In a dominating night on the hardwood last Thursday evening at Viking Gym, Avery’s varsity girls and boys basketball squads cruised to double-digit victories over their counterparts from During the opening quarter of the varsity girls contest, the Lady Vikings grabbed an early advantage. Many of Avery’s offensive opportunities came by virtue of its defense, as the team forced the Lady Black Hawks into numerous turnovers throughout the contest. Avery took a 22-10 lead after one quarter and roared to a 34-13 halftime bulge..
The second half was anti-climactic as the entire Avery roster saw extended minutes on the playing floor. After three quarters, the Lady Vikings maintained a comfortable 52-23 lead and went on to capture its sixth straight victory with a 68-31 win.
Lauren Avery and Hayley Pyatte each scored 16 points in the Big Red triumph. Lauren added seven rebounds, while Hayley added four rebounds and three steals. Sara Wiseman chipped in with 14 points and six rebounds, with six points apiece from Megan Tennant and Katelynn Eudy.
The Vikings shot just under 46 percent from the field in the win, while holding West to only 31 percent shooting. West was paced by Laura Cantrell's double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. along with seven points from Jessica Bumgarner.
In the nightcap, the Avery varsity boys were white hot on the offensive end to start its contest with the Black Hawks. The Vikings scorched the nets in the first eight minutes by hitting on 10 of its 19 shots, including a Dustin Clarke dunk, en route to taking a 23-8 lead after one quarter.
The snowball continued to roll downhill and consume the blitzed Black Hawks. West had difficulty keeping up with Avery’s speed, while the Vikings were converting on inside shot attempts that they have been missing in previous contests.
Although Avery suited up only eight players for the game due to injury, seven Vikings scored in the first half. The Vikings stretched their lead to 21 points at 35-14 by halftime.
As the game continued, it became apparent that the evening’s top story was not only the dominant team performance by the Vikings, but the individual effort of Dustin Clarke.The talented 6’3” junior guard who has averaged around 20 points per game electrified the crowd in Viking Gym with three slam dunks on the night. The final two dunks, the second one an athletic 360-degree spin and slam, earned Clarke technical fouls for hanging on the rim. The two fouls disqualified Avery's leading scorer midway through the fourth quarter. Clarke ended the night with 26 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and six steals.
“I emphasize that great players should make others around them better, and Dustin has been doing a lot of that this season. I ask a lot from Dustin, but he’s taking it in full stride,” Avery varsity boys head coach Bo Manis said after the game. “I encouraged him to relax out there on the floor and let the game come to him.”
The entire Avery team enjoyed a great night on the court, leading
“Joey had a good night because he was able to find the open space in their defense and move without the basketball. Doing that really allowed him to score a quiet 18 points. We emphasized that all week, and he wasn’t the only player to step up and do that,” Coach Manis added.
Luke Foster and Garrett Hamby scored eight points apiece for the Black Hawks, with seven points from Lucas Stinson.
“I could never be any prouder of the guys than tonight. This team is better than the results we have had on the scoreboard,” Coach Bo Manis said following the win. “The team played hard defensively and we came out firing on all cylinders. Not to take anything away from West Wilkes, but we played good basketball. We were focused and played Team Avery basketball, which is pretty fun to watch.”
Avery shot 61 percent from the field in the second half and 53 percent for the game. The Vikings nearly matched West's total of 12 field goals for the game in just one quarter, when the Vikes drained 11 shots in the third quarter. West shot only 23 percent from the field for the night.
The Vikings played with a renewed focus and intensity, and showed great selflessness throughout the contest.
“Before the game I reminded the players about focusing on what was important at that time. I asked the players that they commit themselves to concentrating only about what matters at this moment they put their uniforms on, and that one thing to consider is team,” Coach Manis said. “When the players realize that concept, I believe we will be clicking as a team.”
Avery’s varsity basketball games last Friday night against
