Hendersonville was overmatched from the outset as AHS raced out to a 20-2 lead after one period and a whopping 42-5 margin at halftime en route to a lopsided win. All 11 players on the Lady Viking roster scored in the game, led by Megan Tennant’s 16 points. Mercedes Bentley scored 14, with 12 from Katelynn Eudy and 11 from Kelsie Clarke.
“We had starters play together at the first, then mixed things up and had different players playing together in the game. We worked on cutting down on turnovers and bettering our shooting percentage,” Lady Vikings head coach Missy Lyons said after the win. “It gave us the chance to work on some zones and different things.”
The week’s second game against Mountain Heritage two days later was the best ladies contest in the Western Highlands Conference this season, as the top two teams in the conference standings squared off.
AHS struggled a bit from the field in the first eight minutes, missing on 11 of its 17 shots from the floor. Bentley helped buoy the Lady Viking offense, however, with a pair of three-pointers, while Eudy posted six points in the frame as well. Nonetheless, the tall Heritage frontline was extremely physical and effective in the paint, helping the Lady Cougars to a 17-16 advantage after one quarter.
In the second quarter the Lady Cougars heated up from outside the arc, converting 3-of-5 shots from long distance. AHS continued to work hard offensively, but shots were not falling with consistency. A 10-2 Mountain Heritage scoring spurt over the final three minutes of the half pulled the Lady Cougars to a 36-27 lead at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter Heritage held an eight-point lead, but rebounding and defense keyed a 9-0 Lady Viking scoring run to erase the deficit and give the Big Red its first lead of the half at 41-40 with three minutes left in the period. Heritage responded with its own 6-0 run to regain control, settling for a 48-45 lead after three quarters.
On its last offensive possession of the quarter Heritage forward Breanna Woody rebounded a shot and scored while Clarke collected a fifth personal foul. A mere 2.5 seconds remained on the clock as the basket tied the score at 58-58 with the opportunity for the Lady Cougars to shoot the potential game-winning free throw. Following a Heritage timeout, Woody went to the line and missed the free throw. AHS secured the rebound to send the game to overtime.
In the extra session, the Lady Vikings received a boost from an unsung heroine in junior guard Savannah Dellinger. The junior guard hit a jump shot in the lane in the overtime while also converting a perfect 5-for-5 shots from the free throw line, including two clutch shots with less than 10 seconds on the clock after a Lady Cougar three-pointer had cut the Big Red lead to only a pair. Avery’s defense clamped down when needed most to secure the win and preserve the team’s unblemished record in WHC games this season.
“Heritage shot the ball well. They were aggressive and they out-rebounded us for a stretch. We had a colorful halftime talk and decided to play a little better defense in the second half,” Lyons said. “Kelsie did a good job using her hands and getting steals. We did a good job getting out on the press and especially improved our rebounding in the second half. It was a physical game and Heritage played as rough as the referees let them. We felt once we toughened up a bit and adjusted to the style of the game and rebounded the ball, we could get back into the game.”
Eudy paced the Lady Vikings with a double-double of 24 points and 16 rebounds. Tennant added 19 points and 10 rebounds, with eight points from Bentley. Dellinger scored all seven of her points for the contest during the four-minute overtime period.
“Savannah had the little basket inside and was perfect on the free throws. She and the girls stepped up as leaders. Lauren’s [Burleson] height gave us a further advantage inside against their taller players,” Lyons added. “It was a good game for us to have and I was glad for us to come out on the winning side. After having two easier games and not having a lot of close games, to have a game like that really helped us quite a bit.”
The final game of the week against Polk was a tight contest in the early going as the battle from the previous evening appeared to have a lingering effect. The Lady Wolverines defended its home floor as AHS could only build a 20-15 margin after one stanza.
Polk outscored the Lady Vikings 7-4 over the first 2:29 of the second period to draw within a pair at 24-22. AHS committed to scoring inside in the period, however, pounding the basketball in the paint. Tennant scored four baskets in the period from short range with two additional hoops from Eudy, increasing the Lady Viking lead to 36-29 at intermission.
As the second half ensued, the AHS defensive pressure began to wilt the Wolverines. The Big Red coaxed 10 turnovers in the quarter from Polk while putting up 20 points of its own in the period, racing to a commanding 56-39 lead after three quarters. In the final stanza Polk found the going tougher, as AHS held the club to only seven points in the frame. Monica Estep scored six points in the second half, four in the final quarter, as the Lady Vikings earned the win.
Polk had no answer for the Avery offense from the interior. Tennant scored 22 points, with 10 from Eudy and 9 from Estep and Bentley. Clarke posted eight points, with five apiece from Dellinger and Burleson.
“Katelynn and Megan were beaten up pretty good in the Heritage game and they weren’t hitting their shots early on at Polk. It was an emotional game and the girls were a little tired as a result,” Lyons said after the win. “Megan got in some foul trouble, but once we got a little rotation going she was able to get a lot of rest in the first half, and was fresh and effective in the second half. Polk played a good game. They were aggressive and played hard. They hit the boards and the post players played a good first half. In the second half we came out defensively and gave a much better defensive effort. They play well at home and we’ve struggled there in the past. We didn’t shoot well, but the half-court trap was key and Kelsie was active with several steals out of it.”
The Lady Vikings host three opponents during this week and end regular season play on the road. AHS hosted Madison on Tuesday, and makes up a rescheduled game with West Wilkes this Wednesday, Feb. 2. The team hosts Mountain Heritage this Friday, Feb. 4, for Senior Night, and will make the short trip to Ledger to take on the Mitchell Lady Mountaineers this Monday, Feb. 7.
