A week following their first encounter with the Watauga Pioneers in Viking Gym, the Avery junior varsity basketball squads traveled to Lentz-Eggers Gym in Boone for a rematch with Watauga.In the JV girls contest, Avery fell behind early to the Lady Pioneers, trailing by a 14-4 score after one quarter. The Big Red sliced into the lead ever so slightly, but still found itself on the short end of a 24-17 halftime deficit.
Avery managed to rally behind the outside shooting of Kelsie Clark, who drained three-pointers that helped the Lady Vikings come all the way back to take a lead at 30-29 late in the third quarter. Watauga scored the final bucket in the quarter to leave the home team with a slim 31-30 lead going into the final seven minutes.
Watauga built its lead to four points early in the final frame, but Avery reeled the Lady Pioneers in to stay within a single possession at 38-35 in the game’s final minute. Watauga’s matchup zone defense was strong throughout the night and did not allow Avery to score the game-tying basket as Watauga took a 39-37 win on its home floor.
Kelsie Clark led Avery with 17 points, with ten points from Shayna Vance and seven points and ten rebounds from Brooke Buchanan.
“The girls played well, but we missed chances at the free throw line down the stretch and we also just ran out of time,” Avery Lady Vikings JV girls coach Pat Daniels remarked. ”I told the girls I was proud of them, but that we need to be able to finish games But I believe the tough non-conference schedule we’ve faced will benefit us when we get into conference play.”
The boys contest was a close affair. Dustin Clark scored four of Avery’s seven first quarter points as the Vikings held a 7-5 advantage after one quarter. The Vikings continued to play well on both ends of the floor, as Shea Buchanan bolstered Avery’s cause with seven points in the second period to help the Big Red maintain a slim 19-18 halftime lead.
Both clubs found their shooting stroke and offensive rhythm in the third period, almost matching the output from the entire first half. Watauga displayed resiliency in outpacing Avery 16-13 in the quarter to hold a 34-32 lead after three stanzas.
Although Avery committed 27 turnovers and was hampered by foul trouble, the Vikings found themselves with an opportunity to tie the game in the closing seconds. Trailing by three with time running out, Avery had a good look on a three-pointer to send the game to overtime. The shot did not fall, however, as Avery fell in a heartbreaking 45-41 loss.
“I thought we played great defense tonight. I felt like we executed well, but Watauga is tough to play on their floor,” Avery boys junior varsity head coach Reggie Oakes said following the game. “I thought we had a chance to win and probably should have won. “
Dustin Clark and Shea Buchanan led Avery with 11 points apiece, with eight points from Austin Lyons.
“Shea played a good game. He stepped up and made some big shots late. Dustin was a monster on the boards and
Avery’s JV squads will be in action on Thursday against West Wilkes at Viking Gym. Since Thomas Jefferson Academy does not field JV basketball teams, Avery’s JV girls team will instead play Cloudland on Friday afternoon.
