Third Time’s the Charm! Lady Panthers Rally Late to Capture First Toe River Conference Tournament Title

The ultimate elation of any championship basketball team is realized with the cutting down of a net symbolic of the accomplishment of winning a title.

Following a regular season championship with only two losses in conference play, the Avery Middle School Lady Panthers entered the postseason conference tournament as the odds-on favorite to capture the tournament title.

Although the Lady Panthers encountered a pair of determined and worthy opponents in Cane River during Thursday’s semifinal round and Harris in Saturday’s championship game, the Silver and Black of Avery walked out of East Yancey Middle School Saturday night toting regular season and postseason tournament championship trophy hardware and a newly-snipped cotton basketball net.

Saturday’s championship appeared to be in doubt as early as Thursday night when the Lady Panthers met a surprisingly tough Cane River Lady Rebels club. Avery took a 9-4 lead after one period and led comfortably at 19-11 at halftime.

Cane River made a game of it during the second half, slicing the Avery lead to 27-22 after three quarters. Avery caught its second wind during the final six minutes as Lauren Burleson scored four of her 13 points in the final stanza. Cane River cut the lead to two points with 45 seconds left to play, but a Haley Woody basket in the paint helped propel the Lady Panthers to a 34-29 win over the Lady Rebels.

Woody paced the Avery attack, dominating the paint as she scored a game-high 16 points in the win. Only four players in all scored for the Lady Panthers, but the club survived and advanced to Saturday’s final.

“If you watched us last Thursday, we’ve made major progression to our game. We’ve gotten back on track to where we were during the regular season. Our shot selection tonight was so much better and we hit more shots than we did in our last game with Cranberry. We cut down on our three-point shots and concentrated on working our offense from the inside out,” Lady Panthers head coach Donnie Johnson said immediately following the win. “I thought overall we played a great game, particularly in the second half when we did a good job to answer their baskets by throwing the ball inside.”

In Saturday’s championship game Avery met a familiar foe in Harris, the team who upset the Lady Panthers in their last meeting in Spruce Pine. It was the third meeting of the season between the teams, as well as Avery’s third straight tournament championship game appearance.

Harris held the advantage for much of the first half of play before a late flurry propelled the Lady Panthers into a slim 14-13 halftime lead. The Lady Blue Devils did not wilt under the championship pressure, answering the Avery rally to lead by two scores for a portion of the third quarter.

With 50 seconds left to play, Harris seemed on the cusp of winning the championship as it held a 30-26 lead and Avery’s strongest force inside in Haley Woody had fouled out of the contest.

Avery displayed the true heart of a champion to rewrite the ending to the tournament story. Jodi Poore scored her only points for the game when she drained a clutch three-pointer from the corner to cut the deficit to 30-29. Avery’s trademark defensive pressure forced a Harris turnover in the backcourt.
Following a timeout, Avery’s Lauren Burleson took advantage of an opening to hit a ten-footer from the baseline, putting the Lady Panthers in front 31-30 with 20 seconds left to play. Avery forced one final turnover in the final five seconds as Shannon Smith intercepted an outlet pass to seal the Lady Panther triumph.

Lauren Burleson led six Avery scorers with 12 points, including six of the team’s final nine points in the fourth quarter. Teammate Breanna Heaton poured in eight and both Shannon Smith and Haley Woody added four points in the win. Kennedi Grindstaff of Harris led all scorers with 14 points in a losing effort.

“I was thinking “Finally!” after the buzzer sounded. This is our third year in a row to make the tournament championship, and you start doubting yourself after dominating the regular season. Every year we made the tournament championship we would lose, so it’s good to finally get the monkey off my back,” a jubilant Lady Panthers head coach Donnie Johnson said after the win. “I felt like our guards were crucial and the catalyst in our team not falling apart. Our press gave Harris some problems but they were able to beat us downcourt in the times they beat our press. I was a little worried that they were going to go coast-to-coast on us to win the game, then Shannon came up with the big steal at the end.”

The victory is a great accomplishment for a team that played throughout the season with a never-say-die attitude, and is also a rare double feat, as the Lady Panthers also captured the conference volleyball tournament title earlier in the fall.

“We just never give up. Give the girls all the credit in the world because they just kept playing,” Coach Johnson said. “This is a special group who has won championships, and this eighth grade class has witnessed us winning a championship every year they were at Avery Middle. They’ve etched their names in the history books, so to speak, having won the school’s first-ever basketball tournament championship. It says a lot about the character of this team. They’re a close and confident group and they’ll truly be missed.”

Burleson, Heaton, and Smith were each named to the All-Conference team, while Burleson, Heaton, and Woody were recognized as All-Tournament for their efforts.

In the boys tournament, Harris scored on two free throws following a technical foul call against Cane River with three seconds left to provide the final margin in a 41-39 Blue Devils victory.

Congratulations to the Lady Panthers and to all the local middle school teams on a great hoops season!