The Avery Lady Vikings (AHS) captured third place at the Wildcat Holiday Invitational Tournament, held last week at Draughn High School in Valdese.
Last Tuesday, Dec. 28, the Big Red faced its toughest 1A foe to date in the Highland Tech Lady Rams, ranked No. 4 in the latest MaxPreps 1A girls basketball poll.
The Lady Vikings, ranked 10th in the same poll, led for much of the contest, but foul trouble and missed free throws proved the difference in a tight affair, as Highland Tech won 64-59 in overtime.
Last Tuesday, Dec. 28, the Big Red faced its toughest 1A foe to date in the Highland Tech Lady Rams, ranked No. 4 in the latest MaxPreps 1A girls basketball poll.
The Lady Vikings, ranked 10th in the same poll, led for much of the contest, but foul trouble and missed free throws proved the difference in a tight affair, as Highland Tech won 64-59 in overtime.
Mercedes Bentley paced AHS with eight of the 10 Viking points in the first quarter of action, guiding the Big Red to a 10-8 lead after eight minutes.
AHS managed to keep its narrow margin through the second stanza. Seniors Katelynn Eudy and Mary Chesnut Smith combined for six points in the period, while Bentley netted her third three-point basket of the half to help the Lady Vikings take the 23-20 lead at halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, the Lady Vikings exploded for its highest offensive quarter of the game by tallying 19 points. The Lady Rams continued to give AHS fits, however, with an 18-point period of its own to stay within striking distance at 42-38 after three quarters.
Late in the final stanza, the Lady Vikings were saddled with foul issues, as both Eudy and Megan Tennant were dominant in the post, but eventually were both disqualified from the game with five personal fouls.
The Lady Rams utilized the strategy of forcing AHS to hit free throws to seal the win. Unfortunately the Big Red could not put the game on ice, converting only 2-of-9 free throws, opening the door for Highland Tech to claw back even with the Lady Vikings by the end of regulation, sending the game into overtime tied at 53-53.
In the extra session, Smith scored four points for AHS, while Lauren Burleson scored a field goal to account for the only Lady Viking points in overtime. Meanwhile, the Lady Rams made a single field goal in overtime but did its damage at the charity stripe, going 9-for-15 from the foul line to pull away late for the win.
The loss snapped a five-game AHS win streak, while the Lady Rams remained unbeaten for the season.
Bentley led all scorers with 22 points with three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Burleson registered a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Eudy hauled in nine rebounds to go with 11 points, with eight rebounds from Megan Tennant.
“Highland Tech is a good scrappy team. They had a really good post player who kept taking us to the basket. We led them the whole game, but couldn’t hit our free throws at the end,” Avery head coach Missy Lyons said after the game. “We were in deep foul trouble most of the game, and Katelynn and Megan both fouled out before overtime, so we were a bit shorthanded at the post for the overtime period. The foul totals were really lopsided, and there were even some fouls called on the wrong players, which was a little frustrating, but to come down to it we should have hit our free throws and didn’t do it.”
The following afternoon AHS tangled with the Bulldogs from Burns High School in the third-place contest. As in its previous contest, the Lady Vikings got off to a slow start against an overmatched Lady Bulldogs club, trailing 10-8 after one period.
In the second quarter Avery regrouped to take a five-point margin at 29-24 at halftime. Avery used its height advantage along its front line to take control of the contest. Tennant tallied 11 first-half points, with five points apiece off the bench from forward Burleson and guard Monica Estep during the half.
AHS managed to keep its narrow margin through the second stanza. Seniors Katelynn Eudy and Mary Chesnut Smith combined for six points in the period, while Bentley netted her third three-point basket of the half to help the Lady Vikings take the 23-20 lead at halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, the Lady Vikings exploded for its highest offensive quarter of the game by tallying 19 points. The Lady Rams continued to give AHS fits, however, with an 18-point period of its own to stay within striking distance at 42-38 after three quarters.
Late in the final stanza, the Lady Vikings were saddled with foul issues, as both Eudy and Megan Tennant were dominant in the post, but eventually were both disqualified from the game with five personal fouls.
The Lady Rams utilized the strategy of forcing AHS to hit free throws to seal the win. Unfortunately the Big Red could not put the game on ice, converting only 2-of-9 free throws, opening the door for Highland Tech to claw back even with the Lady Vikings by the end of regulation, sending the game into overtime tied at 53-53.
In the extra session, Smith scored four points for AHS, while Lauren Burleson scored a field goal to account for the only Lady Viking points in overtime. Meanwhile, the Lady Rams made a single field goal in overtime but did its damage at the charity stripe, going 9-for-15 from the foul line to pull away late for the win.
The loss snapped a five-game AHS win streak, while the Lady Rams remained unbeaten for the season.
Bentley led all scorers with 22 points with three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Burleson registered a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Eudy hauled in nine rebounds to go with 11 points, with eight rebounds from Megan Tennant.
“Highland Tech is a good scrappy team. They had a really good post player who kept taking us to the basket. We led them the whole game, but couldn’t hit our free throws at the end,” Avery head coach Missy Lyons said after the game. “We were in deep foul trouble most of the game, and Katelynn and Megan both fouled out before overtime, so we were a bit shorthanded at the post for the overtime period. The foul totals were really lopsided, and there were even some fouls called on the wrong players, which was a little frustrating, but to come down to it we should have hit our free throws and didn’t do it.”The following afternoon AHS tangled with the Bulldogs from Burns High School in the third-place contest. As in its previous contest, the Lady Vikings got off to a slow start against an overmatched Lady Bulldogs club, trailing 10-8 after one period.
In the second quarter Avery regrouped to take a five-point margin at 29-24 at halftime. Avery used its height advantage along its front line to take control of the contest. Tennant tallied 11 first-half points, with five points apiece off the bench from forward Burleson and guard Monica Estep during the half.
The Big Red exploded in the third quarter for a 20-8 scoring spurt, as Burns had no answer for the AHS press defense that generated numerous turnovers and offensive opportunities, building a comfortable 49-32 margin entering the final period.
Over the final eight minutes, AHS stretched its margin and put the game out of reach. Kelsie Clarke scored 12 points in the final frame as the Big Red captured a 71-35 win.
Tennant, the Lady Viking representative on the All-Tournament team, racked up a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, in addition to three steals during the win. Clarke tallied 15 points with four assists, while Bentley added 13 points. Burleson and Eudy tallied seven points apiece.
“We started out a little sluggish and should have been able to press better from the beginning, but this was a good springboard to get us back into practice and ready to get back into conference play,” Lyons said after the win.
The holiday tournament is a good measuring stick for the Lady Vikings, who have won six of its last seven games. The holiday period is a chance for the team to assess its progress thus far during the season and prepare for the meat of the conference season.
“This tournament is good in that it gives us a chance to try some different things and play some different teams. Highland Tech is a team that we could see in the state playoffs as we did a couple of years ago, so it is good competition and a good tournament to play in,” Lyons said. “I hope this has helped prepare us. I hope that once we get back into a routine and practice schedule that we can be successful against the teams we’ll play in conference.”
Conference play resumes in earnest this week for the AHS varsity and JV clubs with contests against Polk County and at Madison.
Over the final eight minutes, AHS stretched its margin and put the game out of reach. Kelsie Clarke scored 12 points in the final frame as the Big Red captured a 71-35 win.
Tennant, the Lady Viking representative on the All-Tournament team, racked up a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, in addition to three steals during the win. Clarke tallied 15 points with four assists, while Bentley added 13 points. Burleson and Eudy tallied seven points apiece.
“We started out a little sluggish and should have been able to press better from the beginning, but this was a good springboard to get us back into practice and ready to get back into conference play,” Lyons said after the win.
The holiday tournament is a good measuring stick for the Lady Vikings, who have won six of its last seven games. The holiday period is a chance for the team to assess its progress thus far during the season and prepare for the meat of the conference season.
“This tournament is good in that it gives us a chance to try some different things and play some different teams. Highland Tech is a team that we could see in the state playoffs as we did a couple of years ago, so it is good competition and a good tournament to play in,” Lyons said. “I hope this has helped prepare us. I hope that once we get back into a routine and practice schedule that we can be successful against the teams we’ll play in conference.”
Conference play resumes in earnest this week for the AHS varsity and JV clubs with contests against Polk County and at Madison.
