It was a clean sweep on Thursday night in Viking Gym as the Avery basketball teams won both junior varsity contest and won decisively in each varsity contest.The Avery Lady Vikings junior varsity club opened its game with a 10-0 scoring run and led 12-2 after one quarter. West Wilkes rallied to cut the lead to 19-12 at the half, but the Lady Vikings came out of the locker room on fire, utilizing a 19-5 scoring run in just over four minutes to put the contest out of reach. Avery took a 45-27 lead after three quarters and cruised to the 61-32 victory.
Kelsie Clarke exploded offensively for the Big Red with 26 points, six steals, and four assists. Shayna Vance added nine points, with eight points from Megan Dellinger as well as five points, seven rebounds, seven steals, and four assists from Monica Estep. Makayla Nichols tallied 20 to lead West Wilkes.
In JV boys action, Avery jumped on top early and took a 39-26 win. The Vikings led 8-1 after the first quarter and held an 18-9 halftime advantage. In the second half, Avery used its pressure defense and patient offense to distance itself from the Black Hawks, taking a 33-18 lead through three quarters before taking the 13-point victory. Lane Smith led Avery with 13 points, with 11 points by Austin Lyons.
In varsity action, both Avery teams were dominant in winning by large margins. The Lady Vikings varsity girls grabbed an early advantage and 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 over the Black Hawks. West had difficulty keeping up with the Avery speed, while the Vikings were converting on inside shot attempts that they had 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 theme was not only the dominant team performance by the Vikings, but the individual effort of Dustin Clarke. The talented junior guard wowed the crowd in Viking Gym with three slam dunks on the night. The final two jams, the second of which an athletic 360-degree spin and slam, earned Clarke technical fouls for hanging on the rim, disqualifying Avery's leading scorer midway through the fourth quarter. Clarke ended the night with 26 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and six steals.
The entire Avery team enjoyed a great night on the court, leading 59-20 after three quarters on the way to a 73-35 victory. Joey Potter poured in 18 points for the Vikings, with eight points and six rebounds from Dylan Eppley.
Luke Foster and Garrett Hamby scored eight points apiece for the Black Hawks, with seven points from Lucas Stinson.
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.
Weather permitting, the Vikings JV girls are scheduled to host Cloudland on Friday, with the JV boys hosting Crossnore Academy. The Avery varsity teams will host Thomas Jefferson Academy in their Western Highlands Conference opener Friday night.
