Vikings Sweep Blackhawks in Non-Conference Hoops Action

Avery swept all four games at home vs. West Wilkes last night. The JV girls started off a bit slow as they were tied at 23 with West at halftime. The Lady Vikings found the hot hand in the second half, however, to pull away for a 65-32 win.

Bre Heaton scored 22 to lead Avery, with 12 from Katie Rigdon and 7 from Jesse Ramsey.

The JV boys also took care of West Wilkes, using a 15-0 run to start the game en route to a 20-point win.

Avery Lady Vikings basketball wore pink socks Wednesday night
as part of its "Pink Zone" fund raiser for Breast Cancer Awareness

The Avery Lady Viking varsity team won 58-46 over West Wilkes to move to 17-5 for the season. Avery's players wore pink socks for the "Pink Zone" and money was collected in honor of breast cancer awareness. The Lady Vikings led 16-14 after one quarter, and held a 32-26 lead at halftime.

The Lady Vikings exploded for a 20-7 run in the third period to build a 52-33 lead after three quarters which proved to be the difference in the game.

Mercedes Bentley led the way with 15 points, while Megan Tennant added 12 and Lauren Burleson chipped in with 10 points off the bench. West was led by Caitlyn Kilby with 12 points, with 10 from Leah Bishop.

In the boys contest, the Big Red came out sporting retro jerseys from the 1995-1996 season. Early on, it looked like the offense was left in the past, as both teams struggled to find offensive consistency. Avery had a hard time deciphering the West 2-1-2 zone defense, but the Vikings led 17-12 after one period, and held a 32-22 lead at halftime.

Much like the girls contest, the varsity boys blew up for 22 third-quarter points to propel Avery to a 54-35 advantage, and poured it on in the fourth quarter for a decisive 80-47 win. The victory improves Avery to 13-6 for the season.

Dustin Clarke led Avery with 18 points, with ten points each from Joey Potter, Timmy Stewart and Benji Stewart. Austin Lyons added eight points, with seven from Kody Hughes.

The Vikings host Mountain Heritage on Friday for Senior Night. A Lady Vikings win will clinch the regular season Western Highlands Conference championship.

Lady Vikings Remain Unbeaten in Conference with Three WHC Wins

The Avery (AHS) Lady Vikings capped a busy week of roundball action with a trio of triumphs. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the Big Red blasted the Lady Bearcats from Hendersonville 80-26. AHS played its most competitive conference game of the season to date last Thursday, Jan. 26, as it took overtime for AHS to defeat Mountain Heritage 67-63 in Burnsville. The Lady Vikings followed up the emotional win the next evening with a 70-46 win in Columbus against Polk County.

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.

A Clarke steal and layup early in the fourth quarter tied the game at 50-50, and neither team led by more than two points for the remainder of the period. Two Clarke free throws, and one made free throw each from Tennant and Eudy gave the Lady Vikings a tenuous 58-56 lead with 10 seconds left in regulation.

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.

JV Hoops Roundup

The Viking junior varsity basketball teams were busy with hoops action last week, hosting Hendersonville on Tuesday, Jan. 25, before hitting the road for two road games at Mountain Heritage on Jan. 27, and at Polk County last Friday, Jan. 28.

JV Girls Remain Unbeaten in Conference Play
The Avery Lady Vikings (AHS) junior varsity continued its streak of impressive victories, cruising to a 60-9 win against the Hendersonville Lady Bearcats.

AHS led 9-2 after one quarter, but jumped to a 24-6 halftime advantage. The Big Red defense held the Lady Bearcats to only three points over the final two periods en route to the impressive win.

A total of 10 Lady Vikings scored points in the win, led by 10 points and four steals from Bre Heaton. Katie Rigdon and Taylor Hobbs chipped in with eight points apiece, while Shannon Smith added six points and nine rebounds.

“We knew it should be an easy game, so we tweaked our lineup, which worked really well, giving everybody a chance to play and everybody did a really good job,” head coach Pat Daniels said after the win. “The team played really well together and everybody stepped in and never missed a beat. Everybody played good team ball.”
The contest at Mountain Heritage proved to be one of the toughest games of the season to date for the Big Red. The Lady Vikings persevered, however, behind a 28-point effort from Heaton to earn a 52-44 road win.

AHS led 11-8 after one quarter thanks to three three-point baskets from Heaton, and doubled its lead by halftime to 20-14 as Jessie Ramsey chipped in with four points in the second stanza.

Heritage hung around in the contest using its physical play and tall frontline. Avery countered by using its press defense and pushing the basketball up the floor with every offensive opportunity. The Lady Vikings forced several Lady Cougar turnovers in the third quarter in taking a 33-24 lead going into the final period. Heaton heated up with several layups off steals in the final quarter, while teammate Hobbs scored five of her seven points for the game in the last period to propel the Big Red to the win.

Heaton added four steals and three assists to her point total. Haley Woody scored two points, but pulled down six rebounds, blocked five shots, dished four assists and grabbed two steals in the win.

“It was a physical game. A couple of girls were elbowed hard and there were no calls by the official,” Daniels said. “Taylor played a good game for us and she has picked up her game. She seems to like playing at power forward and has rebounded the ball well. Sela [Pittman] also played a great game and picked up several rebounds, giving a strong effort when we had some foul trouble. Mountain Heritage is a good team, and our defense picked it up in the second half.”

In the Polk contest the Lady Vikings was victorious by only three points, and the Big Red set out to make a statement on the home floor of the Lady Wolverines. AHS did just that, hammering the Lady Wolverines by a 49-33 final score.
AHS jumped out to an early lead, taking a 16-4 advantage after one period and a commanding 37-11 lead at halftime.

The Lady Vikings took the foot off the gas pedal in the third period and the Lady Wolverines cut the AHS lead to 41-24 after three periods. The contest was never in doubt however, as AHS scored at the free throw line to salt away the game and another Viking victory.

Heaton continued her torrid scoring pace with 26 points in the win, in addition to five assists and four rebounds. Rigdon added nine points and five steals, with five points and six rebounds from Woody.

“The referees had only had us play six minute quarters when we played Polk at home the first time, and with us only beating them by three points, the Polk coach convinced herself that they would have beaten us had the game had seven minute quarters. I told our girls that we need to go out and show them the kind of team we have. They came out with fire in the first quarter and took it to them early,” Daniels said. “We played a full game this time and the girls have been playing great defense the past couple of games.”

JV Boys Evens Score with Hendersonville, Falls Short in Road Contests
Last week the AHS junior varsity boys squad made a statement at home with its 59-54 win over Hendersonville. The Vikings could not carry the momentum into the week’s remaining games, however, dropping a 51-33 loss at Mountain Heritage and a heartbreaking 57-55 defeat on a buzzer-beater at Polk County.

Avery grabbed a 13-11 lead over the Bearcats after one quarter of action, but a strong second quarter led by seven points off the bench from Zack Guy and a stifling team defensive effort pushed the Big Red to a 32-19 halftime lead.
The Vikings carried the momentum of the first half into the third period, extending the lead to 45-30 after three quarters. Hendersonville made things interesting with a late scoring spurt, outscoring AHS 24-14 in the final seven minutes, but it was too little too late as the home team celebrated the win.

Guy finished the game with a season-high 13 points, while teammate Lane Smith also netted 13 points. Luke Wotell chipped in with 10 points off the bench. Bryce Pittman added eight points, with seven from Chance Watson.

The Vikings were unable to experience the same success in its matchup with the Mountain Heritage Cougars. Avery fell behind 14-2 after one period and was never able to catch up against a tall and athletic Cougars club. Smith led the Vikings with eight points in the contest, with seven from Wotell and five points from Pittman.

AHS bounced back in its final game against the Wolverines. The teams were tied at nine points apiece after one period, but the Vikings seized control in the second stanza, leading by as many as 12 points in the period before taking a 25-20 advantage into halftime.

Typical of the closeness of the contest, Polk stormed back in the third quarter to regain the lead at 37-35. For the remainder of the contest, the teams played nip and tuck as neither club could gain more than a one possession lead on the scoreboard.

Late in the game, Avery’s Smith hit a pair of clutch free throws, which tied the contest at 55 apiece. With its final possession, however, Polk held for the final shot. The attempt was missed, but an offensive rebound and layup at the buzzer proved the difference between overtime and a Polk County win.

“Heritage came out early and knocked us back on our heels and just couldn’t recover. The kids were just overmatched that night and the home court advantage definitely helped Heritage. Polk was a back-and-forth game of scoring runs. If we had been a little smarter with a 12-point lead maybe we could have sealed it and put the game away. The kids fought hard to get back into the game. I saw some good things,” boys JV coach Reggie Oakes said after the week’s games. “The game really came down to who had the ball last. Unfortunately they made the play with their last possession to win the game. I thought Luke played well for us inside and Payton [Lowery] played well before fouling out. We need to work to get the ball inside more, and is something we will focus on for the rest of the season.”

The 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, and will make the short trip to Ledger to take on the Mitchell Mountaineers this Monday, Feb. 7.