'Landers trail 25 to 14 to Hampton at the break.

The Lady 'Landers fall 47-41 to Hampton, and will play Unaka on Monday.

The 'Landers led 39-30 at halftime, and lead 57-42 with 6:12 remaining.

The 'Landers hold on for the victory and will compete for the District title on Tuesday afternoon.

Vikings Tournament Basketball Update

Lady Vikings Advance to Tournament Final

The tournament finals are set for tonight's Western Highlands Conference boys and girls tournament title games.

The Lady Vikings overcame early rust and a Hendersonville second half surge to defeat the Lady Bearcats by a 69-51 final score in the first semifinal game Thursday night.

Avery opened the game scoring the first 20 points of the game, holding Hendersonville scoreless in the first quarter to take a 20-0 lead after one period.

Hendersonville finally scored on a free throw in the opening minute of the second quarter, but the Lady Bearcats were held to just 4 of 21 shooting from the field for the entire first half. Avery was on fire, shooting 66 percent from the field in the first quarter and 48 percent for the first half of play.

Avery had eight different players score points in the first half as the Vikings took a 37-13 halftime lead. Megan Tennant paced the Big Red with nine points in the half, with seven points from senior guard Lauren Avery.

In the third quarter, Hendersonville's Brooks Walz tried to single-handedly bring the Lady Bearcats back in the game. Avery managed to score only six points in the third quarter, while Walz herself scored 15 in the period to draw the Lady Bearcats to within 14 points at 49-35 after three quarters.

In the final quarter, the Lady Vikings were efficient from the field, knocking down seven field goals in the period to answer every push made by Hendersonville. The Lady Bearcats continued to ride the hot shooting of Walz, who tallied 33 points in the game and whose three-pointer cut the Avery lead down to 47-38 midway through the fourth quarter.

Avery rallied with two baskets each from Katelynn Eudy and Lauren Avery, as well as five points in the stanza by Mercedes Bentley. The offense extended the lead back into double-figures as Avery sealed the 18-point win.

Lauren Avery led Lady Vikings scorers with 13 points, along with four assists and four rebounds. Three additional players reached double figures for Avery, with 11 points and 7 rebounds from Sara Wiseman and ten points apiece from Mercedes Bentley and Megan Tennant. Elyse Perry chipped in with seven points and eight assists, with eight points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks from Katelynn Eudy.

The Lady Vikings will take on Mitchell in the tournament championship this evening at 6:30 p.m. Mitchell easily handled Thomas Jefferson Academy 56-32 at Owen Middle School last night to advance into the tourney final. If Avery defeats Mitchell in today's tournament final, it will force the teams to play a third contest at Avery High School to make up the matchup postponed by inclement weather. That contest would determine the #1 Western Highlands seed for the girls 1A state playoffs which begin next week.

Boys Narrowly Defeated by Mitchell

The third-seeded Mitchell Mountaineers used a strong second quarter to carry a nine-point advantage into the locker room at halftime. Avery's boys, in typical fashion this season, roared back with a strong third quarter to tie the game midway through the third period. Mitchell used a late run at the end of the quarter to take a seven-point lead and held on for a 78-74 win.

Without a pair of starters, the Mountaineers relied on its duo of Thomas Buchanan and Billy Bomar. Buchanan netted eight points in the period, with seven from Bomar.

Avery had a balanced scoring attack in the first stanza, as six different players hit field goals in the frame. Both teams made seven field goals in the quarter, with Mitchell holding a narrow 17-15 lead at period's end.

Buchanan continued to be the story of the game for Mitchell. The senior netted 12 of his game-high 38 points in the second quarter. Avery did everything in its power to withstand the Mountaineer spurt. Luke Pittman contributed six points off the bench in the frame, while fellow senior Dylan Eppley tallied eight points in the period and a team-high 12 points for the half. Nevertheless, Mitchell led 43-34 as the teams went to their respective locker rooms.

In the third quarter, Avery's leading scorer Dustin Clarke began to heat up. After scoring only eight points in the first half, Clarke doubled that total in the third quarter. Teammate Kody Hughes drained a pair of three-pointers helping the Vikings overcome the halftime deficit and tie the game back at 47-47 midway through the period.

Mitchell used a 12-4 run to stem the Viking tide, however. The Mountaineers were paced by a key three-point basket from Buchanan, a three-pointer off the bench from John Spencer, and three points from Troy Self to help Mitchell keep a 63-56 lead with eight minutes to play.

Avery opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 scoring run to cut the Mitchell lead to a pair at 65-63. Mitchell answered with a basket from Self and three free throws from Buchanan as part of a 5-0 run to push the Mountaineer lead back to seven at 70-63 with 3:50 to play in the game.

Again the Vikings rose from the ashes to counter-punch the Mitchell run. A Clarke three-pointer and a bucket in the paint from Joey Potter keyed a 7-0 spurt to tie the contest at 70-70 with 2:46 to play.

The basketball stayed in the hands of Buchanan for much of the remainder of the game for the Mountaineer offense. Buchanan scored 11 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter, proving to be just enough to keep Avery at bay over the final two minutes. Avery managed to cut the Mitchell lead to as little as one point on two separate occasions, but the Mountaineers hit free throws late to cling to the 78-74 win.

Dustin Clarke paced the Vikings with 25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. Dylan Eppley netted a double-double with a career-high 21 points with 11 rebounds. Timmy Stewart tallied 10 points for the Big Red, with eight points from Kody Hughes and seven from Joey Potter.

Three players accounted for 70 of Mitchell's 78 total points. Buchanan's season-high 38 points included 7 rebounds in the Mountaineer win, with 15 points and 7 rebounds from Troy Self, and 17 points and 3 rebounds from Billy Bomar.

The Avery boys will determine its playoff fate when the state basketball playoff brackets are released over the weekend.

Here is the lineup for Championship Friday at Owen High School:

4 PM – 2A Girls Championship (#1 seed Owen vs #3 seed Madison)
5:15 PM – 1A Boys Championship (#1 seed Hendersonville vs #3 seed Mitchell)
6:30 PM – 1A Girls Championship (#1 seed Mitchell vs #2 seed Avery)
8 PM – 2A Boys Championship (#1 seed Heritage vs #2 seed Madison)

UPDATED BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The start times for Avery's scheduled basketball games today (Thursday) at Owen Middle School in have been moved to earlier times.

The #2 seeded Avery girls team will take on #4 seed Hendersonville at 4 p.m. at the middle school, with the #2 Avery boys team taking on #3 seed Mitchell immediately following that game, around 5:30 p.m.

Winners in these games will move to the 1A conference championship games on Friday afternoon, which will be held at Owen High School in Swannanoa.

For those unable to attend tonight's games, we will be "tweeting" through the evening, listing updated scores in the "From the AJ-T Sports Desk" section on the right side of the site's home page.

Thanks for reading!

Updated Western Highlands 1A Conference Basketball Tournament Brackets and information

Below are the updated brackets for the 1A Boys and Girls

Western Highlands Conference Basketball Tournaments!

*Due to the cancellation of Wednesday's games, the Avery girls will enter the WHC tournament as a #2 seed, with Mitchell and its undefeated conference mark as the top seed.

If the two ladies teams meet in the tournament championship game and Avery wins the conference tournament, the two teams will meet again for a third contest (likely on Saturday at noon) to determine which team will receive the #1 Western Highlands Conference seed for next week's state 1A girls basketball playoffs.

West Gives Lees-McRae Women's Softball Two Wins to Start the Season; C-N Takes Two from Lees-McRae

Editor’s Note: Former Avery High School softball coach Merritt Yackey made his debut as head coach with the Lees-McRae College Lady Bobcats softball program, playing a pair of doubleheaders to open the 2010 season.

(courtesy LMC Sports Information)

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Magen West picked up two wins in 13 innings of scoreless softball in the circle for the Lees-McRae College Lady Bobcats women’s softball team as they defeated Fayetteville State 3-0 in the first game and 6-3 in the second game to open their season with a double-header sweep.

West went the distance in the first game recording six strikeouts and only allowing four hits. In the second game, West came in relief in the third inning recording six strikeouts and allowing three hits and no walks.

In the first game, Paula Fryar started the inning off with a walk, then stole second, reached third on a passed ball, and scored on a passed ball to give the Lady Bobcats a 1-0 lead.

Lees-McRae notched two insurance runs in the fifth inning when Nicole Salado started the inning off with a double. After a walk of Veronica Ollier, Ashley Benfield doubled scoring Salado and Ollier.

Oiller, Benfield and Salado were all 1-for-3 for the Lady Bobcats.

In the second game, Lees-McRae got on the scoreboard first in the first inning on a two-RBI fielder’s choice by Anna Carter. Ollier, who had walked, and Fryar, who had singled, scored on the play.

However, Fayetteville would notch a run in the bottom of the first and score two in the bottom of the second to take a 3-2, but Lees-McRae would tie the game third inning when Paige Coleman drew a walk and stole second only to score on back-to-back pass balls.

Neither team could score a run over the remaining innings in regulation sending the game to the top of the eighth, where the Lady Bobcats notched three runs, one earned two unearned, for the win. To set the inning up, Anna Carter was put on second to start the inning due to the international tiebreaker rules and Kierstie Moon led off the inning with a walk. Nicole Baxter followed with a ball to right that was booted by the right fielder allowing Carter and Moon to score. Baxter would score on wild pitch to seal the win.

Ollier and Fryar were 1-for-3 apiece at the plate for the Lady Bobcats in the game.

JEFFERSON CITY, TENN. – The No. 24 Lady Eagles softball team grabbed two wins in their snowy season opener Sunday at the Lady Eagle Softball Complex over visiting Lees-McRae (2-2). C-N won by scores of 8-0 and 9-0.

In game one, Carson-Newman broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third inning with a run by Jessie Howard. After reaching base on a single to the pitcher and stealing second, Howard was moved to third by a sacrifice bunt by Leah Price. A fly ball to right field by Mary Shealy proved to be a sacrifice, scoring Howard.

The Lady Eagles broke the game wide open in their half of the fifth frame with five runs, all coming with two outs. After Howard walked and Price reached on a single, Sara Little singled up the middle plating both players. Junior Ashley Boyd doubled down the left line to Kim Whaley who pinch ran for Little. Whitney Durham hit home run to left field to cap the scoring for the inning.

C-N got the final two runs needed to end the game via the eight-run advantage rule in the bottom of the sixth.

Ashley Boyd picked up the win on the mound for the Lady Eagles, striking out six, while allowing only four hits. Magen West suffered the loss for the Lady Bobcats,

In game two, Carson-Newman scored two runs in the first inning to take the lead.

In the second frame, Durham led off with an infield single and was driven home two batters later by Shoemake’s double to centerfield. Shoemake completed her trip around the bases when Price singled down the right field line.

Carson-Newman got the runs it needed to end the game early in the bottom of the fourth. Whitney Kee led the inning off with a walk and was driven home by Price’s second hit of the game. Skeen had her first home run of the season when she hit a line drive to centerfield that gave her enough time to score the inside-the-park home run.

A single by Shealy gave way to Little’s second homer of the game, a two-run shot to right centerfield that gave the Lady Eagles a 9-0 advantage. C-N held on for three outs in the top of the fifth inning, completing the series sweep.

Shealy picked up the win for Carson-Newman striking out four and scattering two hits over four innings of work, while Lees-McRae’s Bryce Campbell suffered the loss, allowing nine runs on ten hits.

Lees-McRae will return to action Thursday with a double-header against North Greenville.

JV Basketball Wraps Up Regular Season Play; Cancellation of Tournament Ends Season

Avery’s junior varsity basketball teams managed to dodge the snowflakes enough to finish up its regular season schedule last week. The Lady Vikings played only one contest, defeating a pesky Mitchell Lady Mountaineers club, while the junior varsity boys came up short in home contests against both Hendersonville and Mitchell.

JV Girls
The Avery Lady Vikings capped off yet another undefeated conference season last Friday night, using a strong defensive effort to defeat the Mitchell Lady Mountaineers 39-23.

Head coach Pat Daniels gave the starting nod to his sophomore players in their final home contest at the junior varsity level, recognizing the effort and hard work of those players over the past two seasons.

Avery led by only three points after one quarter at 9-6, and used a 10-3 point differential in the second stanza to pull ahead by a 19-9 score at halftime.

After a subpar effort by Lady Viking standards in the first two quarters, the Big Red poured it on in the second half. Using its press defense to create turnovers, Avery scored on multiple possessions in transition. The defense held Mitchell to only three points in the quarter as the Lady Vikings pulled away to a 29-12 lead.

Three point baskets from Kelsie Clarke and Megan Dellinger in the final quarter helped keep Mitchell at bay. The Lady Mountaineers cut the lead to around ten early in the quarter, but Avery made the necessary plays on both ends of the floor to defeat Mitchell by a 16-point margin.

“We had a rough start, and we had to talk to the girls about stepping up with their press. They improved the press and we picked up a few steals and layups to get things going,” Lady Vikings assistant coach Amber Young said after the victory. “We had some trouble rebounding and boxing out, which let Mitchell get some offensive rebounds to help them stay in the game.”

Kelsie Clarke led the Avery attack with 13 points, four assists, and three steals. Johanna Pittman scored five points with six rebounds and four steals, with five points from Monica Estep.

“Johanna hustled a lot and was very aggressive for us making plays and getting rebounds when we needed them,” Coach Young said.

Due to the high number of varsity postponements throughout the season, the conference has decided to cancel the JV conference tournaments originally slated to take place this week at Owen Middle School. With last Friday’s win in its season finale, the Lady Vikings finish with a 10-5 record and perfect 9-0 conference mark, completing yet another undefeated conference regular season and capturing the JV conference championship. Congratulations to head coach Pat Daniels, his staff, and players on a fantastic year!

JV Boys
Avery’s junior varsity boys squad played a pair of games last week, hosting Hendersonville on Monday February 8^th, and playing its regular season home finale against Mitchell last Friday night.

Avery battled hard but came up short in Monday’s loss to the Bearcats. The two teams played close through most of the first half. Hendersonville held a narrow one point lead late in the second quarter, but an 11-3 scoring run encompassing the final minute of the first half and opening minutes of the third quarter extended the Bearcats lead to double-figures.

The Vikings fought back to keep the lead at around ten points, but could get no closer as the Bearcats captured a 65-53 win over Avery.

“We did a good job for the most part. When we handled their press we were able to get layup opportunities and couldn’t convert. There were also times we let their press affect us, rushing our passes forcing turnovers. If we learn to take care of the basketball and be just a little more patient, we will win games,” Coach Reggie Oakes said after the game. “I feel if we knock down our high percentage looks, we have a chance to compete and win against anyone we play.”

In Friday’s regular season finale against the Mountaineers, Avery fell behind early and was unable to recover. Mitchell held a 16-9 advantage after one period and increased its margin to 25-16 at halftime behind the hot hand of John Spencer, who tallied 14 of the team’s first half total. Avery countered with seven first-half points from guard Shea Buchanan.

The Mountaineers gradually extended its advantage in the third quarter, outscoring the Big Red 11-6 to build a lead of double digits at 36-22. The two teams played evenly in the final stanza, with Mitchell taking a 44-30 road victory.

Dustin Clark paced the Vikings with 10 points, all coming in the second half. Buchanan finished the game with seven points, with five points from Bryce Pittman.

“I thought the kids played very hard. The lack of practice time hurt us. We could have done things better offensively and hit shots that should have been made, but Mitch (Mitchell head coach Mitchell McKinney) always has his team prepared and they did a good job,” Coach Reggie Oakes said following the game. “Spencer really stepped up for them tonight. We contained him for the most part, but anytime you give him an open look, he’s gonna make it. Spencer was pretty much a man among boys tonight. But if we’re able to make some free throws and knock down shots, we come away with a win.”

Due to the high number of varsity postponements throughout the season, the conference has decided to cancel the JV conference tournaments originally slated to take place this week at Owen Middle School. Last Friday’s contests officially end the junior varsity basketball season, closing the JV boys season with a 4-13 record overall and 2-10 mark in conference play. Congratulations to head coach Reggie Oakes, his staff, and players on an exciting season!

Erskine Earns Sweep Over Lees-McRae in Hoops Action

(courtesy LMC Sports Information)
BANNER ELK, N.C. – Audrey Timmerman scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Erskine College Flying Fleet to an 81-72 win over the Lees-McRae College Lady Bobcats, 81-72, Tuesday night a Conference Carolinas women’s basketball game.

Timmerman was 10-of-17 from the floor and 7-of-13 from three in the contest for the Fleet.

Colette Montgomery scored the five baskets for the Lady Bobcats and gave them a 10-9 lead three minutes into the game. Lees-McRae quickly take the lead to nine 18-9, with an 8-0 run with just over 14 minutes to play.

Erskine would rally with a 22-5 run to close the gap the one, 23-22, on Mary Ann Lanford field goal with 7:20 to play in the half. The two teams traded buckets before two free throws by Jean Marie Harris gave Erskine a 26-25 lead with 6:23 to play.

Porsha Morgan would score the final points of the half with a free throw at the 4:08 mark to give the Fleet a 32-37 halftime lead.

After the break, a Sophie Witte field goal would cut the Erksine lead to three, 36-33, with just under 18 minutes to play, and two Lauren Casey field throws would cut the lea to two points five minutes later. But, the Fleet would respond with a 12-0 run to extend the lead to 57-43 with just under ten minutes to play.

The lead would hit 14 again, 68-54, five minutes later on a Timmerman three, but Lees-McRae would fight back to cut the lead to four, 75-71, with 1:33 to play. Erskine would however make their next four free throws and final field goal to hold onto the nine-point win, 81-72.

Lees-McRae was 47 percent from the floor and 38 percent from three, while Erskine was 38 percent overall and 40 percent from behind the arc. Erskine went to the four line 34 times and made 24, while the Lady Bobcats made 11 of their 16 attempts.

Montgomery would pace the Lady Bobcats with 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor. Casey would follow with a double-double with 11 points and ten assists. She also added a team-high seven rebounds. Amber Coleman added ten points.

Timmerman’s game-high 29 points led the Flying Fleet, but Morgan added a double-double with 15 points and ten assists. Lanford was the final Erskine player in double-digits with 14 points.

Bobcats Fall to Erskine:
Lees-McRae College only scored 12 second half points as the Erskine College Flying Fleet came back to beat the Bobcats, 52-49, Tuesday night in Williams Gymnasium.

The Flying Fleet took a quick 10-4 lead, but Lees-McRae would tie the game up at 12 on an Anthony Johnson three with 11:55 to play in the first half.

From there, the Bobcats would spring out to an 18 point lead, 34-16, with a 22-4 run capped off by a Daniel Sepokas basket with 3:14 remaining. The lead would hit 19 twice before the half before Erskine’s Brandon Wright, Nathan Jones and Victor Street would score the final five points to cut the Lees-McRae lead to 37-23 at the half.

Lees-McRae was 42 percent in the first half from the field and 36 percent from three, while Erskine was 35 percent overall and 16 percent from three.

In the second half the tide would turn, Lees-McRae held a 15-point lead, 45-30, at the 14 minute mark, but would only manage four points over the next 14 minutes. Erskine would cut the lead to one on Street free throw, then take a 50-49 lead when Nick Riley got an offensive rebound and a putback with 1:25 to play. Jones would score the final basket of the game a minute later with a putback to give the Fleet a 52-49 win.

Erskine out scored the Bobcats 29-12 in the second half and shot 37 percent from the floor and 33 percent from three. Lees-McRae was only 21 percent overall and 25 percent from three in the half.

Wright led all scorers with 14 points for the Flying Fleet, and Chris Gore followed with 11 points. Jay Boulware collected a game-high 11 rebounds.

Stephen Haymer was the lone Bobcat in double-digits with 11 points. Sam Youse added nine points and tied Haymer with eight rebounds. Jeremy Helms also had nine points on 3-of-3 shooting from three.

Lees-McRae will look to rebound with a road trip to Barton on Thursday with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Avery Ladies Ranked #8 in latest 1A Basketball Poll

The Avery Lady Vikings again have graced the most recent North Carolina 1A Girls state basketball poll, coming in at #8 overall. Neighboring conference rival Mitchell sits at #6, with Robbinsville, the team who defeated Avery in last season's Sectional Final, ranked between the two conference clubs at #7.

This week's complete poll is listed in its entirety below:

1A GIRLS

1. Williamston (8) 21-0 – 133

2. Mount Airy (3) 21-2 – 125

3. Bishop McGuinness (3) 15-5 – 109

4. East Surry 18-4 – 83

5, River Mill 26-4 – 79

6. Mitchell 18-4 – 68

7. Robbinsville 18-2 – 59

8. Avery 20-2 - 53

9. Hiwassee Dam 17-5 - 29

10. Southside 17-4 – 10

HONORABLE MENTION: Chatham Central (18-4) – 7; SW Onslow (13-4) – 4; Pender (13-2) – 3; Cherokee (17-5) – 3; Union (18-3) – 2; East Wilkes (14-8) – 2; Goldsboro (13-4) – 2;

Two additonal conference teams, the Hendersonville boys (#6 1A) and the Mountain Heritage boys (#8 2A), are ranked in this week's statewide polls.

Sims Repeats as SoCon Player of the Week

(courtesy ASU Sports Information)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Donald Sims (Gaffney, S.C./Fork Union) averaged 27.5 points in two games and led Appalachian to a pair of home wins and was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week for the second-straight time and third time this season, the league office announced on Tuesday.

The Gaffney, S.C. native scored 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting against Davidson. He sank both three-point attempts and all five foul shots to help the Mountaineers (16-10, 10-4 SoCon) to their first season sweep of the Wildcats since 2000-01. He added three rebounds, two steals and a season-high four assists in the contest.

The junior followed Thursday’s performance with 30 points on Saturday night against Georgia Southern. He was 11-of-14 from the field, 3-of-5 from downtown, and sank all five free throws to extend his season-long streak to 28-straight from the charity stripe. He grabbed five rebounds and dished out an assist.

Additionally, Sims became just the 17th player in program history to score 500 points in a season, as he currently has 516. He ranks 13th on the single season scoring list for Appalachian, just eight points away from 10th place.

Sims leads the SoCon with 19.8 points per game and is tops in the nation in free throw percentage, at 95.5. His 3.0 three-pointers per game also lead the conference.

It is the third honor for Sims this season, and fourth of his career. For the Black and Gold, only Darryl Robinson won more SoCon Player of the Week honors, picking up the award five times from 1976-78. Sims is the league’s only three-time winner this season and the only player to win the award in consecutive weeks.

Sims is just the second SoCon player since 2005-06 to win the award back-to-back, as Davidson’s Stephen Curry accomplished the feat five times from 2006-09.

In a battle between division leaders, Appalachian heads to Charleston on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. meeting with the Cougars.

Other top performers in the Southern Conference included College of Charleston’s Donavan Monroe, The Citadel’s Cameron Wells, Elon’s Adam Constantine, Furman’s Jordan Miller, Georgia Southern’s Colby Wohlleb, Samford’s Josh Davis, Western Carolina’s Brandon Giles and Wofford’s Tim Johnson.

SoCon Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Nov. 17 - Josh Bonney, Elon
Nov. 24 - Amu Saaka, Furman
Dec. 1 - Noah Dahlman, Wofford
Dec. 8 - Jeremy Simmons, Coll. of Charleston
Dec. 15 - Mike Williams, Western Carolina
Dec. 22 - Noah Dahlman, Wofford
Jan. 5 - Andrew Goudelock, Coll. of Charleston
Jan. 12 - Donald Sims, Appalachian State
Jan. 19 - Cameron Wells, The Citadel
Jan. 26 - Andrew Goudelock, Coll. of Charleston
Feb. 2 - Ty Patterson, Chattanooga
Feb. 9 - Donald Sims, Appalachian State
Feb. 16 - Donald Sims, Appalachian State

Avery Regular Season Finale Rescheduled, Western Highlands Conference Tournament Revised Schedule and Information

Avery High School has announced that the Mitchell/Avery varsity basketball games have been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 17th, with the varsity girls contest beginning at 5 p.m.

Due to the unusually high volume of postponements during this basketball season, the Western Highlands Conference has opted to split the conference varsity tournament into two separate four-team tournaments, one for 1A teams (Avery, Hendersonville, Mitchell, and Thomas Jefferson), and one for 2A schools (Madison, Mountain Heritage, Owen, and Polk).

The 2A tournament games will take place at Owen High School as follows:

Thursday, February 18, 2010 (at Owen High School)
4:00 pm Game 1- Girls #1 Owen vs. #4 Polk
5:30 pm Game 2- Boys #1 Mountain Heritage vs. #4 Owen
7:00 pm Game 3- Girls #2 Mountain Heritage vs. #3 Madison
8:30 pm Game 4- Boys #2 Madison vs. #3 Polk

Girls and boys championship games will take place with the 1A championships on Friday at Owen High School.

There will be no junior varsity conference tournament this week, ending Avery’s junior varsity season with last Friday’s games against Mitchell. Congratulations to head coach Pat Daniels and the Avery junior varsity girls team on completing its conference season undefeated and earning another Western Highlands Conference regular season championship.

As for the 1A tournament, Thursday games will take place at Owen Middle School, with Friday's championship games held at Owen High School. The schedule is as follows:

4:00 pm Game 1- Girls #1 Mitchell/Avery* vs. #4 Thomas Jefferson
5:30 pm Game 2- Boys #1 Hendersonville vs. #4 Thomas Jefferson
7:00 pm Game 3- Girls #2 Mitchell/Avery* vs. #3 Hendersonville
8:30 pm Game 4- Boys #2 Avery vs. #3 Mitchell
*-If Avery defeats Mitchell in Wednesday's regular season finale, a coin toss will take place to determine top tournament seed.


Friday's Championship Game schedule at Owen High School is as follows:
4:00 pm Game 1- 2A Girls Championship Game
5:30 pm Game 2- 1A Boys Championship Game
7:00 pm Game 3- 1A Girls Championship Game
8:30 pm Game 4- 2A Boys Championship Game

Keep checking here at the Blog for updates and any schedule changes that may occur.

Conference Basketball Tournament Dates and Times Released; Teams & Seeding To Be Determined

Dates and times have been released for the upcoming Western Highlands Conference Basketball Tournaments. Seeding will not be finalized for the tournament until regular season play concludes Monday night (weather permitting), and the league has already had to bump everything back a day due to making up the completion of regular season games on Monday.

Any changes to the tournament schedule and pending regular season games will be published when they become available.

WHC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (All games at Owen HS)

BOYS
Wednesday’s games
No. 1 vs. No. 8, 4 p.m.
No. 2 vs. No. 7, 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 vs. No. 6, 7 p.m.
No. 4 vs. No. 5, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday's games
No. 1-No. 8 winner vs. No. 4-No. 5 winner, 7 p.m.
No. 2-No. 7 winner vs. No. 3-No. 6 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Friday’s game
Championship, 8:30 p.m.

GIRLS
Tuesday’s games
No. 1 vs. No. 8, 4 p.m.
No. 2 vs. No. 7, 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 vs. No. 6, 7 p.m.
No. 4 vs. No. 5, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday’s games
No. 1-No. 8 winner vs. No. 4-No. 5 winner, 4 p.m.
No. 2-No. 7 winner vs. No. 3-No. 6 winner, 5:30 p.m.
Friday’s game
Championship, 7 p.m.