Vikings Wrestlers Kicks off New Year with Conference Action

The Avery wrestling team competed in its first dual meets of the 2009 calendar year last week, traveling on Tuesday to Hendersonville for a tangle with the Bearcats and hosting the Polk County Wolverines in a dual on Friday evening.

In Tuesday’s dual meet the Vikings fell by the final match score of 45-24, although the meet was much closer than the final score indicated. The evening began with the 103 pound weight class, where there was a double forfeit.

Avery’s Devin Buchanan won by forfeit at 112 pounds, with Brock Yackey earning a 6-0 decision win over Hendersonville’s Pierce Carpenter. Avery was unable to pick up a victory in its next four matches, losing three by pinfall and one by forfeit.

Anthony Varacalli added to the Vikings team score at the 145 pound class when he won by injury default. Jose Munoz competed at the 152 pound class and earned a 6-1 decision victory to draw the Vikings to within six points at 24-18.

Avery gave up a forfeit at 160 pounds, and CJ Vance fell in an 11-4 decision at 171 pounds to give up only three team points. In the 189 pound weight division, Lucas Lecka won by pin in the first period over Hendersonville’s Jeremiah Brown to bring Avery within nine points at 33-24. Unfortunately Avery could not draw any closer, as a Hendersonville victory at 215 pounds and a forfeit victory at heavyweight provided for the margin of victory.

“We had some opportunities to take advantage of situations that we did not take advantage of. There were a number of places where we were unable to get pins, and Hendersonville fought hard to prevent the pin which made a big difference as far as the final score indicated,” Avery head wrestling coach Stacey Clark said following the match.

On Friday night the Vikings hosted a pair of Western Highlands Conference opponents. Avery first faced off with Polk County in a dual meet. In a hard fought dual, the Wolverines emerged victorious with a 52-21 match win.

The contest began with a forfeit loss to Polk in the heavyweight class. Polk captured the 103 pound bout, but Avery picked up two straight pinfall wins by Brock Yackey at 112 pounds and Jacob McKinney at 119 pounds.

Avery forfeited at 125 pounds and lost by pinfall at 130 pounds and by decision at 135 pounds. Avery forfeited another match at 140 pounds, but Anthony Varacalli won by third period pinfall at 145 pounds to make the match score 34-18. Jose Munoz fell in a close 3-2 decision at 152 pounds, while the Vikings forfeited at 160 pounds.

The bout of the meet occurred at 171 pounds when Avery’s CJ Vance took on Polk’s David Burkhalter. In a back and forth affair, Vance emerged with a come-from-behind win by a 14-13 score.

Lucas Lecka fell by a 13-7 decision to Polk’s Jake Williams at 189 pounds, while Nathaniel Buchanan fell by pinfall at 215 pounds to close out the match. In the end Avery wrestled with great tenacity against a team that entered Friday’s match with a top 15 ranking in a number of state publications.

“Polk has a solid squad. They have several kids who are ranked in a number of polling sites. NC Mat News has the Polk squad ranked, so we knew they were tough. We had seen a number of their wrestlers at the NEO Classic at Tuscola, and we knew we’d have our hands full coming in. With the forfeits we had coming into the match, I felt we wrestled better against Polk than we did against Hendersonville,” Coach Clark explained. “We had a number of wrestlers who did not wrestle as well against Hendersonville wrestle better matches against Polk, with some of them doing a great job with refusing to be pinned and not giving up team points.”

Following the Polk match, the Vikings took part in a second dual meet, a make-up dual against Mountain Heritage that had previously been postponed. Despite having already competed once in the evening, the Vikings defeated the Cougars by a 41-36 final match score.

Winners in the Heritage match included Devin Buchanan with a first period pinfall victory at 112 pounds and Brock Yackey with an 18-3 technical fall victory at 119 pounds. Heritage earned wins at the 103 pound weight class, as well as at 125 pounds, 130 pounds, and 135 pounds to take a 24-11 match lead.

The wins by Varacalli and Munoz came back to back at the 145 and 152 pound classes, respectively to draw the Vikings within a point at 24-23. A forfeit loss at 160 pounds gave the Cougars a seven-point advantage, but victories in the upper weights helped put the Vikings over the top.

At the 171 pound class, CJ Vance won his second match of the night with a second period pinfall win over Heritage’s Chad Yang. At 189 pounds, Lucas Lecka came through with a pinfall victory in just 24 seconds to give the Vikings the overall match lead 35-30.

“Lucas has really come on and shown ability that I knew was there, but was reluctant to say was going to emerge so quickly,” Coach Clark added. “He wrestled a hard fought match with Polk but came up short, but came out with the same intensity against Heritage and came out with an early pinfall. He has really progressed here lately,”

A forfeit win at 215 pounds by Nathaniel Buchanan provided for the final Avery points. Heritage won by forfeit at the heavyweight class to close the match, but Avery came away with a split for the night.

“The Mountain Heritage win was crucial for us, as we need a couple of wins to boost confidence on the team and carry us through the rest of the conference season. We had a number of pins where we needed them,” Coach Clark added.

Avery honored seniors Jordan English, Jose Munoz, and Anthony Varacalli as part of the Senior Night festivities in Viking Gym.

“We honored our three seniors and the service they have given the past four years. Jordan has been a solid contributor to the program, despite not being able to wrestle this season. He has done whatever he could do to help us, even weighing in for a match to give the team points with a forfeit win,” Coach Clark said of his seniors.

“Jose has progressed well in his senior season and Anthony has been solid for us for a majority of the season. I appreciate each of them. Their ability and improvement reflects the fact that they didn’t quit. They stayed and learned and became better wrestlers. I appreciate them sticking it out with us and I have enjoyed coaching them.”

The Vikings grapplers travel to Madison for a dual meet early in the week, then travel to Robbinsville High School this Saturday for the annual Far West Invitational Tournament.

Vikings Clawed By Bearcats, Wolverines

The Avery Vikings varsity boys hoped to put together their first winning streak of the season following a thrashing of Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, but it was the visiting Bearcats that ran wild and struck early and often.

Hendersonville built a 24-8 lead behind a full-court pressing defense that consistently harassed any Viking player attempting to bring the basketball upcourt. The Bearcats upped the offensive ante in the second quarter, turning defense into offense to the tune of a 27-point second quarter burst.

Avery scored nearly double the points it tallied in the first quarter, as Kody Hughes led Avery with all seven of his points for the game during the stanza. Fifteen second quarter points only dug a deeper hole for the Vikings to climb from, as Hendersonville led 51-23 at halftime.

The third quarter proved more of the same, as Hendersonville turned the basketball game into a track meet with 27 additional points in the quarter to amass a 78-31 lead after three quarters and eventually won by the final score of 96-45.

Senior Jared Ward was the only Avery player in double-figures, scoring 14 points, with seven points from Hughes. No other Viking scored more than four points for the game. Hendersonville registered five double-figure scorers, led by 19 points from Keyvon Young.

“Hendersonville is a game we felt best to forget. But we can use it as a motivation tool. They got on the floor more than we did, which was an example our team needs to strive to follow,” Coach Bo Manis said following Tuesday’s loss. “They played awesome and we just played poorly.”

On Friday night the Vikings looked to win for the second straight season at Polk County, the site of Avery’s lone conference victory a season ago. As the game began, it was evident almost immediately that the Vikings were quick to forget the disappointment of Tuesday’s loss. Dustin Clarke shook off his four-point effort against the Bearcats by torching the Wolverines for seven points in the first quarter alone, including a basket from behind the three-point arc. Cole Blackburn added five points in the period as Avery held a 16-14 lead after the first quarter expired.

Polk County responded to the Avery surge with a second quarter run. Forwards Trent Carson and Parrish Gary scored two baskets each to help the Wolverines take over control of the game and a 31-26 lead into halftime. Clarke scored 11 points over the first two quarters, while Blackburn added eight.

The Vikings opened the third quarter with a scoring flurry to erase its deficit and regain the lead at 37-35 early in the period. Play on both ends of the floor was rough and physical, and both coaches appeared flustered at times with officiating through the contest. Polk head coach Craig Culbreth received a technical foul in the quarter for complaining too vehemently with an official, and his team responded by regaining the lead at 42-39 by quarter’s end.

A Clarke three-pointer in the opening minute of the fourth period drew the Vikings within a pair at 44-42, but the Wolverines found the ability to answer an Avery threat every time they needed to do so. Polk scored five straight points, including a Trent Carson three-pointer to extend the Polk lead to 49-42.

Avery appeared to show signs of physical and mental fatigue as it tried to dig deep for one final push to win. “The worst combination you can have in sports is mental and physical fatigue. When those two factors come together, you’re in trouble. I believe those came into play as we got a little tired and started taking bad shots that we didn’t need to take,” Coach Manis stated after the game.

Reserve guard Kasey Jackson came up huge for the Wolverines in the fourth quarter with a pair of baskets. Jackson entered the game averaging less than one point per contest, but scored nine points off the bench against the Vikings. Kamron Kerr led the Wolverines on the floor with 14 points, eight of which came in the second half to help Polk defeat the Vikings 63-49.

Dustin Clarke was Avery’s lone double-figure scorer as he netted 22 points to go with five rebounds and multiple assists. Cole Blackburn scored eight points, with seven from Kody Hughes.

“Unlike Tuesday’s game, tonight’s game is definitely one that our team can build off of. We were able to be successful working together in game situations. But we’re still a young team who needs to learn how to respond to adversity,” Coach Manis said after the contest. “In all of our close games this season we’ve had the same problems with foul trouble and taking better care of the basketball. In the second half we had the lead and had no reason to rush into anything, but they came at us and we felt like we had to score, and we basically fell apart.”

The Vikings hosts Madison on Tuesday night, and travel this Friday to Burnsville for a matchup with Mountain Heritage.

Lady Vikings Trounce Bearcats, Fall to Wolverines

The Avery Lady Vikings were impressive last Tuesday night in a 74-31 blowout victory over the Hendersonville Lady Bearcats at Viking Gym. However, Avery found a difficult foe in the Polk County Wolverines on Friday night in Columbus, falling 62-55 in a physical confrontation.

In Tuesday’s contest, Avery scored the first six points of the game and led by five at 10-5 after one period. The team's transition game found its groove in the second quarter as the guard tandem of Allison Vance and Samantha Shook combined for ten points in the quarter. Katie Ellis came off the bench and scored nine first half points to help Avery to a 31-18 lead going into intermission.

A 21-4 scoring run over the course of the third quarter put the contest out of reach as Avery's quick hands wreaked havoc on the helpless Bearcats. The Big Red rode the strength of seven players scoring in the quarter to amass a 52-22 lead after three periods and cruised to the easy 74-31 win.

Ellis paced the Lady Vikings with a double-double, scoring 17 points and hauling down 11 rebounds in addition to four blocks. Vance scored 14 points with eight helpers and five steals. Eudy rounded out the double-figure scorers with ten points and five steals. Megan Tennant and Samantha Shook each scored nine points in the triumph.

On Friday night Avery took on a formidable opponent at Polk County. The first quarter’s physical action was a harbinger of exactly how tough and rugged the evening’s Western Highlands Conference encounter would be. Avery players found themselves in early foul trouble as the first quarter ensued. Senior Katie Ellis picked up a pair of early fouls which limited her playing time and production as she registered no first quarter points and only four for the entire half.

A number of Vikings helped keep the Vikings close in the first half. Sara Wiseman came off the bench with a pair of first quarter baskets as Avery trailed only by a pair at 12-10 after the first eight minutes of play.

Avery found trouble dealing with the Polk County trio of Kiki Miller, Kaitlin Franks, and Denise Edwards. Miller and Franks each scored seven first-half points while Edwards scored eight to lead Polk to a 29-25 halftime advantage. Avery countered with seven points by Samantha Shook in a half that was marked by a high number of turnovers from both clubs.

The Lady Vikings exited the locker room with renewed focus. Vikings guard Lauren Avery came alive offensively with four baskets and eight total points. Sophomore forward Katelynn Eudy helped shoulder the Avery scoring burden as well, netting nine of her total of 14 points in the period to help the Big Red overtake Polk on the scoreboard by the score of 46-42 at the end of the third quarter.

Kiki Miller continued to provide scoring punch from the post for the Lady Wolverines with nine points in the quarter. The senior was productive in the paint, drawing a number of fouls throughout the game. Miller took 16 free throws in the contest, one less than that of the entire Lady Vikings team. A total of 13 of Miller’s game-high 25 points came from the free throw line, including 8 of 9 in the second half.

In the final eight minutes of play, Polk County’s defense stifled the Lady Vikings, while the Lady Wolverines continued to find success inside offensively. Polk earned second and third chances at the basket through offensive rebounds and its aggressiveness inside. That aggression eventually translated into further foul difficulties for Avery.

Avery turned the basketball over 27 times in the game and was only 6 of 17 as a team from the free throw line, giving the Wolverines a number of extra possessions which they took advantage of. Polk scored the first four points of the quarter to tie the game at 46-46.

The teams traded baskets in the middle portion of the final quarter, but the momentum swung as Shook first fouled out, then Ellis fouled out a brief time later with just over two minutes remaining and the Wolverines leading 52-51. The Lady Wolverines ended the game with a 10-4 spurt to close out the upset.

Katelynn Eudy led the Vikings on the scoreboard with 14 points. Lauren Avery, Allison Vance, and Katie Ellis each scored eight points. Kiki Miller registered a double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Kaitlin Franks added 14, while Denise Edwards scored 12 points with nine rebounds.

Avery finishes the week with an 8-5 record overall and a 2-1 mark in Western Highlands Conference play. The Lady Vikings host Madison on Tuesday and travel to Mountain Heritage this Friday night.

Appalachian State Hosts Stephen Curry and Davidson College TONIGHT at the Holmes Center

Today we're doing something a little different at the Blog. The Avery Journal-Times will be at Appalachian State University's Holmes Center for tonight's men's basketball game between the Davidson College Wildcats (11-3, 4-0 SoCon) and the ASU Mountaineers (6-6, 3-1 SoCon).

Jamie will be courtside with blog updates throughout the game, while Matt will be snapping shots that we'll be adding to the site during the game.
We'll have postgame interview quotes from coaches and players immediately after the game, and perhaps Matt and I may throw in an opinion or two along the way.

It will be a packed house tonight at the Black Hole as the ASU Mountaineers host Davidson College and National Player of the Year candidate Stephen Curry. The Wildcats have won 7 of the previous 8 meetings in the series, and Appalachian is the last Southern Conference team to upend Davidson, winning 81-74 at Davidson two seasons ago. That loss was the last time that the Wildcats lost to a SoCon opponent, a 34-game win streak. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.

When Last They Met:
Davidson College used a 10-0 second half run to bust open a five-point game en route to a 68-55 victory over Appalachian State University men’s basketball in the Feb. 27 battle between Southern Conference division leaders. Appalachian was paced by Donte Minter’s 19 points and eight rebounds while Jason Richards had a season-high 24 points for the Wildcats.

The Mountaineers shot 50 percent from the field, becoming just the fourth team this season to do so against Davidson, but were paralyzed offensively by 19 turnovers that Davidson converted into 21 points. The Cats also had 10 more offensive opportunities than the Apps, holding a 16-6 advantage on the offensive glass and took 26 more shots than ASU, converting on 39.7 percent of them for their 18th-consecutive victory.

Game Breakdown:
It's tempting to rename tonight's game "The Stephen Curry Show", but don't be so fast to dismiss the Wildcats as a one-trick pony. Davidson is a team with talented players at several positions, as witnessed in their last game on Saturday.

Stephen Curry collected 32 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals to lead Davidson to an 84-69 SoCon victory over The Citadel before a crowd of 5,336 Saturday night at McAlister Field House. Andrew Lovedale added 10 points and five rebounds, and theWildcat bench outscored The Citadel’s bench 21-5.Will Archambault led the way with 11 points and five rebounds.

Max Paulhus Gosselin contributed eight points and five rebounds for Davidson, and Steve Rossiter scored seven points. Davidson started the second half with a 16-4 run to turn an eight-point lead into a 59-39 advantage.Curry had eight points during the run, and Lovedale added six. The Bulldogs whittled the margin down to 14 on two occasions but could get no closer.

Davidson’s Stephen Curry leads the nation in scoring with 29.4 points per game after leading the team with 32 points on Saturday in an 84-69 win at The Citadel. While Curry roams the perimeter with 6.8 assists and 4 rebounds per game, Andrew Lovedale nearly averages a double-double in the post with 12.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest. Lovedale leads the team with 1.1 blocks per game after swatting three on Saturday.

Junior guard Will Archambault averages 9.6 points off the bench for the Wildcats and is a 42% shooter from three-point range. Redshirt junior forward Steve Rossiter averages six points and six rebounds per contest, while junior guard Bryant Barr averages around eight points per game.
For ASU to pull off the home victory tonight, Isaac Butts will need to have a great game in the post. He averages nearly a double-double for the Mountaineers, but has only amassed just under seven points and four rebounds in the past three games.

Ryann Abraham set a new career high with 21 points in the loss to UNCG on Saturday, but the Mountaineers made just 3-of-9 field goals in the extra period as the team was dealt its first oCon loss of the season.

Kellen Brand averages 12.7 points per game to lead the Apps, while Isaac Butts is the top rebounder with an average of 9.2 per game, tied for the second most in the league.

The biggest key of course to defeating Davidson is containing Stephen Curry. He scored 38 points for a Holmes Center record two years ago at ASU, but if the Mountaineers will make him work for his points while limiting his supporting cast, the Black and Gold have a shot at snapping the Wildcats' conference win streak.

We'll be blogging LIVE updates tonight as the Mountaineers host the Wildcats in Boone.
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7:00 PM - We're LIVE from Holmes Convocation Center where the Mountaineer women just defeated the UNCG Lady Spartans 73-68. The night cap of tonight's twin bill between Davidson & ASU will tip off around a half hour from now.

7:20 PM - Both teams have cleared the floor after warmups. We're waiting for the teams to take the floor to get this one underway. On a side note, it's great to see the Holmes Center close to capacity. It would be awesome it if were like this more often.

7:30 PM - Time to tip this one off!!!

7:45 PM - first media tineout at 15:47. Davidson leads it 8-4 early. Stephen Curry has a three-pointer but has missed a couple of open opportunities. Max Paulhus Gosselin also has a '3'. Kellen Brand has all four points for ASU thus far.

7:49 PM - Davidson still leads 9-4, but the Mountaineers drew a second foul on Stephen Curry prior to the media timeout. 11:58 remaining in the half.

7:52 PM - Coach Houston Fancher takes a 30 second timeout with 11:15 to go. Andrew Lovedale just hit an inside jumper to give the Wildcats an 11-4 lead. ASU is struggling from the field thus far, shooting 1 for 12 to start the game. Mountaineers have got to start heating up to stay in this one.

7:55 PM - ASU has to take another 30 second timeout after a pair of threes by Gosselin and a three from Brendan McKillop. Davidson has built its lead to 19-7 at the 8:42 mark of the first half. The Mountaineers have intentionally tried to slow the game down with no luck to this point.

8:00 PM - Under 8 minute media timeout, and Davidson leads 19-9. Curry has been on the bench since the 12 minute mark and the Wildcats have added to its lead. ASU is struggling mightily to score and needs to find some consistency, especially from the perimeter. ASU is 4 for 21 in the game, and a paltry 1 of 8 from 3-point range thus far in the half.

8:10 PM - ASU has cut the lead to five at 25-20 at the 3:46 mark of the first half. Curry remains on the bench with two fouls, and Max Gosselin has also picked up his second foul. ASU had had a couple of charges called on them in the half.

8:15 PM - It's halftime at the Black Hole and the Mountaineers trail it, but only by three at 33-30. Stephen Curry has seven points in the half, while Kellen Brand leads the Mountaineers with 12 points. We'll have more halftime stats as they become available.

The halftime entertainment with a trio of frisbee catching dogs was highly entertaining!

Your halftime statistics...

DAVIDSON:
Andrew Lovedale - 6 pts., 4 rebounds
Max Paulhus Gosselin - 9 pts., 4 rebounds
Bryant Barr - 2 pts.
Stephen Curry - 7 points on 3 of 7 shooting from the field, 3 assists
Brendan McKillop - 5 points
Will Archambault - 4 points, 4 rebounds

ASU:
Isaac Butts: 4 points, 3 rebounds
Ryann Abraham: 10 points 3 steals
Eduardo Bermudez - 2 points, 4 rebounds
Kellen Brand - 12 points
Marcus Wright - 2 points

Davidson shot 14 of 34 FG for 41.2%
ASU was 11 of 23 FG for 47.8% and made 6 of 7 free throws in the half

Second half action is set to begin!!

8:40 PM - First media timeout of the second half with 15:55 left. Davidson leads 39-33. Curry has 11 points, but has also picked up his third foul in the contest. Kellen Brand hit a 3-pointer for his fifteenth point of the game. Appalachian is being more active on the offensive end, but Curry has no conscience as he will shoot from any spot on the perimeter if given the slightest opening.

8:43 PM - Eddie Bermudez draws the fourth foul on Stephen Curry with 15:11 remaining in the game. We'll see how long Coach McKillop keeps his key player on the bench this half with Davidson leading 42-33.

8:50 PM - 11:29 remains in the game and the Wildcats lead 47-39. Matt McKillop scored one three-pointer off at least four screens. Max Paulhus Gosselin has 12 points to lead the Wildcats on the floor. Brand has picked up another pair of field goals for 19 in the game, while Abraham is ASU's second leading scorer with 10 points. No other player has more than four points for the Mountaineers.

8:57 PM - A Bryant Barr three-pointer pushes the Davidson lead up to 52-39 and forces Coach Fancher to take a quick timeout, all while the Wildcats play without Stephen Curry who is saddled with four fouls on the bench. 8:32 remains in the game and the Apps have possession.

9:00 PM - As we hit the top of the hour, we get to the under 8 minute media timeout. ASU used a timeout briefly after they couldn't get the basketball in bounds. They turn it over on the in-bounds play and Davidson converts an alley-oop dunk to Gosselin. The Wildcats lead it 54-42 at the 7:37 mark. Still no Curry, still no consistent second half offensive spurt from the Mountaineers while he is on the bench. On a side note, Appalachian has been playing without Marcus Wright, who turned his ankle in the first half and is sitting with a boot on at the end of the bench.

9:05 PM - Another timeout on the floor after two straight Archambault three pointers with a Butts hook shot for ASU in between. Davidson leads 60-44 with 6:18 to go. App needs a number of stops defensively to cut into the lead, but have thus far not shown the ability to do so.

9:10 PM - Curry returns to the game just under the six minute mark and hits a jumper immediately. He then hits another three-pointer from the wing with Butts jumping out at him. 65-44 Wildcats with 4:39 left...the biggest lead in the game, and ASU takes a timeout.

Curry has 16 for the game. An underlying theme in this second half has been ASU's inability to put together a number of defensive stops and a scoring run with consistency. Also, the Mountaineers are not helping themselves as they are shooting 0 for 6 from the free throw line in the half and 6 of 13 for the game.

9:15 PM - At the final media timeout with officially 3:55 left in the contest, ASU trails 65-48 to Davidson. Isaac Butts has hit double-figures with 10 points, the third Mountaineer with double-figures for the game.

Curry, Archambault, Paulhus Gosselin, and Brendan McKillop have all reached double-figures for the Wildcats.

**We've just been told at Press Row that tonight's game has set a new attendance record at the Holmes Center with 8,350, breaking the earlier record set in Appalachian's first-ever game when it hosted the Tar Heels of North Carolina in November, 2003.

Davidson leads 67-50 with 1:30 and counting to go. Despite the score, many fans have remained through the duration of the game. Coach McKillop takes a quick timeout to take out Curry, who finishes the night with only 16 points while plagued with foul trouble. Jeremi Booth ends the game with a dunk, but the Wildcats take the win by the final score of 70-52.

AJ-T Sports Live From... HOLMES CONVOCATION CENTER - Mountaineers fall 85-83 in Overtime to UNCG

We're back in Boone on Saturday afternoon for ASU's second conference showdown in three games at the Black Hole...this time with the UNCG Spartans.

The Spartans are 1-11, and 0-3 in the SoCon, while ASU is 6-5 and a perfect 3-0 in the SoCon. UNCG has played six of its last seven games on the road. UNCG lost 80-75 at Western Carolina on Thursday evening, while ASU took a 76-52 win over Elon. Today's could potentially be a trap game for the Mountaineers, as they host the Davidson Wildcats on Monday night at Holmes Convocation Center.

We'll be courtside with running updates throughout this afternoon's game

3:45 PM - first media timeout of the game, and the Mountaineers lead 10-6. Ryann Abraham has scored 8 of the 10 ASU points, while Damian Eargle has scored all six of UNCG's points so far.

3:50 PM - 11:33 media timeout and Appalachian is up 14-11 over the Spartans. The Mountaineers are looking inside to Isaac Butts more than in the Elon game where he finished the contest well below his season average in points and rebounds.

UNCG's leading scorer Mikko Koivisto has six points to lead his squad.

4:00 PM - A 5-0 UNCG run has given the Spartans the lead at 21-20 with 7:57 to go before halftime. Eargle has 10 points for the first player in double figures in the game. Appalachian has committed a number of turnovers, the bugaboo that Coach Fancher mentioned as an ongoing issue with his ballclub. ASU will need to clean up its act offensively and take better care of the basketball to pull away in this game.

4:15 PM - The Mountaineers have regained the edge at 28-27 with 3:28 left before halftime. Kellen Brand has 9 points to lead the Mountaineers. UNCG forward DeAngelo Jackson has picked up three fouls in the half, which should help open up the paint for Ike Butts who is scoreless thus far but has four rebounds. Three ASU players, Butts, Abraham, and Bermudez each have a pair of fouls, which has forced Coach Fancher to juggle his lineup on the fly, a factor which may also be contributing to the inconsistent scoring on the offensive end.

4:20 PM - UNCG takes a quick timeout with 35 seconds left before intermission. The Spartans lead by a single point at 31-30 as the first half has to rank as one of ASU's worst of the season to date. THe Spartans have shot the basketball at around 40 percent, while Appalachian has fell off from its 60% clip in the second half of Thursday's contest. At halftime the score stands at 31-30 in favor of UNCG.

4:30 PM - Halftime from the Black Hole. Here are a few stats:

ASU shot 39.3% from the field for the half. Kellen Brand's 11 points led the Mountaineers, while Ryann Abraham added 8 points. UNCG shot 42.9% from the field for the half, with Damian Eargle's 12 points leading the Spartans.
Second half action to come!

The second half has started off very physically as players have went to the floor multiple times and some tempers have flared. The contest is tied at 36 with 17:45 to go.

4:45 PM -The under 16:00 media timeout finds the score 40-38 in favor of UNCG. The contest appears destined to finish down to the wire. A big hustle play on a missed free throw resulted in a Bermudez three-pointer to give ASU back the lead at 41-40, prompting the Spartans to take a 30-second timeout.

4:50 PM - Big man Pete Brown has picked up a fourth foul trying to guard Isaac Butts inside. Add that to four fouls on DeAngelo Jackson, and the Mountaineers should be feeding the ball inside. Abraham drives for a bucket, then a UNCG turnover finds ASU leading 45-44 at the 14:06 mark.

4:55 PM - UNCG runs an alley-oop and get a three-point play out of it as Isaac Butts picks up his fourth foul on the play. Butts goes to the bench, which is a blow to the interior offense and defense of the Black and Gold.

5:00 PM - 11:10 remains in the game and the Spartans lead it by a point at 47-46. The game continues to be back-and-forth as ASU has been a model of inconsistency throughout the half and pretty much the entire game to this point. Appalachian is only 6 of 12 from the free throw line, while UNCG is shooting 45% from the field for the game, 50% in this half.

5:05 PM - Brown fouls out on a drive by Ryann Abraham, while Butts remains on the ASU bench saddled with his own 4 foul baggage. 9:;00 to go, Spartans lead 52-50. A pair of Appalachian three-pointers gives the Mountaineers a three-point edge at 55-52 with 7:46 remaining.

In the way of information, join us back here at the Blog on Monday night as National Player of the Year candidate Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats come to Boone to take on the Mountaineers. The AJ-T will be courtside with full game coverage and photos from the SoCon Showdown!

Appalachian has turned up the defensive pressure off of the media timeout and scored five straight points for its biggest lead of the game at 60-54 with 7:01 left to play. The Spartans take a 30 second timeout to try and stymie the ASU momentum.

Damian Eargle has 21 points tl lead all scorers, while Abraham and Sims are in double-figures scoring with 14 and 11 points, respectively.

5:15 PM - final media timeout of the game with 3:50 remaining. Appalachian leads UNCG 65-60. Josh Hunter leads the Mountaineers with eight rebounds, but the Spartans' 45.7% FG shooting effort has kept them in the ballgame. Butts is back in for the Mountaineers for the stretch run with his four fouls.

A three-pointer by Koivisto following a layup by UNCG ties the game at 65 with 2:43 remaining in the game. Appalachian takes a timeout to talk things over in the huddle. Both teams are in the bonus with fouls. ASU will shoot two on every foul, while UNCG is still in the 1-and-1 situation.

Out of the timeout, a Ryann Abraham '3' from the corner gives the lead back to ASU, but a 3-point answer by Montel Smith of UNCG ties it back up at 68. An Abraham miss for 3 is rebounded by UNCG as the clock ticks under 1:40 to go. Daniel Oliver is fouled by App's Ryann Abraham, and he goes to the line for the one-and-one foul opportunity. Oliver makes one of two from the line for a one-point edge with 1:15 and counting to go.

A feed inside from Wright to Ike Butts results in a layup down low as we go under a minute App leads 70-69. UNCG answers as Ben Stywall converts down low for a bucket and Josh Hunter fouls on the shot. Stywall misses the three-point play opportunity to leave the Spartans up by one at 71-70. A shot inside by Butts misses inside and a battle down low results in the ball going out of bounds to stay with ASU. Coach Fancher takes a timeout with 38.2 seconds left. UNCG leads 71-70.

5:22 PM - ASU 's pass inside to Butts is stolen by Eargle and the Spartans start playing Keep Away. Donald Sims runs down Koivisto and fouls him. Koivisto goes to the line for two free throws with 23.1 seconds to go. The Spartan from Finland makes his first free throw to give UNCG a 72-70 lead, then hits the second shot to push the lead to 73-70. App will still have a shot to tie the game if they wish to try for the three-point shot with this key possession.

AT THE HORN, Donald Sims throws up a desparation three-point basket off balance, hits the ground, and THE SHOT FALLS TO TIE THE GAME AT 73-73!!! The Holmes Center erupts as the game is sent to OT! The officials confer and rule the shot was GOOD! Sims had taken the first shot which barely drew front iron. Butts battled to get the ball then kicked it back out to Sims who drained the unbelievable shot to tie it up and send the game to OVERTIME! Five more minutes of free basketball from the Black Hole.

5:27 PM - Hunter scores down low for the first basket of overtime, and Koivisto answers with a three-pointer to put UNCG up 76-75.

UNCG holds on defense and Koivisto is fouled on the offensive end for free throws. The junior hits both free throws to give the Spartans the 78-75 lead at the 3:37 mark of OT.

Ike Butts scores down low to cut the deficit to 78-77 UNCG leading. The teams trade possessions and Hunter is fouled on the inside. Josh hits the first free throw to tie it up again at 78, then hits the second to give ASU the lead back at 79-78 with 2:30 and counting to go.

Koivisto's three-pointer goes begging and Hunter rebounds. ASU can't convert on the offensive end and Stywall scores down low for the Spartans to give the lead back to UNCG at 80-79 at the 1:40 mark. Ike Butts calls for the ball down low, gets it, and scores on the block, giving the Mountaineers the lead at 81-80. Time out is called for by ASU after the make. 1:36 remains in the overtime as ASU looks to stay unbeaten in the SoCon.

On a side note, I believe this blogger called this game a possible 'trap game' (see paragraph 2 above). Not sure if App overlooked UNCG or if the Spartans really pulled everything together today, but this one has been a battle throughout!

Koivisto for three, was rebounded and scored by Eargle, putting UNCG up 82-81 with under a minute to go. App needs a basket to tie it up or a three to take the lead.

5:35 PM -- Bermudez takes a three pointer that hits back iron. The Spartans grab the rebound and Eargle is fouled with 26.5 seconds left. Eargle hits the first foul shot to make the score 83-81 Spartans. His second shot rattles, hits back and front rim, then falls in to make the score 84-81. Time out on the floor. Appalachian trails 84-81. They will have 26.5 seconds to either take a quick two and foul, or set up a final three-point shot to try to send the game into a second extra session.

Abraham goes up for a shot and on the rebound attempt Kellen Brand falls awkwardly, bringing the crowd to a hush. Brand is favoring his right leg an dis in obvious pain under the ASU goal.

14.3 seconds remain in the game as the trainers attend to Brand, who has scored 11 points. He is helped off the court by a pair of the training staff as Abraham goes to the line to shoot two free throws. Abraham drains the first shot, cutting it to 84-82, and hits the second to cut the lead to one.

ASU gets a foul on Stywall who has a pair of pressure free throws at the :09 mark. The junior misses the first free throw and hits the second for a two-point lead. Time out called by UNCG to set up its defense with an 85-83 lead.

A shot put up by Wright falls after a drive by the Mountaineers into the lane. The three-pointer is good, but it is after the final horn, giving the Spartans the 85-83 overtime win on the road for their second win of the season. A tough way for the Apps to lose this one.

6:00 PM - The Spartans were 317th in the nation in turnovers per game, but the team committed only 10 turnovers in the game. Appalachian was led by four players in double-figures. Ryann Abraham scored 21 to lead the team, with 15 from Donald Sims, and 11 each from Isaac Butts and Kellen Brand. Freshman Damian Eargle led UNCG with 25 points in the win, the most points since Scott Hartsell scored 25 in an overtime game against Chicago State back in 1993. Ben Stywall scored 19 with 16 by Mikko Koivisto.

ASU falls to 6-6 and 3-1 in SoCon play heading to Monday's showdown with Davidson. Kellen Brand's diagnosis following the game has been labelled as a strained foot and is listed as day-to-day.

"We have to score with them," Coach Houston Fancher said postgame in reference to Davidson. "We have to make sure to put points on the board. I think our offense has to be as efficient as its been all year long because Davidson doesn't give you room to breathe when you make mistakes."

We'll be back on the Blog on Monday night for what shapes up to be a great matchup with the Wildcats at the Black Hole.

Thanks again to Josh Bare for his help with photography for this afternoon's contest. We'll have more photos posted later this evening.

AJ-T Sports Live From... HOLMES CONVOCATION CENTER

We're LIVE from Holmes Convocation Center on a cold icy night for Appalachian State basketball's conference home opener against the Phoenix of Elon University.

The Mountaineers are an even 5-5 on the year and 2-0 in conference. The Phoenix are 4-6, with a 1-1 mark within the Southern Conference. The matchup is also a North Division showdown. Appalachian is hoping to bounce back after a blowout loss at Texas last Friday night.

Stay tuned as we'll provide updates regularly from tonight's contest.

7:10 PM - first media timeout of the half, Appalachian lead it by a 9-6 score. The Mountaineers have missed a couple of shots early on, as Ryann Abraham has tallied 7 of Appalachian's nine points in the first four minutes plus.

7:20 PM - 11:26 remains in the half and the Mountaineers lead 13-11. Elon leading scorer Brett James has 4 of the 11 for the Phoenix, while Abraham has 9 of App's 13. A sloppy game being played by the Mountaineers on both ends of the floor, primarily on the offensive end, as the team has been inconsistent in setting up its offenses. We'll see if that cleans up as the game moves on.

7:30 PM - Appalachian has built a 24-17 lead with 6:28 to go in the half. The two teams combined for a paltry 11 of 27 shooting percentage, but Appalachian has indeed picked up the shooting accuracy. Josh Hunter has four points for ASU, Abraham leads ASU with 11, and Jeremi Booth added a triple for the Mountaineers.

7:35 PM - 3:21 to go before halftime. Appalachian holds a seven-point lead at 31-24. Ola Atoyebi has headed up for six points to lead Elon, while Eduardo Bermudez has added four points for ASU. On a side note, former UNC standout Wes Miller serves as an assistant coach in his first season at Elon. (Obligatory Tar Heel alum shout out).

7:40 PM - Elon takes a 30-second timeout after an exchange that saw Andre Williamson stuff an Elon shot on defense and Kellen Brand drain a three-pointer on the other end. App's lead is at double-figures for the first time tonight at 35-25 with 1:03 left before halftime.

7:45 PM - Halftime at the Black Hole, and the Mountaineers go into the locker room with a lead at 38-27. Ryann Abraham drained a three-pointer from about 25 feet out as the half expired. After a sluggish first part of the half, ASU awakened to put together a good run to close the half. Halftime stats and more to come...

8:00 PM - Ryann Abraham leads the Mountaineers with 14 first half points, while Ike Butts has been held to only a pair of first half rebounds and four points, quite a bit off his near-double-double average. Ola Atoyebi leads Elon with 6 points, with six also from Josh Bonney. Appalachian shot 52 percent in the first half from the field, and was 5 of 9 from three-point range. Elon shot only 44 percent in the half, and was only 3 of 8 from the free throw line. Mountaineers lead by 11 as the second half begins!

8:10 PM - With 15:37 remaining in the game the Mountaineers have stretched its lead to 49-34. a three-pointer by Donald Sims entices Elon head coach Ernie Nestor to take a time out. The Mountaineers have improved on the glass and have hustled to get itself a number of offensive rebounds in the first four minutes of this second half.

8:17 PM - A three-pointer, followed by a defensive block that sparked the fast break leading to another three ball from Bermudez stakes the Mountaineers to its biggest lead of the night, 54-34 with 13:16 left on the clock. Elon takes another timeout to stem the momentum.

8:20 PM - We hit the under 12 minute media timeout, and ASU leads it 56-37 over Elon. Kellen Brand has joined Ryann Abraham in double-figures scoring with 11 points. Brand also leads the team with six rebounds for the game. T.J. Douglas has nine points and four different Elon players are tied with six points apiece to lead the Phoenix.

8:30 PM - 7:58 to go and the Mountaineers maintain a 19-point lead at 61-42. Elon has shown nothing to indicate that they can mount a significant comeback as the Mountaineers seem to find another gear anytime they need to do so. Eduardo Bermudez has added to the double-figures parade with 13 points for Appalachian to go with Brand's 14 and Abraham's 14 points. The guards have had their way with the Phoenix thus far this evening.

8:38 PM - After a Kellen Brand three-pointer, Coach Nestor takes a timeout with 3:13 left to play. ASU has its biggest lead of the night (again...) at 71-48. Elon appears set to lose its third in a row and fall to 4-7, while Appalachian is set to move to 3-0 in conference and 6-5 overall.

8:45 PM - ASU leads 74-50 and the reserves are in for the Mountaineers! Kellen brand finishes with 17 points in this one to lead all scorers. Abraham finishes with 14 with 13 from Bermudez. Sims, Booth, and Hunter each end with seven points. T.J. Douglas finishes as the only Phoenix player with double figures, finishing with 10 points.

Final Score from The Black Hole: ASU 76, Elon 52. ASU returns to action with a 3:30 pm tip time on Saturday afternoon against UNC-Greensboro. Thanks for reading the Blog!

Girls Victorious, Boys Fall Short Against Hendersonville

It was an up and down kind of day for the Avery basketball teams on Monday night at Viking Gymnasium.

The junior varsity teams split a pair of matchups with the visiting Hendersonville Bearcats. The girls opened the night with a one-sided 77-21 thrashing of the Lady Bearcats. Avery's press defense exposed Hendersonville's weak dribbling backcourt, snatching up a total of 28 steals in the win.

Avery scored the first 16 points of the game and led 22-4 after one quarter and surrendered only a total of four made field goals in the entire half. Mercedes Bentley tallied 12 points in the first half, with nine points from Brooke Buchanan as the Vikings built an astounding 42-11 halftime lead.

It was a case of more of the same in the third quarter as the Big Red continued to dominate, leading 62-16 en route to the 56-point win.

A total of three Avery players reached double figures: Bentley led all scorers with 22 points in addition to seven assists and two steals. Buchanan scored 13 with six rebounds and three steals, and Logan Johnson scored ten points. Savannah Dellinger had six points and six assists, four rebounds and three steals for the Lady Vikings, with six points, seven rebounds, five assists, and five steals by Mary Chesnut Smith.

"I was proud of every one of the girls tonight," Coach Pat Daniels said after the win. "We ran hard yesterday after the break, and the girls were ready to play ball. We had a season-high in assists and the girls did a great job of sharing the basketball."

The junior varsity boys trailed 16-10 to Hendersonville after one quarter and 32-26 at halftime. The Bearcats built the lead to double figures at 49-38 after three periods before the Vikings roared back to cut the deficit to a single point in the waning minutes at 55-54 and again at 57-56. Hendersonville converted on a pair of possessions down the stretch and held Avery to a single point over the final 1:36 of play to secure a 61-56 victory.

Spencer Blackburn scored 16 points to lead Avery, with 12 points each from Taylor Potter and Alex Villanueva.

In varsity action the Avery Lady Vikings scored the first six points of the game and led by five at 10-5 after one period. The team's transition game found its groove in the second quarter as the guard tandem of Allison Vance and Samantha Shook combined for ten points in the quarter. Katie Ellis came off the bench and scored nine first half points to help Avery to a 31-18 lead going into intermission.

A 21-4 scoring run over the course of the third quarter put the contest out of reach as Avery's quick hands wreaked havoc on the helpless Bearcats. The Big Red rode the strength of seven players scoring in the quarter to amass a 52-22 lead after three periods and cruised to the easy 74-31 win.

Ellis paced the Lady Vikings with a double-double, scoring 17 points and hauling down 11 rebounds in addition to four blocks. Vance scored 14 points with eight helpers and five steals. Eudy rounded out the double-figure scorers with ten points and five steals. Megan Tennant and Samantha Shook each scored nine points in the triumph.

The win helped Avery remain undefeated and in a share for first place in conference play at 2-0, and improved to 8-4 overall.

In the evening's night cap the Vikings hoped to put together its first winning streak of the season following a thrashing of Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, but it was the visiting Bearcats that ran wild and struck early and often.

Hendersonville built a 24-8 lead behind a full-court pressing defense that consistently harassed any Viking player attempting to bring the basketball upcourt. The Bearcats upped the offensive ante in teh second quarter, turning defense into offense to the tune of a 27-point second quarter burst. Avery scored nearly double the points it tallied in the first quarter, as Kody Hughes led Avery with all seven of his points for the game during the stanza. Fifteen second quarter points only dug a deeper hole for the Vikings to climb from, as Hendersonville led 51-23 at halftime.

The third quarter proved more of the same, as Hendersonville turned the basketball game into a track meet with 27 additional points in the quarter to amass a 78-31 lead after three quarters and eventually won by the final score of 96-45.

Senior Jared Ward was the only Avery player in double-figures, scoring 14 points, with seven points from Hughes. No other Viking scored more than four points for the game. Hendersonville registered five double-figure scorers, led by 19 points from Keyvon Young. The win improved the Bearcats to 5-3 overall and 2-0 in Western Highlands play, while Avery drops to 2-10 overall and 0-2 in conference play.

With the postponement of Wednesday's games at Ashe County, Avery will next take the floor on Friday afternoon and evening in Columbus for another 1A conference matchup at Polk County.

Avery basketball POSTPONED FOR TONIGHT

Tonight's Basketball games scheduled at Ashe County have been POSTPONED. A make-up date has not been rescheduled.

Avery's next scheduled games will take place on Friday afternoon in Columbus against Polk County.

Vikings Sweep Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy

Avery ventured back into regular season play on Friday night with a rematch in Rutherford County against Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy. The game was all-Lady Vikings from the opening tip as Avery routed the Lady Gryphons 78-30.

Over the first eight minutes Avery blitzed the Lady Gryphons with its full-court offense and pressing defense. Allison Vance picked up where she left off from the Christmas tournament by scoring nine first-quarter points, while teammate Katelynn Eudy scored seven points. Avery scored 26 points in the opening stanza and held TJCA to a single field goal and three foul shots to take a 21-point lead after one quarter.

The Avery defense again held TJCA to a lone field goal made in the second stanza, but surrendered four made free throws before halftime. In the meantime, the Big Red offense scorched the nets for 19 points, eight of which came from returning guard Hayley Pyatte, to stake the Lady Vikings to a 45-11 halftime lead.

Avery’s second half was every bit as impressive as the first, as the team allowed only six points to TJCA in the third quarter while scoring 17 points in the frame to lead 62-17 and eventually cruised to the team’s seventh win of the season.

Vance scored 17 points to lead five Lady Vikings in double-figures. Samantha Shook scored 12, with 11 each from Katie Ellis and Katelynn Eudy and ten from Hayley Pyatte.

Avery dominated most every statistical category as the squad hauled in a startling 51 rebounds as a team and had 31 steals in the win.

Following last week's Christmas tournament in Cherryville, Avery head basketball coach Bo Manis told his team that they needed to control the flow of the game and that running the offense would create scoring opportunities.

On Friday evening those opportunities came in bunches as the Avery squad appeared to put many of the coach’s principles into practice in a 76-29 throttling of Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy in Mooresboro.

Avery opened the game by scoring the first 14 points before Thomas Jefferson finally got on the scoreboard. Avery then closed out the quarter with a 10-2 run to lead 24-4 after the first quarter.

The Gryphons played a better game in the second period as Avery used a number of its reserves for significant minutes. A 7-2 TJCA run cut the lead to 15 points, but Avery’s balanced scoring attack late in the half built its advantage back to 43-20 at halftime.

Avery removed all doubt on who would be victorious with a 13-0 run to open the third period, giving the Big Red a 56-20 cushion. The defense was stifling as the Vikings held TJCA scoreless for over seven minutes. A basket by TJCA’s Jonathan Bess with 40 seconds remaining in the quarter finally snapped the drought, but it was the only scoring for the Gryphons as Avery led 61-22 after three stanzas.

A number of reserves saw action in the final eight minutes for both teams, but the Avery offense continued to roll. Keith McKinney scored all eight points of his points off the bench in the quarter as the Vikings earned its second win of the year and a season sweep over its future Western Highlands Conference foe.

Joey Potter paced the Vikings with 13 points, with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and a pair of steals from Dustin Clarke. Kody Hughes added nine points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while Luke Pittman added eight points, seven rebounds and three assists. Colton Blackburn added seven points, seven rebounds, and five steals.

An already busy schedule remains packed this week for the Lady Vikings. Avery hosts Hendersonville early in the week, followed by a non-conference game Wednesday in Jefferson against Ashe County and another 1A conference showdown at Polk County this Friday.

Avery/TJCA basketball On Schedule; Earlier tipoff time

The varsity basketball games in Rutherford County this evening between Avery and Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy are still scheduled.

Both Avery teams were victorious in the squads' first meeting in Newland a couple of weeks ago. The victory was the first and only win of the season thus far for the varsity boys team, and the varsity girls enter tonight's game with a record of 6-4 overall, and 1-0 in Western Highlands Conference play.

Tonight's action is VARSITY GAMES only, so the start time has been moved up to 5 p.m. for the girls tipoff, with boys action following.

AJ-T Sports LIVE from... the 2008 Chick-Fil-A Bowl!

Matt Laws will be live on-site from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta for tonight's Chick-Fil-A Bowl game between LSU and Georgia Tech.

Avery County native Paul Johnson, head coach of the Yellow Jackets, brings his team into the postseason in just his first season at the helm of the Ramblin' Wreck and faces the defending National Champion Bayou Bengals of LSU.

Live Real-Time statistics can be found during the bowl action at: http://www.chick-fil-abowl.com/ .

We hope to have various multimedia (photos, quotes, etc.) either during or shortly following this evening's contest.

Best of luck to Coach Johnson this evening!

UPDATE: A 28-point second quarter was too much for Georgia Tech to overcome as the LSU Tigers defeated the Yellow Jackets 38-3 at the Georgia Dome on New Year's Eve night. Charles Scott had 65 yards on 15 carries and three rushing touchdowns in the game.

Nine different receivers caught passes from LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson in the game.
"We would have liked to have won. We would have liked to have played better, but we didn't," Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said after the game. "It was a disappointing ending to the season. We got outplayed, we got outcoached. It was a good beating."

The biggest special teams plays all fell in LSU's favor. LSU recovered an onside kick and a Georgia Tech fumbled punt return and made a fourth-down stop on the Yellow Jackets' fake punt attempt from Georgia Tech's own 22-yard line.

"We have some pretty nifty special teams guys," LSU coach Les Miles said. "We felt like we needed to maybe steal some possessions and keep the ball away from their offense."

LSU turned the fumbled punt and stop on the fake punt into quick touchdowns while outscoring Georgia Tech 28-0 in the second quarter. "We started the game by kicking the ball out of bounds and it got worse from there on special teams," Johnson remarked. "I think this is the worst special teams game I can remember."

Georgia Tech (9-4) was denied its first 10-win season since 1998, but the team and its coach is optimistic on the close of this campaign and looking ahead to 2009.

"We would have liked to have won. We would have liked to have played better, but we didn't," Coach Johnson added. "I don't think this affects our team moving forward. The 2008 season's over. I look forward to 2009."

Avery Basketball Competes at BB&T Cherryville Christmas Classic

The Avery Lady Vikings defeated host Cherryville 75-41 in the third place game Tuesday afternoon at Nixon Gymnasium during the BB&T Christmas Classic.

Avery started slowly against the Lady Ironmen, trailing early on by as many as seven points, but the squad rallied to trail by only a single point at 30-29 at halftime.

The Big Red outscored Cherryville 46-11 over the final two quarters, leading by a 51-37 score after three periods and outscoring Cherryville with a 24-4 run to close the game.

Samantha Shook led the way with 15 points, with 14 from Katie Ellis, 12 from Elyse Perry, and eight points apiece from Allison Vance and Mercedes Bentley.

Tuesday's win came one day after a disappointing 61-49 loss to Hampton in the semis. Avery started the game on a 16-3 scoring run, but Hampton, the eventual tourney champ, roared back to take a two-point lead at 28-26 at halftime. A 17-6 scoring margin in the third quarter staked the Lady Bulldogs to a 45-32 advantage en route to the victory.

Lauren Avery led the Lady Vikings in the game with 12 points, with 11 points from Samantha Shook, 10 from Allison Vance, and four points from Hayley Pyatte, who appeared in the first game after being out due to illness.

Avery captured a thrilling 49-45 win in opening round action on Saturday. Avery was led by 16 points from Allison Vance, including a perfect 4 of 4 from the free throw line in the final 30 seconds of the contest to seal the victory.

The game was a physical affair throughout. Avery held a seven-point lead midway through the third period, but Rosman rallied to take a short-lived two-point lead.

Allison Vance and Katie Ellis were named to the All-Tournament Team for the Lady Vikings.

In boys action the Avery boys fell to host and eventual tournament champion Cherryville by the final score of 97-54. Erik Crank had 21 points for Cherryville.

The Vikings played better on Monday but fell by a 60-46 final score to South Point. The contest was tied at halftime, but a strong third period by South Point helped propel them to victory. Dustin Clarke led the Big Red with 24 points in the loss.

On Monday morning Avery played close with Hampton in the seventh-place game, but the Bulldogs stretched a three-point lead into a 34-24 halftime advantage. Avery outscored the Bulldogs 15-14 in the third to cut the lead to 48-39 and drew as near as seven points, but Hampton was too strong in the end as the Bulldogs took the 63-48 victory.

Dustin Clarke and Jared Ward were selected to the All-Tournament Team following the contest.

Avery travels to Mooresboro to take on Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy on Friday afternoon in varsity only contests. Action tips off with the girls contest starting at 6 p.m.

AJ-T Sports Live From... HOLMES CONVOCATION CENTER

We're live from Boone for this evening's non-conference basketball matchup between Milligan College and Appalachian State. ASU returns home with a 4-4 mark, and a 2-0 record in conference play. Milligan is 8-4 overall on the season.

7:10 PM - ASU takes an early 12-4 lead at the 16:42 mark of the first half. Ryann Abraham has already made two buckets to lead the team with five points in the early going. App scores another '3' by Abraham to give the Mountaineers a 15-4 lead with a timeout at the 14:50 mark of the first half.

7:20 PM -- App holds a commanding 24-8 advantage at the 11:53 mark of the first half. Donald Sims has a pair of treys to go with 8 points from Ryann Abraham. Milligan went scoreless for over three minutes as the ASU defense was stern. Open shots for the Buffaloes would not fall either, leading to the early deficit. More to come...

7:30 PM -- 7:46 remains in the first half, and the Mountaineers have stretched its lead to 39-12. The Buffaloes have no answer for the muscle of the ASU inside game, as the Black and Gold frontcourt is able to create second chance opportunities. ASU has already drained eight 3-pointers in the first 12 minutes of action, with four from Donald Sims.

7:45 PM -- Appalachian has built a 51-18 lead at the under four minute media timeout. Eight different Mountaineers have scored in the half, with Abraham's 13 leading the way.

7:55 PM -- It's halftime at Holmes and the Mountianeers have been in control from the get-go, leading 61-19 at intermission.

First half player point totals:

Donald Sims: 17 points - (including a perfect 5 of 5 from behind the 3-point arc)
Ryann Abraham: 13 points
Quinche Dowdell: 2 points
Jeremi Booth: 5 points
Josh Hunter: 8 points, 8 rebounds
Isaac Butts: 5 points, 8 rebounds
Eduardo Bermudez: 7 points
Kellen Brand: 2 points
Andre Williamson: 2 points

Every player dressed out for the ASU squad has seen action on the floor, as the Mountaineers shot 17 for 28 (60.7%) from the field in the half and was 17 of 19 from the free throw line.

Milligan was held to only 6 of 32 from the field (18.8%), and did not score in the final 3:51 of the first half. Tyler Estepp led the way for the Buffaloes with six points in the opening stanza. Second half action coming up!

8:25 PM - under 12 minutes left in the second half and the Mountaineers lead it 79-32. A number of the Mountaineer reserves are getting extensive floor time.

8:40 PM - Tonight's game may reach uncharted territory as the Mountaineers lead 99-37 with 5:12 remaining in the game. ASU has officially drained 13- three-point baskets in the game thus far as part of a scoring barrage. The record for three-pointers made in a game is 17, and ASU unofficially has 15 with 3:40 left and leading 105-39.

8:55 PM - Five Mountaineers reach double-figures in tonight's win. Final score from the Black Hole: Appalachian 112, Milligan 47.

UPDATE: Click Here for the full box score from Appalachian's win over Milligan. Appalachian recorded its third-largest point total is school history in the win.

Appalachian travels to Austin for a contest against the #7 ranked Texas Longhorns before returning home to take on Elon next week.

Viking Grapplers Spend Holiday Season with Pair of Tournaments

It was a working holiday for the Avery Vikings wrestling team this past week as the team traveled to the greater Hickory area for a pair of wrestling tournaments.

On Saturday, December 20 the squad took part in the Fred T. Foard Tiger Classic.
In the pigtail round (a play-in round prior to opening round action), Bryan Moody competed at 140 pounds, while Lucas Lecka entered in a 189 pounds. Both wrestlers met stiff competition, falling in first round falls.

A total of four grapplers began tournament play for the Big Red. Brock Yackey competed at 112 pounds, with Jacob McKinney at 119 pounds, Forrest Sickler at 135 pounds, and Anthony Varacalli at 145 pounds.

Both Yackey and Sickler were victorious in their first round bouts, Yackey by technical fall 17-1 over Foard’s Caleb Griffin, and Sickler by pin at 3:29 over Wilkes Central’s Tyler Ward.
McKinney fell by 12-3 major decision to Freedom’s Luiz Lopez, while Varacalli was defeated by an 8-3 decision to West Caldwell’s J.D. Stiles. Both wrestlers dropped to the consolation bracket, where they advanced in opening round action. McKinney won in a third period pin over Draughn’s Miles Maunery, while Varacalli earned a first period pinfall win over East Lincoln’s Kurtis Snyder.

In the championship semifinals, Yackey advanced to the finals with a pinfall at 2:31 over Hickory’s Dylan Harnish. Sickler met up with a tough competitor in West Caldwell’s Treigh Triplett, losing by technical fall 17-1 to drop to the consolation semifinal bracket.

In semifinal consolation bouts, McKinney was defeated in a 7-2 decision by Scotty Royal of Wilkes Central. Sickler squared off against Burns wrestler Dalton Elmore. Elmore emerged victorious with a pin with only four seconds remaining in the opening period to capture the win. The losses eliminated the Avery wrestlers from the tournament.

In his consolation semifinal bout, Varacalli won by decision over Burns wrestler Shawn Stanton to make the consolation finals, but lost by an 8-5 decision to Hickory’s Dalton Obeerle to capture fourth place at the 145 pound class.

“Anthony came away with a couple of good wins, and also had a couple of matches where he didn’t wrestle as well. I feel like he wasn’t exactly up in to the level he had been,” Avery head wrestling coach Stacey Clark said after the event. “It was really good for him to overcome a couple of tough matches and be able to place at the tournament.”

In the championship finals at 112 pounds, Brock Yackey came away as the Vikings’ lone champion on the day, winning by pin at 5:17 over Sam Melton of East Lincoln.

“Brock was our Avery Wrestler of the Week and had a terrific tournament. He wrestled solid all day long. He faced a tough kid in the finals and came out with an edge in the second and third period to get the win,” Coach Clark added. “Brock is showing both himself and us as coaches that he has a great opportunity for success at the 112 pound class.”

On Tuesday, December 23rd the Vikings journeyed to Newton-Conover High School to compete in the annual Red Devil Duals Tournament. During the day the Vikings faced stiff competition in separate dual meets with McDowell, Enka, R-S Central, and Newton-Conover High Schools. The Vikings were unable to come away victorious in team scores in the meets, but the duals provided the group of six wrestlers who made the trip with top-notch opposition and experience heading into conference and regional action in the coming months.

“We took a little short of a full team as we’ve had wrestlers either out of town for the holidays or unable to go because of missing practice. We took the kids who have been working hard and getting better,” Coach Clark said as the meet concluded last Tuesday.

Four wrestlers earned multiple wins during the day. Brock Yackey earned four wins and lost in a tough fifth match by a 3-1 final score to Newton-Conover’s Eric Holbrook. Anthony Varacalli earned three wins on the day and narrowly missed a fourth win with a narrow 6-5 loss against Randy Ortega from Newton-Conover. Two other wrestlers, Forrest Sickler and Lucas Lecka, earned a pair of victories at Tuesday’s event.

“Dual team tournaments are tough this time of year because we have so many people not with us, but it’s good for the kids we do take because they will see competition here that they won’t see again until they reach regional competition,” Coach Clark explained. “This tournament is a good eye-opener for our wrestlers and team, as it’s around the halfway point of the season. We get to see where we need to be and where the other kids are. Even if you come out with a couple of losses, it’s not a bad thing because you get to see the caliber of where you should be at this point.”

Avery did receive a forfeit win in the duals, as Providence School did not attend the tournament and Avery’s wrestlers each received forfeit victories for that match.

Individual Avery wrestler records following matches of December 23rd are as follows:
103 lbs. - Bennet Sweat - 13–8
112/119 lbs. - Jacob McKinney - 9–9
112/119/125 lbs.- Brock Yackey - 18-11
125/130 lbs. - Tyler Long 3–10
135/140 lbs. - Forrest Sickler - 15-16
130/135/140 lbs. - Bryan Moody- 3–22
145 lbs. - Anthony Varacalli - 16–6
152/160 lbs. - Jose Munoz - 9-4
171 lbs. - Leo Munoz - 2–4
171 lbs. - CJ Vance - 4–13
189 lbs. -Lucas Lecka - 8–11
215/285 lbs. - Nathaniel Buchanan - 3–26
285 lbs. -Justin Crowder - 3–10

The Vikings jump into conference action quickly following the New Year’s holiday, with dual meets at Hendersonville on Tuesday, January 6th and at home against Polk County on Friday, January 9th.

Avery Junior Varsity Basketball Roundup; Girls Defeat Patton, Boys Come Up Short

The Avery Lady Vikings junior varsity girls basketball team had a difficult time shaking away a tough Patton Lady Panthers team over the first two periods of play. A strong second half on both sides of the court turned a once close contest into a rout, however, as Avery won by a 54-31 final score.

The first quarter was nip and tuck, as the teams were tied 14-14 after one quarter of play. Avery went to the free throw line early and often, converting on 10 of 12 free throws in the first seven minutes. Mercedes Bentley scored six points in the quarter, with four points from Savannah Dellinger.

Both Patton and Avery worked to dictate tempo in the second period, but the game turned into a defensive struggle. The Lady Vikings scored seven points to Patton’s four in the quarter, giving the Big Red the narrow 21-18 halftime advantage.

A 18-2 run over a five minute span of the third quarter put the game away for the Big Red. Avery’s defense held Patton to only one field goal in the entire quarter, while Avery received points from six different players in the period, led by six from Monica Estep to stake the Vikings to a 39-24 lead after three quarters.

Throughout the second half the Lady Vikings used its pressure defense to turn the tide in their favor. Avery held Patton to a single field goal and five free throws for the fourth period. In the meantime, the Big Red tickled the twine for 15 fourth-quarter points for the convincing victory.

Mercedes Bentley led the Avery attack with 14 points, with ten points, including a perfect 8 of 8 free throws, from Savannah Dellinger. Both players also had three steals in the win. Estep’s six points were complemented by five points and five rebounds from Shayna Vance, to go with three points, ten rebounds, and five steals from Mary Chesnut Smith. Avery shot 23 of 29 from the free throw line as a team for the game.

“We shot well from the line and did a good job of getting to the line tonight,” Avery girls JV head coach Pat Daniels said following the win. “We didn’t execute as well with our fast-break offense, and aren’t looking up with the ball as well as we need to. We did a great job with taking care of the ball in the first half, and had 21 steals in the game to go with 43 rebounds. Our intensity was much better after halftime and we pretty much kept our eye on the prize in the second half.”

The Avery JV boys team showed marked improvement from its earlier loss at Patton. Avery led 12-6 after one quarter of action behind a pair of three-point baskets from Mark Polsgrove and two field goals by Alex Villanueva.

Patton went on a scoring run early in the second quarter, scoring the first five points of the period to quickly tie the contest at 12-12. A pair of three-pointers in the quarter helped the Panthers to take a narrow 21-18 lead at halftime.

Neither club found scoring easy in the third quarter of play, as Avery outscored the Panthers by a 6-4 margin to trail by a single point at 25-24 going into the fourth quarter.

Patton pulled away in the fourth quarter to take the victory by the final score of 46-39.

Avery’s Hunter Shields found the shooting touch in the fourth quarter with five points, including a three-point basket, but Patton held on for the win behind the strength of a perfect 9 of 9 effort from the free throw line in the final stanza.

Alex Villanueva led the Viking scoring charge with 14 points on a team-high seven field goals. Dustin Clark added eight points for the Big Red, with seven from Shields and six from Polsgrove.

Both Avery teams are idle during the holidays and will return to the court on January 6th for their second conference contest of the season against Hendersonville.

Vikings Split Varsity Rematches with Panthers

Prior to the holiday break, the Avery Vikings hosted the Patton Panthers in a rematch of contests played just one week earlier in Morganton. In Friday’s varsity contests, the Viking women pulled away for a 73-45 rout, while the Avery boys were unable to hang close with the Panther men in a 69-45 loss.

The Avery varsity girls snapped a two-game losing skid with a convincing 27-point win over Patton. In the opening period the Lady Vikings outscored the Lady Panthers 14-9 behind four points each from Katelynn Eudy and Allison Vance. Avery played the contest without the services of senior forward Katie Ellis, who was still experiencing effects from her collision with Vance in Wednesday’s loss at Watauga.

Avery’s transition game got rolling in the second quarter against the 2-3 zone defense of Patton. Lauren Avery was a spark in her second start at guard for the Vikings, as she scored nine points in the second quarter and 11 overall for the half. Vance also reached double figures scoring in the first two periods as she scored six points, including a three-point bucket, in the quarter for ten points by intermission.

Usual reserve standouts Sara Wiseman and Megan Tennant stepped up big in the absence of Ellis, as they combined for 15 points in the game. Tennant tallied all eight of her points in the first half to push the Big Red ahead 42-24 at halftime.

Avery’s defense stifled the Lady Panthers all evening, with 18 steals as a team and forcing close to 30 Patton turnovers for the contest. The Vikings doubled up the Panthers in the third quarter scoring 18 to 9, paced by five points in the quarter by Wiseman as part of a seven-point, four block performance. Avery led 60-33 going into the final period and closed out the final eight minutes to pick up the 28-point win.

Katelynn Eudy led the Vikings with 17 points on 8 for 10 shooting from the field. She also registered five rebounds and three steals in the game. Lauren Avery had a great all-around effort for the Big Red, as she scored 15 points, with seven assists, six rebounds, and four steals. Vance finished the win with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Elyse Perry scored eight off the bench in the Avery win. Avery moved its record back over the .500 mark at 4-3 overall.

The Avery varsity boys started strong in Friday’s contest with Patton, but were unable to overcome a first quarter run by the Panthers in a 69-45 loss.

Avery led by an early 8-4 margin, but a 16-6 run by Patton, paced by ten points from guard Nick Holland, closed out the first quarter put the Vikings in a double-digit deficit at 20-10 after eight minutes of play.
In the second period, the Vikings settled down and managed to outscore Patton 12-11, but Avery could not put together an offensive run against the aggressive Patton man-to-man defense as the Panthers led 31-22 at halftime.

Patton controlled the contest for good as the third period ensued. Patton shot 7 of 8 from the free throw line as part of a 22-point effort in the quarter, while the Avery pair of Joey Potter and Colton Blackburn provided but all but two of the Big Red’s 11 points in the quarter. The discrepancy left the Vikings trailing by a 53-33 score with only eight minutes remaining. The Panthers defense held Avery to only 12 points in the final quarter en route to a season sweep.

Patton’s defense constantly double-teamed Avery leading scorer Dustin Clarke all evening, as they held the sharpshooter to only four points in the game, all coming on two field goals in the first half.

Avery’s scoring attack was led by the duo of Potter and Blackburn, who scored 11 each. Blackburn added nine rebounds and three blocks, while Potter added five rebounds. Kody Hughes chipped in with nine points and six rebounds.

Five players scored double figures for Patton, led by Marius Harshaw’s 13 points off the bench.
Avery’s varsity girls and boys squads competed in the BB&T Holiday Classic at Cherryville High School the weekend following Christmas. A full report on the tournament will be found in next week’s paper and here on the Blog.