Lady Vikings Take Fourth Straight with Win in Conference Opener

The Avery Lady Vikings took a while to get things going against the Owen Warlassies, with a lot of almost scoring drives occurring before they got a ball in the back of the net.

Wearing their road red, since they have no St. Patrick green to wear, the Vikings got their first score in the 20^th minute when stopper Katelynn Eudy proved that offense starts with the defense. Actually in soccer, defense is the responsibility of everyone on the field; however, in this case the defender was the first to score. Midfielder Mary Chesnut Smith assisted Eudy on the first score. Avery was not to get on the board again until the closing minutes of the first half.

In the 36^th minute, forward Melinda Eggers sent a ball across the face of the goal with such power that the Warlassies defense was not able to stop the ball, but had it bounce off the defender into the goal. If the defender had not gotten in the way, forward Jennie Elrod was in place to tap the ball in.

After a halftime talk with several areas on to work on, the coaching staff was alarmed when the Lady Vikings came out flat in the second half. With several early scoring chances, the Vikings couldn’t finish any of them. Although the Vikings continued to dominate, keeping the ball in their possession more often than not, it wasn’t until the 64^th minute that the Lady Vikings were able to score again. Defender Megan Robbins passed the ball to Smith, who was able to work her way through several defenders and put the ball behind the keeper. This score helped in part to make up for a shot earlier by Smith which hit the goal post and bounced away from the goal instead of into the goal.

This ended the scoring by the Vikings in the contest, but the defense kept the Warlassies out of the goal all night. The final score was 3-0, with another shutout for junior first-year keeper Mercedes Bentley, her third of the young season. The Vikings took 16 shots on goal in the first half and 21 in the second half. Bentley had 8 saves on the evening with the other three Warlassies shots going wide.

Next week the Lady Vikings will play two key conference games. They will host conference newcomer Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, who upset Hendersonville earlier this week, on Monday, March 22nd, and will host Hendersonville on Thursday, March 25th, both games at 6 p.m. The team then hits the road on Friday the 26th to take on West Caldwell.

(Special thanks to Serena Smith for text and photos)

Mountaineers Cruise to First Round CIT Victory

We're live on hand tonight in Boone at the Holmes Center for the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Basketball Tournament. as Appalachian State plays host to Ivy League opponent Harvard.

The game marks the fourth NCAA Division I postseason appearance for the Mountaineers (22-12), who played in the 2007 National Invitational Tournament as well as the 1979 and 2000 NCAA Tournaments.

It is the first-ever meeting with the Crimson (21-7, 10-4 Ivy), though the programs’ head coaches are familiar with each other. Buzz Peterson (North Carolina) and Tommy Amaker (Duke) competed against each other for three seasons in the ACC in the 1980s.

ASU has never played any of the eight Ivy League schools and both teams seek their first postseason win. Appalachian is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Wofford in the finals of the Southern Conference Tournament.

The Last Time Out

Harvard last played on March 6, dropping a 54-51 decision at Princeton in a foul-filled game
with 44 combined whistles. A 3-pointer from Brandyn Curry put the Crimson ahead 51-50 with 1:15 left in the game but Princeton’s Marcus Schroeder then made four free throws down the stretch to get the win, likely denying Harvard of an NIT bid as the Crimson just missed the 32-team field. Curry paced Harvard with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Appalachian State held Wofford without a point for 10 minutes in the second half of the SoCon championship game but it wasn’t enough in a 56-51 loss on March 8. Andre Williamson scored 12 points and Ryann Abraham added 11, but the Mountaineers shot just 29 percent. Their top two scorers -- Donald Sims and Kellen Brand -- combined to shoot 2 of 23.

Records & Ratings

Harvard boasts the second-best record in the CIT field behind Northern Colorado. The Crimson’s RPI of 100 is just ahead of Appalachian state (101) and is fifth-best in the field.

Here are some other news and notes on tonight's contest:

• ASU is 13-3 at home this season, tying the Holmes Center record for wins.
• ASU also seeks its first NCAA Division I postseason win in the tournament, as the squad is 0-3 in the previous NIT and NCAA berths.
• The Crimson enter the postseason with a stellar 21-7 record on the season, 10-4 in Ivy League
play.
• Harvard finished third in the league after winning four of its last five games.
• Jeremy Lin leads the Crimson with 16.6 points per game on 52.3 percent shooting.
• Kyle Casey is the squad’s top rebounder with 5.2 boards per game to accompany his 10.3
scoring average.
• Harvard and Appalachian did not have a common opponent this season.
• Harvard fared well on the road this season with a 10-5 mark, including a West Coast sweep of Seattle and Santa Clara.

We'll be bringing updates from our location courtside from opening tip to the final buzzer as ASU and Harvard battle to advance in the CIT.

Update #1: Preparing for tipoff as the starters have been announced. Postseason action ready to roll from Boone!

Harvard starts the game on an 8-0 run over the first 1:15 with the help of 3 ASU turnovers. Coach Peterson pulls all five starters as motivation for his starters. The move pays off as ASU goes on a 4-0 spurt with buckets from Andre Williamson and Marcus Wright. Harvard takes a 30 second timeout, and leads by a score of 10-7.

First media timeout: Harvard 10, Appalachian 7

Update #2: Harvard opens up a 22-12 lead after a four-point play and a three-pointer from Christian Webster, forcing an ASU timeout. 13:11 remains in the first half.

Update #3: Appalachian State finds itself trailing 28-18 with 10:32 left in the first half. Webster has a total of 13 points for Harvard (four 3-pointers), while Andre Williamson leads the Mountaineers with six points thus far. Harvard is lighting it up from beyond the arc, while Appalachian has already committed five turnovers in the first nine and a half minutes.

Update #4: ASU goes on a run, as a 3-pointer from Kellen Brand forces Harvard to take another timeout. Crimson leads it 32-26 with 7:13 left in the half.

Update #5: Harvard is 6 of 10 from three point range and 12-21 so far from the field. Appalachian is shooting 50 percent from the field but still find themselves behind 35-30 with 4:37 left to play in the half.

Update #6: Last media timeout of the half and ASU trails 37-32. Webster has been kept silent for several minutes by the Appalachian defense, and Donald Sims, Kellen Brand, and Marcus Wright have all hit outside jumpers to help keep the Mountaineers in it.

Update #7: A Josh Hunter shot inside ties the game at 37-37 with 1:50 to play, and a driving layup from Kellen Brand gives the Mountaineers their first lead at 39-37 with 1:22 left in the half. A Williamson thunderous dunk puts ASU up by 4 in the final minute of the half. In all ASU goes on an 11-0 run to go from trailing by five to leading by four. ASU on its final possession of the half scores on a tip-in from Josh Hunter of a Sims three-pointer. Mountaineers lead 43-37 at intermission.

Halftime: ASU 43 Harvard 37

Appalachian shot 18 for 33 from the field for the half, and was 6 of 11 from three-point range in the first half. Harvard, after a hot shooting start, cooled off to go 14 of 31 from the field and 7 of 13 from three-point land. Webster leads Harvard with 13 points, with 10 from Kyle Casey.

Four Mountaineers, Donald Sims, Kellen Brand, Marcus Wright, and Andre Williamson each have 8 points in the first half. After four early turnovers, Appalachian finished with just six for the half, while forcing 8 turnovers from Harvard.

Update #8: Appalachian opens up its largest lead of the night at 49-40 at the first media timeout. Kellen Brand had netted three jumpers to account for all ASU's points in the half so far.

Update #9: Five points from Donald Sims and four points from Josh Hunter forces Harvard to take a time out to try to stay in this game. 12:02 left to play in the contest and the Mountaineers lead 60-46.

Update #10: Harvard has cut the deficit to 71-58 with 8:07 to play, but Appalachian scores just before the media timeout with 7:58 to play. 73-58 Mountaineers lead it.

Update #11: Appalachian has stretched out its advantage to 86-68 at the final media time out with just 3:05 left to play. ASU will advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament and play on Monday evening against an opponent to be determined. Winners from last night included the following:

Fairfield 101, George Mason 96 (OT)

Marshall 90, Western Carolina 88

Creighton 89, South Dakota 78

Games being played tonight include...

Middle Tennessee State (19-13) @ Missouri State (20-12)

Portland (21-10) @ Northern Colorado (24-7)

Pacific (20-11) @ Loyola Marymount (18-14)


Coach Peterson takes out most of his starters at the 2:25 mark with Appalachian leading 88-69. The Mountaineers are movin' on in the CIT. Final Score from Boone: Appalachian 93, Harvard 71.

"I thought Appalachian's front line was outstanding tonight. Points in the paint in their favor was a tremendous advantage," Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker remarked after the game. "We ran into a team that played exceptionally well."

Christian Webster scored 24 points tonight to lead the Crimson. Kyle Casey scored 14 points, with 12 from Jeremy Lin.

Appalachian was paced by Donald Sims' 22 points, with 14 points from Kellen Brand, 13 points from Josh Hunter, 11 points from Andre Williamson, and 10 points from Marcus Wright.

"I'm very happy for these seniors to be the first to get a postseason win. These guys have been through a lot, but from Day One they've accepted what we've tried to do and have worked hard. This team has really improved, winning 16 of 21," Coach Buzz Peterson said after the win. "It's a good win for the program, our first. The student turnout was great to see."

Tough Tuesday at the Ballpark for Avery

The Avery Vikings softball and baseball teams traveled to Swannanoa Tuesday to take on the Owen Warhorses in the 2010 conference opener.

Owen was dominant in both softball and baseball, as the Avery junior varsity and varsity teams were shut out for the day.

In JV softball action, Avery saw its first day of outdoor action, including practices, and Owen took advantage in defeating Avery 34-0 in three innings. In varsity action, the Warlassies were equally dominant, upending the Avery varsity team by a 15-0 score in four innings. Avery faced a tall test in the varsity contest as Owen pitcher Taylor Fisher threw a five-inning perfect game for Owen.with six strikeouts.

The Avery JV baseball team took on the Warhorses and fell 9-0 in a five-inning affair, while the varsity Warhorses blanked the Vikings baseball squad by a final score of 11-0.

Avery baseball returns to action this afternoon with a non-conference game at Hampton, then both the baseball and softball teams re-enter conference play with games at Thomas Jefferson on Friday afternoon.

Avery Schedule Changes

(updated 3/15 2 p.m.)

The weather has affected a number of sports contests involving Avery County schools for Monday.

Avery's baseball games scheduled at Hampton (TN) are postponed for this afternoon, as well as Avery Middle School's scheduled baseball and softball games at Harris.

Cranberry Middle School is still slated to play softball at Cane River Middle School at 3:30 pm this afternoon, with CMS baseball to take on Cane River afterward. In addition, Avery High School girls soccer is still scheduled to travel to Mountain Heritage to open Western Highlands Conference play against the Lady Cougars this evening at 6 p.m. in Burnsville.

Avery High School baseball and softball are next scheduled to play tomorrow (3/16) at Owen High School, while Cranberry Middle School baseball is slated to play a doubleheader at Bowman Middle School.