Avery basketball endured a busy week of action on the hardwood, as the Vikings junior varsity teams played a total of five games over a three-day stretch. The junior varsity girls continued its roll through conference play with a pair of wins, while the JV boys look to get back on the winning track following a trio of tough losses.JV Girls:
The Avery Lady Vikings junior varsity girls team returned to the court last on Wednesday, February 3rd with a decisive 54-24 win over Owen in Black Mountain. Avery started the game on a 16-2 run in the first period and never looked back to stay unbeaten in conference play.
Kelsie Clarke led 12 Lady Vikings scorers with 13 points (11 in the first half) and five steals in the win. Danielle Byrd added six points, with five points apiece from Kristen Burleson, Monica Estep, and Taylor Hobbs.
The following afternoon Avery took the floor in Burnsville to tangle with second-place Mountain Heritage. In one of its closest contests of the season, the Lady Vikings battled to victory and defeated the Lady Cougars by a final score of 46-33.
Avery took a 12-4 lead after one period and parlayed its margin into a 24-14 halftime advantage. The game featured physical play, with strong pressing defense by the Lady Vikings that continually harassed the Heritage offense.
In the second half, the Lady Vikings utilized a zone defense that kept the Lady Cougars guessing and forced Heritage into poor percentage shots. Avery continued its offensive pressure and led 32-20 after three quarters. Four points apiece from Kelsie Clarke and Monica Estep bolstered Avery’s effort as the Big Red secured yet another win.
Clarke led the Lady Vikings with 16 points, with nine points from Johanna Pittman. Estep and Shayna Vance netted six points apiece. Clarke added five steals and three assists, with six rebounds, three steals, and a pair of assists from Estep.
“I figured this would be a tough game down here. We handled them a little easier at home but they were a much better team here than when we last played them,” Lady Vikings head coach Pat Daniels said after the win. “Heritage slowed the pace of the game and we gave up a lot of foul shots. All my starting five played well, and Brooke (Buchanan) and Megan (Dellinger) came in and produced off the bench.”JV Boys:
The Avery junior varsity boys team began its week with a contest at Madison on Tuesday, February 2nd. Madison built an early lead and stretched it to as many as 22 points. Avery rallied in the second half with a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter behind the hot shooting of Austin Lyons to cut the Patriots lead to as little as eight points, but the Patriots withstood the Viking charge and captured a 63-48 victory.
“I thought the kids battled hard late third and early fourth quarter. We stepped up and I told the team not to worry about the score and concern ourselves with getting better,” Vikings JV boys head coach Reggie Oakes remarked. “I thought good effort was there and we did our best job of the year with boxing out. Madison just did a great job scoring with the ball and shooting. We could have done some things better defensively with cutting players off on penetration. Lane Smith played well at the point for us. I thought Austin Lyons stepped up and hit some bit shots, and Bryce Pittman played some great defense. We’ve just got to put two good halves of basketball together, and if we can do that I believe we’ll be okay.”
Avery journeyed to Owen on Wednesday for a make-up game against the Warhorses. The contest was nip-and-tuck throughout the affair, but Owen held off the Vikings in a narrow 38-36 loss.
Owen held a slim 13-12 lead after one quarter, but the Vikings defense held the Warhorses to just one field goal in the second period to gain an 18-15 advantage.
In the third quarter Owen regrouped to recapture the lead at 26-24 after three periods, and hit a couple of key shots to fend off a Viking rally in the closing minute to capture the victory.
Bryce Pittman led Avery scorers with 14 points, with six points each from Lane Smith and Nathaniel Calvert. Shea Buchanan, who had missed multiple games with a knee injury, returned to the lineup and scored a pair of points in the defeat.
On Thursday the Vikings squared off against the Mountain Heritage Cougars in Burnsville in a physical affair, with the Cougars holding serve on its home floor in a 52-39 win.
Heritage grabbed a 12-8 lead after one quarter and extended that advantage to ten at 26-16 at halftime. The teams played virtually even in the third quarter as the Cougars carried a 36-24 lead to the final period and held on to take the victory.
Shea Buchanan scored 13 points to lead the Vikings, with nine points from Bryce Pittman and five from Dustin Clark.
Avery hosts Hendersonville and Mitchell this week to close out the Western Highlands Conference regular season slate. A full report on those games can be read in next week’s print edition and online at the Avery Journal-Times Sports Blog at www.ajtsports.blogspot.com.
