Despite a layoff since December 17th, the Avery varsity boys basketball team turned in one of its best quarters of the season to begin Saturday’s game at Polk County. Avery hit 11 of its first 14 shots to build a commanding 28-11 advantage, only to see the Wolverines come back to take a third quarter lead and hold off an Avery rally in a 74-68 win.Timmy Stewart helped the Vikings get off to its blistering start as he scored all 12 of his points for the contest during the opening period. Everything went Avery’s way in the quarter, including a half-court heave to close the quarter that was caught out of the air and shot in one acrobatic motion by Luke Pittman for two points as time expired.
The two teams played virtually even in the second stanza as Avery picked up a pair of baskets off the bench from Spencer Blackburn and two field goals from leading scorer Dustin Clarke. Polk was paced by Andre Overholt with 11 points in the first half, but Avery held on to a double-digit lead at 41-30 at halftime.
Once the teams took the floor for the second half, Avery’s offensive firepower suddenly dried up. The Vikings managed only two points in the third quarter while the Wolverines reeled off 19 for the frame, erasing the Avery lead and pulling Polk ahead 49-43 as the final period began.
In the final eight minutes Avery regained its shooting stroke, but the Wolverines remained warm from the field. Polk hit eight of its 12 field goal attempts in the final stanza, while the Vikings converted on eight of its 14 shots from the field. Avery’s Clarke looked to bring the Big Red back as he drained three 3-point baskets in the quarter, but the Wolverines countered with a pair of three-pointers from Landon Schlabach and seven points from forward Bryant Twitty to stave off the Viking comeback and escape with the win.
Clarke led Avery with 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Stewart (12 points), Blackburn (11 points), and Dylan Eppley (10 points) all reached double figures in the defeat. Four players scored double figures for Polk, led by 17 from Overholt and 16 apiece from Twitty and Chandler Miller.
“The biggest problem we had was our consistency. We weren’t able to carry the same offensive intensity through four quarters,” Avery Vikings head varsity boys basketball coach Bo Manis said following the game. “We started off really well and shot the ball well, but we couldn’t score once the second half began. We had trouble rebounding the basketball with only one offensive rebound for the entire game. But I was proud of how the guys came back at the end. We still have to consistently play at a high level to be successful, though.”
On Monday night the Vikings hosted Madison in the Western Highlands Conference home opener. In a game that went down to the wire, Avery emerged victorious in a 56-54 thriller.
The teams played to a slow pace with numerous fouls in the first period as Avery trailed 11-6 after the first eight minutes of play.
The pace of the game picked up in the second quarter as Avery was buoyed by the play of junior Dustin Clarke, who netted 12 first-half points to keep the Vikings close. Madison answered Avery’s leading scorer with their own go-to player, forward Anthony Swann, who tallied 13 first-half points which allowed the Patriots to push ahead 27-22 at halftime.
Avery managed only two points in the third quarter of Saturday’s contest, but history did not repeat itself against the Patriots. Rather than take the floor tentatively, the Vikings were purposefully aggressive and took the action to Madison. Avery went on a 10-2 scoring spurt over the first 2:20 of the third quarter, highlighted by a dazzling alley-oop pass and dunk from Joey Potter to Dustin Clarke.
Although shaken by the Avery flurry, Madison answered the bell to rally itself behind Swann and guard Brennan Eggleton to stay within four points at 43-39 at third quarter’s end.
Madison’s offense quickly became “The Anthony Swann Show” in the final stanza as the Patriots offense ran virtually every offensive set through his hands. Swann 13 of Madison’s final 15 points. Avery weathered the Patriot comeback as Clarke, Dylan Eppley, and Timmy Stewart each scored field goals in the final quarter.
In the final two minutes the Patriots shaved away a four-point Avery advantage to tie the game at 54 apiece. With 1:04 left to play, Avery’s Luke Pittman netted his only basket of the night on a shot inside the paint to stake the Vikings to a two-point lead. Avery made a final defensive stand in the closing seconds, forcing a turnover that sealed the Vikings’ first conference victory of the season.
Clarke led the Big Red in scoring with 22 points, to go with five rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Timmy Stewart added seven points, four rebounds, two steals, and three assists. Joey Potter and Dylan Eppley tallied six points each.
Swann led Madison with a game-high 30 points, in addition to nine rebounds and three steals.
“I think we learned in the first half a lot about what things we had success with and what we were not succeeding at. We talked at halftime about bringing consistency, and rebounding the basketball was a major point of emphasis before the second half,” Avery head coach Bo Manis said after the win. “We scored only two points against Polk which changed that game. This time we made sure to impress on the players the need to rebound and box out, that we couldn’t have that same Polk effort tonight.”
Avery shot an efficient 13 for 20 from the field (65 percent) to keep pressure on the Patriots, while Madison made only 9 of 33 shots over the final two periods.
“We took high percentage shots and that really brought us back into the game in the third quarter. We realized last weekend that we can’t make up a large deficit in one trip down the floor,” Coach Manis said. “I thought the alley-oop helped energize the players, yet we still took smart shots and took better care of the basketball. I was really pleased with how we played to win tonight rather than playing tentatively and not to lose.”
Avery hosts Mountain Heritage Wednesday night (1/13) in another conference tilt, then travel to Ledger on Friday to take on rival Mitchell. A full report on both games can be found online at the Journal-Times Sports Blog at www.ajtsports.blogspot.com as well as in next week’s print edition.
