Yackey, Lecka Compete at State Wrestling Championships

On Feb. 25 and 26, Avery wrestlers Brock Yackey and Lucas Lecka advanced to take part in the NCHSAA State Wrestling Championships, held at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.

Both wrestlers competed on the first day’s opening round. Lecka, wrestling in the 215-pound weight class, fell in his 1A quarterfinal match against a tough opponent in Red Springs wrestler Robert Overton by first period pinfall. Lecka returned to action the next morning and took on Robbinsville’s Will Grindstaff. Grindstaff came out on top via forfeit to eliminate Lecka from the championships after a stellar conference and regional tournament performance.

Viking senior Brock Yackey was successful in his first match 9-6 decision victory over Pamlico County’s Chad Hoff. Yackey faced a tough opponent in his championship semifinal match against Central Academy’s Jamie Lemon, who had 43 wins on his record this season. The pair battled to a 2-2 tie after regulation. In the waning seconds of overtime Lemon earned two points to defeat Yackey by a 4-2 final score, moving the senior into the consolation bracket.

At the consolation level Yackey wrestled in the semifinals and defeated Adrian Garcia from West Wilkes by a 6-3 decision to compete for the overall third place finish.

In the consolation finals, Yackey faced a familiar foe in Hoff, winning a hard-fought bout 5-0 to capture the third-place medal.

Congratulations to Brock, Lucas and the Avery wrestling team for a great 2010-11 season.

Hayesville Comeback Eliminates Vikings from State Playoffs

The Avery Vikings (AHS) and Hayesville Yellow Jackets (HHS) played a back-and-forth first half in the opening round of the state 1A high school basketball playoffs on Monday, Feb. 21 in Clay County.

The Big Red raced out to a double-figure margin late in the third period, but a furious comeback in the game’s final 10 minutes, and a rebound/follow-up shot in the game’s closing seconds sent AHS into baseball season with a 65-64 defeat.

Senior Dustin Clarke provided much of the AHS offense in the first period with 11 of the team’s 15 first-quarter points. HHS countered with its own do-it-all guard in junior Justin Gonyea, who tallied 13 of the 18 Yellow Jacket points in the frame.

As the second period ensued, more Vikings made their presence felt, as Timmy Stewart drained a three-pointer and teammates Kody Hughes, Austin Lyons and Alex Villanueva each contributed field goals in the quarter. HHS’s Gonyea added five points in the second stanza, totaling 18 of the team’s 30 first-half points, which proved enough for a 30-29 halftime advantage.

As the second half began, AHS’s Villanueva was unstoppable, scoring eight of the first 10 Viking points in the third quarter. The offense was part of a 10-0 Big Red scoring run over the first 2:08 of the third quarter to erase the Yellow Jacket lead and build a 39-30 Viking advantage.

AHS continued to pad its lead in the third stanza, with three-pointers from Hughes and Mark Polsgrove and eight points from Clarke propelling the Vikings to a lead as large as 51-36 with 1:20 to play in the frame. HHS ended the quarter with a 7-0 scoring run, however, to cut the lead in half at 51-43 after three periods.

The momentum HHS built at the end of the third quarter carried into the final eight minutes. AHS held a 54-43 lead with 6:33 to play in the contest, but over the next 2:10 the Yellow Jackets raced to a 15-4 run keyed by clutch shots from Gonyea and four Viking turnovers to tie the game at 58-58.

AHS managed to make just six field goals in the final period, while the Jackets shifted from a perimeter-oriented game to showing aggressiveness inside the paint. The teams traded the lead in the final two minutes, and with 50 seconds left, Clarke found Hughes inside for a layup and a 64-63 lead.

The Big Red defense made a stand with 22 seconds to play, forcing a turnover from HHS. With its ensuing possession, however, AHS made a critical error and turned the ball back over to the home team. As the seconds ticked off with HHS’s final possession Gonyea drove and shot the ball but missed. Teammate Matthew Reynolds hauled in the offensive rebound and scored for the one-point Jacket advantage with three seconds left. A final dribble and desperation heave from near mid-court by Clarke was off the mark, securing the HHS win and leaving the heartbroken Vikings wondering what might have been.

“I was shocked. It still hasn’t sunk in, but that’s the playoffs,” Avery head coach Bo Manis said after the loss. “The officials called the game one way one half, then called it tight the second half. If that is allowed for the entire game, that’s fine. But I felt the referees made adjustments as the second half went on. Something was fishy about that.”

Clarke led the Vikings with 27 points, with 17 from Villanueva and seven from Hughes. Polsgrove added six points. For the foursome of Colton Blackburn, Clarke, Hughes and Polsgrove, it was their final game as Viking players. Gonyea paced HHS with a game-high 37 points.

“I’m really going to miss these seniors, working with them and just having them around,” Manis said.

“Mark stepped up big time. Dustin was a player who works hard and he’ll continue to improve and move forward. Kody plays hard and loves the game of basketball, and Colton just had a lot of fun and enjoyed playing this season. They each brought something different to the table.”

The Vikings finished the season with a 14-10 overall record.

Lady Vikings Drops Playoff Opener to East Surry

Coming off a 2010 playoff season that included a trip to the Western regionals, it was natural to speculate another long postseason run for the Avery Lady Vikings (AHS) this season.

The visiting East Surry Lady Cardinals (ES) didn’t get the memo, entering the Viking Octagon for the first round of this year’s playoffs with size and confidence. A late offensive rebound and putback helped the road team pull off a shocking 45-43 win last Monday, Feb. 21.

In the opening period, the Lady Cardinals made a conscious effort to slow the tempo of the contest. ES was one of the only teams this season to have the frontline size to match the size of the Big Red, a fact that played a big part in the game’s outcome.

“They were huge. They did a good job and took our post players out of our game. We got some shot opportunities from our off-guards, but shots weren’t falling for us,” Avery head coach Missy Lyons said after the game.

ES used a zone defense to pack the interior, and the strategy worked well for the opening half. The lone exception to the rule was Lady Viking senior guard Mercedes Bentley, who poured in seven of the team’s nine points in the opening period and 10 points for the half.

AHS held a narrow 9-8 lead after one quarter, but ES outscored the Lady Vikings 17-11 in the second stanza. Megan Tennant scored six points in the second quarter and eight points total through the first half. Keri Fulp paced the Lady Cardinals with eight points in the period, however, as the Big Red trailed by a 25-20 halftime score.

The lead grew to 28-21 before AHS’s pressure forced a few turnovers and allowed the home team to claw back to even in the fourth quarter.

“We were down early in the second half, but we really turned it on,” Lyons said.

As the final period ensued, the game stayed tight. Eudy tallied nine points in the frame to help the Lady Vikings take the lead at 43-41. The Big Red had possession and a chance to pad its lead with 50 seconds left, but a turnover and driving layup from ES tied the contest.

The Lady Vikings ran some time off the clock to plan a good shot. AHS could not get the shot to fall and ES grabbed the rebound at around the 15 second mark. ES pushed the ball up the floor, but was caught in an AHS trap near the sideline and forced a Lady Cardinal timeout.

On ES’s final offensive possession, Autumn Cole inbounded the ball and got it right back. Cole drove to the hoop and missed the shot, but teammate Fulp grabbed the rebound and put it back for the 45-43 lead with around five seconds left.

AHS had one final opportunity to tie the game, but a long desperation shot fell no good, giving the Lady Cardinals the close win.

Eudy and Tennant each had 13 points and combined for 10 rebounds. Bentley chipped in with 12 points, but no other Lady Viking scored more than two points in the contest. Fulp and Cole scored 13 points each for the Lady Cardinals.

The Lady Vikings could only manage to shoot 17-for-57 from the field (29.8 percent) for the game, but committed only six turnovers for the contest.

“We put a lot of energy into the tournament and didn’t have a lot of practice, but we realized that sometimes in the state playoffs you don’t know who you’re gonna get, so you have to be ready for any and everybody,” Lyons said. “The girls were disappointed but were pleased with what they accomplished this year.”

AHS finished the season with a 22-6 overall record and champions of the Western Highlands Conference regular season and tournament.

“We’re building a winning tradition, and we had a lot of younger girls on our team. We didn’t have a lot of experience, but I feel we gained a lot of it by the end of the year,” Lyons said. “We played a sophomore and a freshman for a lot of minutes this season, so we feel that will be very valuable for us going into next season. Losing this game helps us to see what our competition is. We’ve got to be ready to match it if we ever have a chance to win a state title.”

Big Red Trio Selected to Blue/White All-Star Games

Avery Lady Viking standout seniors Katelynn Eudy and Mercedes Bentley have been selected to participate in this year's Blue-White All-Star girls basketball game, while Viking senior guard Dustin Clarke has been chosen to play in the Blue-White All-Star boys contest, The AJ-T has learned.

Bentley and Eudy marked the seventh and eighth Lady Viking players to make the team over the past six seasons. Former Avery guard Charity Austin was MVP of the 2006 contest, while former teammates Kimberly Pitman and Brittney Burleson played in the 2007 game, Kim Gragg played in 2008, Katie Ellis participated in 2009 and Sara Wiseman played in last year's contest.

Clarke, the 2010 Western Highlands Conference Player of the Year, helped lead the Vikings to playoff appearances the past two seasons, including a 14-win season in 2010-11. The guard averaged 23.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals a game, all team highs.

The games will take place Friday, March 18, at T.C. Roberson High School in Skyland. The game is a fundraising effort of the Rhododendron Civitan Club, and revenue from the games goes to the special education programs of the public schools of Western North Carolina

LMC Hoops Celebrates Senior Day

LMC Men Fall to Coker
Liam Kyle posted a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to lead the Coker College men's basketball team to a 69-56 win over Lees-McRae College (LMC) last Saturday, Feb. 26, on Senior Day in Williams Gymnasium.

Adam McFerran poured in a game-high 17 points in his final game as a Bobcat, knocking down 8-of-12 attempts from the floor to conclude his career with 1,128 points, including 652 markers over the past two seasons with LMC. Fellow senior Sam Youse added seven points for the Bobcats, as McFerran and DeAndre Tillman each posted a team-high seven rebounds. Tillman also tallied a game-high two blocks to finish the campaign tied for fifth on the program's single-season rejections list with 32 stuffs.

LMC is expected to return eight lettermen from this season's squad, including rising junior Daniel Sepokas and rising sophomores Hairston, Tillman, Will Lopez and Matt Eller.

Bobcat Women Fall in Overtime against Cobras
Jasmine Alston posted game-highs of 47 points and 13 rebounds to lead Coker College to a 90-86 overtime victory on Senior Day at LMC.

Kasey Haynes paced the Bobcat attack with 21 points and six rebounds, while seniors Janina Thurau and Erin Thompson scored 12 and 11 markers, respectively, for the Bobcats. Zukye Smith also added 11 points and seven rebounds for Lees-McRae on the afternoon.

LMC held a 43-40 advantage at halftime and battled through the second half, with Coker taking a 70-64 lead with less than four minutes to play in regulation. LMC utilized a 6-1 run to cut the score to 71-70, but Coker retaliated with a 5-0 run of its own to again extend the advantage to six at 76-70 with 1:06 left on the game clock.

The Bobcats capped regulation with an 11-5 run with nine points from Thurau, who netted a three-point basket with less than two seconds on the clock to send the contest into overtime. The Cobras responded in overtime, outscoring the Bobcats by a 9-5 margin en route to the 90-86 victory.

Lady Vikings Soccer Opener Postponed; Diamond Action Begins This Week

The Monday afternoon (2-28) girls soccer match between defending 1A state runners-up Avery High School and East Wilkes in Ronda has been POSTPONED. A make-up date has not yet been set. 

The Lady Vikings are next scheduled to take on North Wilkes on the road this Friday, March 4.

Avery Baseball opens its regular season on Tuesday with a trip to Freedom High School, then travels on Friday to North Buncombe in non-conference action.