5:20 PM -- Lady Vikings finish off Polk County by a final score of 57-38. Avery will move on to face either Madison or Mountain Heritage in tomorrow's tournament final, with tip time around 7 p.m.
The boys game between Heritage and Avery will begin at 5:30 p.m. We'll be covering that one here on the Blog as well. Thanks for reading!
5:17 PM -- With 1:35 to play in the game the Lady Vikings have pulled away using defense, leading by a 56-37 score. Looks good that the Big Red will advance to the tournament final to take on the winner of the game between Mountain Heritage and Madison.
5:10 PM -- With 5:57 left in the game Avery holds a 45-34 lead as Coach Missy Lyons takes a timeout. Avery has held Polk to only nine points in the second half to build its double-figure margin.
5:05 PM -- Avery holds Polk to just one made field goal and a pair of free throws as the Lady Vikings build a 43-31 lead after three quarters.
Avery has improved its rebounding in the second half with 12 rebounds as a team in the frame. Final eight minutes coming up!
4:55 PM -- Polk has burned a fourth timeout after an Avery scoring spurt makes the score 37-28 with 3:32 left in the third quarter. A steal and basket from Smith prompts Coach Culbreth to stop the action.
4:40 PM -- At halftime, the Lady Vikings lead Polk County 30-25. The Vikings have unofficially committed 10 turnovers in the first half which has helped the Polk cause.
First half Lady Vikings scoring (unofficial):
Megan Tennant: 10 points
Katelynn Eudy: 4 points
Mercedes Bentley: 3 points
Monica Estep: 4 points
Mary Chesnut Smith: 3 points
Lauren Burleson - 2 points
Kelsie Clarke - 2 points
The Lady Wolverines have utilized a zone defense for a portion of the half to defend against the Avery frontline height and ability. The Lady Vikings have nevertheless been able to get the ball inside, but have not converted on several opportunities.
Second half action after the break!
4:35 PM -- The officials are letting a lot of contact go as the Lady Wolverines have cut the lead to 28-23 with 1:46 left in the half.
4:30 PM -- Avery holds a 28-18 lead with 4:00 to play in the half. Monica Estep has four points off the bench for the Big Red, as the partisan Avery crowd is showing great spirit this afternoon.
4:20 PM -- After one period, Avery leads Polk County 22-10. Polk shot 4-for-15 in the quarter, while the Lady Vikings were 8-of-15 in the frame. Megan Tennant scored eight points in the first quarter to lead the Big Red. Second quarter action underway!
We're live at the Patriot Palace at Madison High School as the top-seeded Avery Lady Vikings tip off the day's semifinal action against the Polk Lady Wolverines.
The Lady Vikings swept both meetings between the schools, with the latest meeting in Columbus last month resulting in a 70-46 Avery victory.
We'll be here at our perch above the floor to bring updates of both this girls game, as well as the 5:30 men's game between #4 seed Avery and top-seeded Mountain Heritage.
