Vikings Trample TJCA, Outrun Owen in Conference Battles

In its two games last week, the Avery Vikings (AHS) varsity boys basketball team proved that it can win games with both offensive explosion and defensive fundamentals.

On Friday, Dec. 17, the Big Red routed the Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy (TJ) Gryphons 88-65 in Forest City, and used second half scoring spurts and tenacious defense to hold off a tall and talented Owen Warhorses club 74-72 on Saturday, Dec. 18, in the Viking Octagon.

Friday’s contest was a classic example that one player scoring alone cannot overcome a talented team. TJ boasted a high-scoring freshman in Travis Waldroup-Rodriguez, and he was as good as advertised, scoring a game-high 34 points. AHS countered with four players scoring in double-figures and nine different players tallying at least five points each for the game, led by Dustin Clarke’s 23 points, 12 points from Kody Hughes and 10 points each from Joey Potter and Andy Gonzalez.

AHS led 22-11 after one period behind a blistering 10-of-17 shooting performance from the field and led by 15 at 38-23 at intermission. Timmy Stewart tallied seven points for the Vikings in the half, with Clarke leading the club with 10 points and Hughes chipping in nine points through two frames.

As the second half began, Waldroup-Rodriguez, who tallied only eight points in the first half, caught fire with 12 of his team’s 17 points in the third quarter. AHS countered with the hot shooting of Clarke, who poured in 13 points of his own to bump the Viking advantage to 60-40 after three quarters.

Early in the final stanza the Vikings pulled away with a 12-5 spurt to seal the Gryphons’ fate. Included in the rally was a steal and thunderous slam dunk from junior Alex Villanueva, his second such play in as many contests, to slam the proverbial door on another AHS win.

Clarke added 11 rebounds for a double-double for the game, to go with seven assists and four steals. Timmy Stewart added six rebounds and three assists in the third straight win for the Big Red, who shot 54 percent from the field for the game.

“I think we are a good shooting team. The past four or five games we’ve shot the ball well. Their defense wasn’t what we were used to, but we were able to find ways to get good selected shots that I was pleased with,” Vikings head coach Bo Manis said after the victory. “We crashed the boards offensively for rebounds and put-backs that helped our percentages, plus we kept getting out quick on the break running the basketball. They had trouble recovering in the second half when we were out on the break.”

Despite the win, the coach was quick to praise the improved Gryphons ballclub.
“They’re definitely a better team than what we’ve faced in previous years. They continue to get better each game and each year, which makes me glad because it helps to keep our conference in check and serves to remind us that on any given night in the conference a team can play and beat us,” Manis said. “You have to be ready for every night, and they did a good job of moving the basketball around, which slowed the pace of scoring somewhat.”

The next day the Vikings hosted Owen for a Saturday night special make-up game, which had been postponed from earlier in the week. The first half was nip-and-tuck, as Avery led by two points at 17-15 after one quarter and 33-31 at halftime.

Part of the reason for the close half of action was the height advantage and offensive rebounding of the Warhorses, combined with two early fouls called against AHS’s Clarke, forcing the senior to the bench for the majority of the first half. In Clarke’s absence, nine different Vikings registered points through the first two periods, paced by seven by Timmy Stewart and six points off the bench from Villanueva.

“That’s what makes this team such fun to coach. It’s such a team effort. In order to be successful we have to pick each other up. Almost every game we’ve seen that happen. That’s what this team is about, and I’m excited to see what the team does each night because it can be a different player stepping up each game,” Manis said.

In the third quarter the Vikings built a lead as large as 15 points, and 53-39 at the end of the quarter. Early in the final stanza, however, the Warhorses charged back into the contest. Owen center Ben Marett carried his club, as he scored 15 of his game-high 30 points in the final frame to draw the Warhorses to as close as within two points.

AHS answered as Clarke scored eight of his team-high 16 points in the final period, including five straight free throws in the game’s final 80 seconds to keep the game out of reach.

The Viking bench played key minutes in the first half, as well as down the stretch in the final quarter. Austin Lyons and Benji Stewart each hit key three-point baskets in the second half to quell Owen scoring spurts, while the Vikings shot 10 of 15 from the charity stripe in the final quarter to come away with the team’s second conference win in as many nights.

In addition to Clarke, Villanueva added 11 points and Timmy Stewart added 10 in the winning effort. Colton Blackburn scored eight points while registering five rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals. Hughes and Benji Stewart scored seven points each.

“We started out sluggish and they had their way with us, but in the fourth quarter we shut them down and played harder defense. There were times we looked good and times where I honestly thought we could have played better. Owen is a scrappy ball team and will play that way no matter their size. They bring it every game and never give up,” Manis said after the win. “Defensively they came at us and they played a heck of a game. It could have went either way, but I’m glad we came out with the win and the way we finished speaks volumes about our team.”

Avery played at Hendersonville on Monday, Dec. 20, before the holiday break, falling by a final score of 84-64, and will return home to play Polk County on Jan. 4, 2011, inside the Viking Octagon.

Lady Vikings Open Conference Play with Two Wins

The Avery Lady Vikings played perhaps its best basketball of the young season thus far last week. On Friday, Dec. 17, Avery (AHS) obliterated the Lady Gryphons of Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy (TJ) 74-23 in Forest City, then returned home to whip the Warlassies 62-38 last Saturday, Dec. 18, in the Viking Octagon.

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.

AHS utilized its press defense and tight man-to-man pressure to force several Owen turnovers in the third quarter, while guard Clarke heated up to score seven of her 10 points for the contest during the stanza to push the Big Red advantage to 51-31 after three 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.

Viking Wrestling Progressing as Trio Place at Tigerland Classic

Avery senior Lucas Lecka, C.J. Vance and Brock Yackey brought home top-four finishes at the conclusion of the Tigerland Classic wrestling tournament, held at Hickory’s Fred T. Foard High School on Saturday, Dec. 18.

Lecka, wrestling at 215 pounds, competed in five matches on the day, defeating Independence’s Charlie Kurtz by first period pinfall. After falling in a narrow 8-4 decision to Hibriten’s Tripp Patterson, Lecka rallied for wins over East Burke’s J.D. Buffamoyer (pinfall-26 seconds), West Caldwell’s Guillermo Solis.(11-7 decision) and host Fred T. Foard’s Zach Edwards (10-1 decision) to capture the bronze medallion.

Vance, competing at the 160-pound class, had Avery’s highest finish, placing second overall. The senior won a 4-1 decision over Freedom’s John Chaney and defeated Hopewell’s Tyler Kirpatrick by a 14-8 decision to reach the tournament final. In that match, Vance faced a tough foe from the host school in Foard’s Hayden Albert, who won the match by pinfall.

Yackey, wrestling at 140 pounds, brought home a fourth-place finish overall, with a major decision 13-3 win over Alexander Central’s Tyler Reese and a third period pinfall win over Draughn’s Jaron Draughn sandwiched around a loss to West Caldwell’s Matt Wooten by second period pinfall.

In the third place match Yackey took on Brandon Watts from East Lincoln. In a narrow, hard-fought match, Watts came out victorious by a 3-2 decision to win third place.

Six other Viking grapplers took part in the tournament, including Wesley Hobbs (103 pounds), Justin Gragg (125 pounds), Zac Freeman (135 pounds), Josh Gragg (152 pounds), Luke Price (171 pounds) and Brandon Huff (heavyweight).

“The Tigerland Classic was the most competitive tournament that we’ve entered thus far this season. Brock’s weight class had three state placers in it. The one loss that Lucas suffered was to a wrestler who finished second in the state in 3A last year. We’re wrestling some good people,” Avery head wrestling coach Stacey Clark said of the weekend. “Even though we have a young team, we backed off our schedule a little early, but at this point we’re wrestling the kids we should be wrestling, getting our guys prepared for state tournament.”

The 2010-11 edition of the Avery wrestling team is an exciting club that has seen the number of participants include and has experienced an infusion of young talent that, with time, will continue the tradition of excellence that has marked the Viking wrestling program for decades.

“We’ve got a great turnout this year. It’s the best turnout that we’ve had since I have been the head coach. For the first time we have the potential to fill all of our weight classes. We have some kids who are not quite down to their minimum weight classes, but once that happens, we should have every weight class filled, which is the first battle in wrestling, to get the kids out and get them on the mat,” Clark said. “We have our three returning wrestlers, along with a number of freshmen and a large group of sophomores and juniors who are first-year wrestlers out this year. They’ve taken some lumps and taken some losses, but they are improving and you can see their development in the wrestling room every week.”

Aside from the efforts of the veterans, the early season wins have been somewhat inconsistent, but the coach believes in his team and sees signs that the current team can experience great measures of success not only this season, but in the years to come.

“The younger guys who have shown continuity with getting in practice are showing improvement, while others who have not been able due to weather or other reasons to get to practice consistently are coming along a little slower. It’s put us at a little disadvantage, but it’s not anything this team can’t work through if we’re able to consistently get everyone in practice at the same time,” Clark added. “Our veterans have good chances to advance far this season. They have taken their lumps and paid the price, and have gained a lot of experience through the seasons to see what regional and state competition is like. None of them have lost to a 1A opponent this year, and the losses they’ve had have been to wrestlers in 2A and higher classes.”

This Wednesday, Dec. 22, and Thursday, Dec. 23, the Vikings compete at Mitchell High School in the KT Feldspar Duals, an event featuring many of the best wrestling squads in the Western 1A region, including the likes of Rosman, Robbinsville, Cherokee and host Mitchell. The event will prove a good fulcrum for the Vikings to measure its progress as it nears the midway point of the season.

“This tournament brings an opportunity for a high match number for our kids, especially given how we scheduled a bit less to start the season and anticipating that the football playoffs might go long this fall,” Clark said. “We knew coming in that we would have a young team with just three returners, so we scheduled individual tournaments early so that those who had been around the team longer could be successful. The KT Feldspar Tournament guarantees every wrestler on our team will get eight matches, helping us make up for our late start.”

Following the holiday break, the Avery wrestling schedule includes four home dual matches against conference opponents, including Madison on Jan. 7, Mountain Heritage on Jan. 11, Owen on Jan. 18 and Polk County on Jan. 28.

“We’re excited about the direction we’re going in. We have Coach Hank Hardin back in the wrestling room helping us again this year and he’s really teaching the kids well. Coach Puckett is helping me, and the three of us are focusing on keeping the freshmen interested and helping them to understand that even the losses are a part of the learning process,” Clark said. “We have a unique opportunity to build a really strong team for the future, and our focus and keeping these kids involved long enough to turn the corner and become the great wrestlers that we know they can become. We have a heavy home schedule in the month of January, and we really want to encourage the great wrestling supporters in Avery County that I know we have to come join us in January when we open with Madison.”

ASU Men's Basketball Hangs On Against Robert Morris

(courtesy ASU Sports Information)
Donald Sims tallied 23 points to lead four players in double figures as Appalachian State University (ASU) men's basketball remained perfect at home with a slim 71-66 win against defending Northeast Conference champion Robert Morris (RMU) on Saturday, Dec. 18. The senior hauled in four rebounds and was 12-of-14 from the free throw line on the night.

The Mountaineers broke open a one-point game with 11-straight points in the second half, and held a comfortable cushion until the Colonials rallied back in the final minutes.

ASU (4-4) worked up to a 16-point lead with 6:23 remaining before the Colonials (4-6) chopped it to four points with a minute to play and got as close as 69-66 with 33 seconds on the clock.

ASU scored their final nine points of the game from the free throw line, led by four foul shots from Omar Carter. ASU was a shaky 64 percent (9-of-14) at the stripe down the stretch, but hauled in three defensive rebounds on RMU's final four missed shots to solidify the win.

Carter finished with 14 points, three rebounds and a block, and was 8-of-10 from the foul line in the contest.

ASU shot 40.8 percent in the game and sank just 3-of-16 three-point attempts, compared to 48.2 percent shooting from RMU. ASU was 28-of-40 from the free throw line, coming just one foul shot attempt shy of the season high.

Andre Williamson nearly notched a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds to accompany an assist and a powerful block. Jeremi Booth made his third-straight start and reached 10 points for a third game in a row as he added a season-high six rebounds.

ASU was without assist-leader Mitch Woods and big man Petey Hausley due to injury, but were bolstered by Anthony Breeze, who played 22 minutes off the bench in his season debut.

Breeze provided a spark for the Mountaineers with six points and eight rebounds in his first game since transferring from Coastal Carolina following the 2008-09 campaign.

ASU won the war on the boards with a 39-29 advantage and turned 12 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points. RMU scored five second-chance points on five offensive boards.

Russell Johnson led the Colonial offense with 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting in 34 minutes before fouling out. He also grabbed a team-best six rebounds. Johnson was just one of several RMU players to find foul trouble as the visitors committed 28 penalties to ASU's 13.

ASU was held without an assist in the first half and dished out a season-low six in the contest. ASU was also only able to swipe two steals, though RMU turned the ball over 15 times.

The Mountaineers' brief homestand ends as the squad thaws out at the Cancun Governor's Cup next week. ASU tips off the tournament on Wednesday, Dec. 22, with an 8:30 p.m. contest against Colorado State.

Junior Varsity Weekend Hoops Roundup

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.

Girls Win, Boys Fall at Hendersonville

The Avery Junior Varsity girls defeated Hendersonville 47-16 Monday night in Hendersonville. Taylor Hobbs led Avery with 10 points. Jessie Ramsey added four points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists, while teammate Katie Rigdon added nine points, two steals, and two assists in the win. Shannon Smith and Haley Woody added six points each.

The Viking JV boys lost to Hendersonville 56-46. Avery trailed 21-11 after one period, but cut the lead to 29-25 at halftime. Avery trailed by only four at 41-37 after three quarters before Hendersonville pulled away in the final period for the ten-point win. Chance Watson led Avery with 15 points, with seven points each from Luke Wotell and Zack Guy, with six points from Ty Polsgrove.

The Avery Lady Vikings continued its winning ways by defeating Hendersonville 72-21. Avery led 19-3 after one quarter and held a 35-7 lead at halftime. The Big Red was paced by 14 points from Mercedes Bentley, to go with three steals and three assists. Lauren Burleson added 12 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Katelynn Eudy scored eight points with five rebounds, five blocks, and three steals, while Megan Tennant added eight points and seven rebounds. Savannah Dellinger scored seven points with seven assists in the win, with Kelsie Clarke and Mary Chesnut Smith scoring six apiece and Monica Estep chipped in with five points.

The Avery varsity boys trailed 5-4 early in the first quarter, and the Bearcats pulled away to take a double-figure lead as Avery fell behind 46-33 at halftime. Hendersonville used a hot shooting touch and strong pressure defense to extend its lead to 73-45 after three quarters before cruising to an 84-64 victory. 

The Bearcats pressured the Avery backcourt all game long and double-teamed reigning WHC Player of the Year Dustin Clarke virtually every time he touched the basketball, holding the senior to just three points for the game. Clarke did have nine assists, seven rebounds,and three steals.

Joey Potter led Avery with a season-high 23 points, with 15 points from Alex Villanueva and 11 points from Benji Stewart, both coming off the bench.  Avery committed 28 turnovers in the game.

For Hendersonville, Paul Posthumous scored a career-high 26 points, with 17 points and six rebounds from Marquis Johnson. Shawn Rogers finished with 12 points, six steals and three assists and Sam Wilkins finished the night with nine points and three assists. Rishad Felton added four assists and two points.

The Avery Lady Vikings varsity club will compete on Monday and Tuesday, December 27 and 28 in the Draughn Christmas Tournament. The varsity boys and jv clubs are off for the holiday break until Avery takes on Polk County on January 4.