JV Basketball Wraps Up Regular Season Play; Cancellation of Tournament Ends Season

Avery’s junior varsity basketball teams managed to dodge the snowflakes enough to finish up its regular season schedule last week. The Lady Vikings played only one contest, defeating a pesky Mitchell Lady Mountaineers club, while the junior varsity boys came up short in home contests against both Hendersonville and Mitchell.

JV Girls
The Avery Lady Vikings capped off yet another undefeated conference season last Friday night, using a strong defensive effort to defeat the Mitchell Lady Mountaineers 39-23.

Head coach Pat Daniels gave the starting nod to his sophomore players in their final home contest at the junior varsity level, recognizing the effort and hard work of those players over the past two seasons.

Avery led by only three points after one quarter at 9-6, and used a 10-3 point differential in the second stanza to pull ahead by a 19-9 score at halftime.

After a subpar effort by Lady Viking standards in the first two quarters, the Big Red poured it on in the second half. Using its press defense to create turnovers, Avery scored on multiple possessions in transition. The defense held Mitchell to only three points in the quarter as the Lady Vikings pulled away to a 29-12 lead.

Three point baskets from Kelsie Clarke and Megan Dellinger in the final quarter helped keep Mitchell at bay. The Lady Mountaineers cut the lead to around ten early in the quarter, but Avery made the necessary plays on both ends of the floor to defeat Mitchell by a 16-point margin.

“We had a rough start, and we had to talk to the girls about stepping up with their press. They improved the press and we picked up a few steals and layups to get things going,” Lady Vikings assistant coach Amber Young said after the victory. “We had some trouble rebounding and boxing out, which let Mitchell get some offensive rebounds to help them stay in the game.”

Kelsie Clarke led the Avery attack with 13 points, four assists, and three steals. Johanna Pittman scored five points with six rebounds and four steals, with five points from Monica Estep.

“Johanna hustled a lot and was very aggressive for us making plays and getting rebounds when we needed them,” Coach Young said.

Due to the high number of varsity postponements throughout the season, the conference has decided to cancel the JV conference tournaments originally slated to take place this week at Owen Middle School. With last Friday’s win in its season finale, the Lady Vikings finish with a 10-5 record and perfect 9-0 conference mark, completing yet another undefeated conference regular season and capturing the JV conference championship. Congratulations to head coach Pat Daniels, his staff, and players on a fantastic year!

JV Boys
Avery’s junior varsity boys squad played a pair of games last week, hosting Hendersonville on Monday February 8^th, and playing its regular season home finale against Mitchell last Friday night.

Avery battled hard but came up short in Monday’s loss to the Bearcats. The two teams played close through most of the first half. Hendersonville held a narrow one point lead late in the second quarter, but an 11-3 scoring run encompassing the final minute of the first half and opening minutes of the third quarter extended the Bearcats lead to double-figures.

The Vikings fought back to keep the lead at around ten points, but could get no closer as the Bearcats captured a 65-53 win over Avery.

“We did a good job for the most part. When we handled their press we were able to get layup opportunities and couldn’t convert. There were also times we let their press affect us, rushing our passes forcing turnovers. If we learn to take care of the basketball and be just a little more patient, we will win games,” Coach Reggie Oakes said after the game. “I feel if we knock down our high percentage looks, we have a chance to compete and win against anyone we play.”

In Friday’s regular season finale against the Mountaineers, Avery fell behind early and was unable to recover. Mitchell held a 16-9 advantage after one period and increased its margin to 25-16 at halftime behind the hot hand of John Spencer, who tallied 14 of the team’s first half total. Avery countered with seven first-half points from guard Shea Buchanan.

The Mountaineers gradually extended its advantage in the third quarter, outscoring the Big Red 11-6 to build a lead of double digits at 36-22. The two teams played evenly in the final stanza, with Mitchell taking a 44-30 road victory.

Dustin Clark paced the Vikings with 10 points, all coming in the second half. Buchanan finished the game with seven points, with five points from Bryce Pittman.

“I thought the kids played very hard. The lack of practice time hurt us. We could have done things better offensively and hit shots that should have been made, but Mitch (Mitchell head coach Mitchell McKinney) always has his team prepared and they did a good job,” Coach Reggie Oakes said following the game. “Spencer really stepped up for them tonight. We contained him for the most part, but anytime you give him an open look, he’s gonna make it. Spencer was pretty much a man among boys tonight. But if we’re able to make some free throws and knock down shots, we come away with a win.”

Due to the high number of varsity postponements throughout the season, the conference has decided to cancel the JV conference tournaments originally slated to take place this week at Owen Middle School. Last Friday’s contests officially end the junior varsity basketball season, closing the JV boys season with a 4-13 record overall and 2-10 mark in conference play. Congratulations to head coach Reggie Oakes, his staff, and players on an exciting season!

Erskine Earns Sweep Over Lees-McRae in Hoops Action

(courtesy LMC Sports Information)
BANNER ELK, N.C. – Audrey Timmerman scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Erskine College Flying Fleet to an 81-72 win over the Lees-McRae College Lady Bobcats, 81-72, Tuesday night a Conference Carolinas women’s basketball game.

Timmerman was 10-of-17 from the floor and 7-of-13 from three in the contest for the Fleet.

Colette Montgomery scored the five baskets for the Lady Bobcats and gave them a 10-9 lead three minutes into the game. Lees-McRae quickly take the lead to nine 18-9, with an 8-0 run with just over 14 minutes to play.

Erskine would rally with a 22-5 run to close the gap the one, 23-22, on Mary Ann Lanford field goal with 7:20 to play in the half. The two teams traded buckets before two free throws by Jean Marie Harris gave Erskine a 26-25 lead with 6:23 to play.

Porsha Morgan would score the final points of the half with a free throw at the 4:08 mark to give the Fleet a 32-37 halftime lead.

After the break, a Sophie Witte field goal would cut the Erksine lead to three, 36-33, with just under 18 minutes to play, and two Lauren Casey field throws would cut the lea to two points five minutes later. But, the Fleet would respond with a 12-0 run to extend the lead to 57-43 with just under ten minutes to play.

The lead would hit 14 again, 68-54, five minutes later on a Timmerman three, but Lees-McRae would fight back to cut the lead to four, 75-71, with 1:33 to play. Erskine would however make their next four free throws and final field goal to hold onto the nine-point win, 81-72.

Lees-McRae was 47 percent from the floor and 38 percent from three, while Erskine was 38 percent overall and 40 percent from behind the arc. Erskine went to the four line 34 times and made 24, while the Lady Bobcats made 11 of their 16 attempts.

Montgomery would pace the Lady Bobcats with 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor. Casey would follow with a double-double with 11 points and ten assists. She also added a team-high seven rebounds. Amber Coleman added ten points.

Timmerman’s game-high 29 points led the Flying Fleet, but Morgan added a double-double with 15 points and ten assists. Lanford was the final Erskine player in double-digits with 14 points.

Bobcats Fall to Erskine:
Lees-McRae College only scored 12 second half points as the Erskine College Flying Fleet came back to beat the Bobcats, 52-49, Tuesday night in Williams Gymnasium.

The Flying Fleet took a quick 10-4 lead, but Lees-McRae would tie the game up at 12 on an Anthony Johnson three with 11:55 to play in the first half.

From there, the Bobcats would spring out to an 18 point lead, 34-16, with a 22-4 run capped off by a Daniel Sepokas basket with 3:14 remaining. The lead would hit 19 twice before the half before Erskine’s Brandon Wright, Nathan Jones and Victor Street would score the final five points to cut the Lees-McRae lead to 37-23 at the half.

Lees-McRae was 42 percent in the first half from the field and 36 percent from three, while Erskine was 35 percent overall and 16 percent from three.

In the second half the tide would turn, Lees-McRae held a 15-point lead, 45-30, at the 14 minute mark, but would only manage four points over the next 14 minutes. Erskine would cut the lead to one on Street free throw, then take a 50-49 lead when Nick Riley got an offensive rebound and a putback with 1:25 to play. Jones would score the final basket of the game a minute later with a putback to give the Fleet a 52-49 win.

Erskine out scored the Bobcats 29-12 in the second half and shot 37 percent from the floor and 33 percent from three. Lees-McRae was only 21 percent overall and 25 percent from three in the half.

Wright led all scorers with 14 points for the Flying Fleet, and Chris Gore followed with 11 points. Jay Boulware collected a game-high 11 rebounds.

Stephen Haymer was the lone Bobcat in double-digits with 11 points. Sam Youse added nine points and tied Haymer with eight rebounds. Jeremy Helms also had nine points on 3-of-3 shooting from three.

Lees-McRae will look to rebound with a road trip to Barton on Thursday with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Avery Ladies Ranked #8 in latest 1A Basketball Poll

The Avery Lady Vikings again have graced the most recent North Carolina 1A Girls state basketball poll, coming in at #8 overall. Neighboring conference rival Mitchell sits at #6, with Robbinsville, the team who defeated Avery in last season's Sectional Final, ranked between the two conference clubs at #7.

This week's complete poll is listed in its entirety below:

1A GIRLS

1. Williamston (8) 21-0 – 133

2. Mount Airy (3) 21-2 – 125

3. Bishop McGuinness (3) 15-5 – 109

4. East Surry 18-4 – 83

5, River Mill 26-4 – 79

6. Mitchell 18-4 – 68

7. Robbinsville 18-2 – 59

8. Avery 20-2 - 53

9. Hiwassee Dam 17-5 - 29

10. Southside 17-4 – 10

HONORABLE MENTION: Chatham Central (18-4) – 7; SW Onslow (13-4) – 4; Pender (13-2) – 3; Cherokee (17-5) – 3; Union (18-3) – 2; East Wilkes (14-8) – 2; Goldsboro (13-4) – 2;

Two additonal conference teams, the Hendersonville boys (#6 1A) and the Mountain Heritage boys (#8 2A), are ranked in this week's statewide polls.

Sims Repeats as SoCon Player of the Week

(courtesy ASU Sports Information)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Donald Sims (Gaffney, S.C./Fork Union) averaged 27.5 points in two games and led Appalachian to a pair of home wins and was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week for the second-straight time and third time this season, the league office announced on Tuesday.

The Gaffney, S.C. native scored 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting against Davidson. He sank both three-point attempts and all five foul shots to help the Mountaineers (16-10, 10-4 SoCon) to their first season sweep of the Wildcats since 2000-01. He added three rebounds, two steals and a season-high four assists in the contest.

The junior followed Thursday’s performance with 30 points on Saturday night against Georgia Southern. He was 11-of-14 from the field, 3-of-5 from downtown, and sank all five free throws to extend his season-long streak to 28-straight from the charity stripe. He grabbed five rebounds and dished out an assist.

Additionally, Sims became just the 17th player in program history to score 500 points in a season, as he currently has 516. He ranks 13th on the single season scoring list for Appalachian, just eight points away from 10th place.

Sims leads the SoCon with 19.8 points per game and is tops in the nation in free throw percentage, at 95.5. His 3.0 three-pointers per game also lead the conference.

It is the third honor for Sims this season, and fourth of his career. For the Black and Gold, only Darryl Robinson won more SoCon Player of the Week honors, picking up the award five times from 1976-78. Sims is the league’s only three-time winner this season and the only player to win the award in consecutive weeks.

Sims is just the second SoCon player since 2005-06 to win the award back-to-back, as Davidson’s Stephen Curry accomplished the feat five times from 2006-09.

In a battle between division leaders, Appalachian heads to Charleston on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. meeting with the Cougars.

Other top performers in the Southern Conference included College of Charleston’s Donavan Monroe, The Citadel’s Cameron Wells, Elon’s Adam Constantine, Furman’s Jordan Miller, Georgia Southern’s Colby Wohlleb, Samford’s Josh Davis, Western Carolina’s Brandon Giles and Wofford’s Tim Johnson.

SoCon Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Nov. 17 - Josh Bonney, Elon
Nov. 24 - Amu Saaka, Furman
Dec. 1 - Noah Dahlman, Wofford
Dec. 8 - Jeremy Simmons, Coll. of Charleston
Dec. 15 - Mike Williams, Western Carolina
Dec. 22 - Noah Dahlman, Wofford
Jan. 5 - Andrew Goudelock, Coll. of Charleston
Jan. 12 - Donald Sims, Appalachian State
Jan. 19 - Cameron Wells, The Citadel
Jan. 26 - Andrew Goudelock, Coll. of Charleston
Feb. 2 - Ty Patterson, Chattanooga
Feb. 9 - Donald Sims, Appalachian State
Feb. 16 - Donald Sims, Appalachian State

Avery Regular Season Finale Rescheduled, Western Highlands Conference Tournament Revised Schedule and Information

Avery High School has announced that the Mitchell/Avery varsity basketball games have been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 17th, with the varsity girls contest beginning at 5 p.m.

Due to the unusually high volume of postponements during this basketball season, the Western Highlands Conference has opted to split the conference varsity tournament into two separate four-team tournaments, one for 1A teams (Avery, Hendersonville, Mitchell, and Thomas Jefferson), and one for 2A schools (Madison, Mountain Heritage, Owen, and Polk).

The 2A tournament games will take place at Owen High School as follows:

Thursday, February 18, 2010 (at Owen High School)
4:00 pm Game 1- Girls #1 Owen vs. #4 Polk
5:30 pm Game 2- Boys #1 Mountain Heritage vs. #4 Owen
7:00 pm Game 3- Girls #2 Mountain Heritage vs. #3 Madison
8:30 pm Game 4- Boys #2 Madison vs. #3 Polk

Girls and boys championship games will take place with the 1A championships on Friday at Owen High School.

There will be no junior varsity conference tournament this week, ending Avery’s junior varsity season with last Friday’s games against Mitchell. Congratulations to head coach Pat Daniels and the Avery junior varsity girls team on completing its conference season undefeated and earning another Western Highlands Conference regular season championship.

As for the 1A tournament, Thursday games will take place at Owen Middle School, with Friday's championship games held at Owen High School. The schedule is as follows:

4:00 pm Game 1- Girls #1 Mitchell/Avery* vs. #4 Thomas Jefferson
5:30 pm Game 2- Boys #1 Hendersonville vs. #4 Thomas Jefferson
7:00 pm Game 3- Girls #2 Mitchell/Avery* vs. #3 Hendersonville
8:30 pm Game 4- Boys #2 Avery vs. #3 Mitchell
*-If Avery defeats Mitchell in Wednesday's regular season finale, a coin toss will take place to determine top tournament seed.


Friday's Championship Game schedule at Owen High School is as follows:
4:00 pm Game 1- 2A Girls Championship Game
5:30 pm Game 2- 1A Boys Championship Game
7:00 pm Game 3- 1A Girls Championship Game
8:30 pm Game 4- 2A Boys Championship Game

Keep checking here at the Blog for updates and any schedule changes that may occur.

Conference Basketball Tournament Dates and Times Released; Teams & Seeding To Be Determined

Dates and times have been released for the upcoming Western Highlands Conference Basketball Tournaments. Seeding will not be finalized for the tournament until regular season play concludes Monday night (weather permitting), and the league has already had to bump everything back a day due to making up the completion of regular season games on Monday.

Any changes to the tournament schedule and pending regular season games will be published when they become available.

WHC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (All games at Owen HS)

BOYS
Wednesday’s games
No. 1 vs. No. 8, 4 p.m.
No. 2 vs. No. 7, 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 vs. No. 6, 7 p.m.
No. 4 vs. No. 5, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday's games
No. 1-No. 8 winner vs. No. 4-No. 5 winner, 7 p.m.
No. 2-No. 7 winner vs. No. 3-No. 6 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Friday’s game
Championship, 8:30 p.m.

GIRLS
Tuesday’s games
No. 1 vs. No. 8, 4 p.m.
No. 2 vs. No. 7, 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 vs. No. 6, 7 p.m.
No. 4 vs. No. 5, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday’s games
No. 1-No. 8 winner vs. No. 4-No. 5 winner, 4 p.m.
No. 2-No. 7 winner vs. No. 3-No. 6 winner, 5:30 p.m.
Friday’s game
Championship, 7 p.m.

Avery High School to PAINT IT BLACK (OR RED) on Senior Night

Avery High School is asking for the help of all fans and students to PAINT IT BLACK or RED in "The Octagon" (a.k.a. Viking Gym) during Avery's regular season home finale on Friday, February 12th vs. Mitchell by wearing black or red t-shirts!

Young Adults Helping Haiti & UIC, in conjunction with the Avery SGA raised $320 to assist the country of Haiti with earthquake relief at Avery's recent home contest against Polk. The groups plan on holding a second fund raising effort for Haiti during Avery's Senior Night contest in Big Red Country against Mitchell on Friday, February 12th.

Help support the Vikings in these causes!

Avery Wrestling Ends Regular Season with Dual Meet at Madison, Conference Tourney

The Avery Vikings wrestling team completed its Western Highlands Conference regular season dual meet schedule by grappling at Madison High School on Tuesday, February 2nd, then a trio of wrestlers on Saturday to Owen High School for the weather-delayed Western Highlands Conference tournament.

Avery battled hard in Marshall against the Patriots, but came up short by a final match score of 64-9.

Three Vikings earned wins on the evening. Avery’s Brock Yackey earned an impressive come-from-behind 15-13 overtime win in the 119 pound weight class over Madison’s JJ Davis.

Yackey trailed early in his match with Davis, falling behind 12-9 entering the third and final period. Brock battled back with a late rally to tie the match at 13-13 and send it to overtime. Yackey earned a takedown in the overtime session to pick up the decision victory.

Nick Malgadey earned a 12-9 win over Tommy Worley at the 125 pound class despite trailing entering the third and final period. Lucas Lecka won his match at 215 pounds by a 6-4 decision over Madison’s Tyler Gonzalez.

On Saturday, the Vikings had three wrestlers compete at the Western Highlands Conference tournament, rescheduled twice from its originally scheduled Friday tournament date due to weather.

The weather and previous commitments prevented a number of grapplers from making the trip to Buncombe County. Three Avery wrestlers, Brock Yackey, C.J. Vance, and Lucas Lecka, each made the trip, with Yackey earning a conference championship in the 119 pound weight class and Lecka winning the consolation bracket and third place at 215 pounds.

Yackey began his championship run with first round bye, then picked up a victory over Polk’s Sean Corcoran in the semifinal to set up a rematch with Madison’s JJ Davis, whom Brock had battled to an overtime win just days earlier. In this encounter Yackey dominated from the outset of the match, winning by 15-3 major decision to take home the championship medallion.

For Yackey, the win marked his third consecutive conference wrestling tournament championship. No Avery player has won four straight championships since Mark Maya accomplished the feat around a decade ago. Yackey received All-Conference honors for his tournament win.

“Brock is one of those wrestlers who grows stronger as the season goes on,” Avery High School wrestling coach Stacey Clark said. “He still has some room for improvement, and we hope to get him ready for Regionals.”

CJ Vance represented the Big Red in the 160 pound class. Vance began his tournament drawing a tough opponent in Madison’s Corry Heath Miller and coming up short in his first-round match.

Dropping into the consolation bracket, Vance dominated Logan Robertson of Hendersonville to march into the semifinal of the consolation bracket. Vance tied up with Nate Brooks from Mitchell in the semifinal, and Brooks escaped with a difficult overtime win over Vance. Vance trailed by a point late in the match but earned an escape to tie the match and send it to overtime. In the extra session, Vance was taken down to end the match.

“CJ put forth all the effort you could ask for from a kid. There was a couple of spots where being rusty on technique kind of hurt him, based a lot on where we haven’t had the practice time with the weather,” Coach Clark said. “As far as a kid goes, though, he does whatever is asked of him and is terrific.”

Lucas Lecka received a bye in the opening round of the 215 pound tournament and squared off with Mitchell’s Kevin Hall. Hall earned a win in the encounter to send Lecka into the consolation bracket.

Lecka received a bye in the second round of the consolation bracket and met Madison’s Tyler Gonzalez. As in their encounter earlier in the week in Marshall, Lecka won the match by decision to capture third place overall in his class.

“Lucas, like Brock, still has some things he needs to work on. He definitely looks to be improving with every match,” Coach Clark added.

Despite a small number of wrestlers, Avery head coach Stacey Clark was pleased with the effort and heart displayed by his student-athletes.

“Our dual team scores were pretty ugly considering our injury situation and only being able to field seven or eight wrestlers. All our guys may wrestle well in a dual, but the matches still end with us losing by a lopsided margin. We’ve got some guys who are really working hard toward the end of the year and getting ready for regional and state tournaments. The guys making the trip today are getting some hard work but benefiting from the experience,” Avery head wrestling coach Stacey Clark said after the tournament.

“The three wrestlers here at the tournament really wanted to be here and they working hard to get to where then need to be. We went back “old school” here at the conference tournament and broke out the black singlets to reward those who were dedicated and able to compete.”

Avery competes in the 1A Western Regional Tournament the weekend of February 19-20 at Alleghany High School in Sparta.

Junior Varsity Basketball Roundup

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.

Lady Vikings Trounce Four Conference Foes in One Week to Reach 20-Win Mark

Continuing one of the best regular seasons in school history, the Avery Lady Vikings topped the 20-win mark after four victories, forcing close to 100 turnovers combined in three wins last week on the road against Madison, Owen, and Mountain Heritage, respectively. Avery continued its win streak by upending the Hendersonville Lady Bearcats on Monday night back in the friendly octagonal confines of Viking Gym.

In the Tuesday, February 2nd game at Madison, Avery encountered a Lady Patriot squad on their Senior Night. Avery grabbed a 14-7 lead after one quarter and blew the game open behind the hot shooting of junior Mercedes Bentley. The guard scorched the nets for 16 second-quarter points as part of a game-high 19 point effort. The flurry resulted in almost as many points as Madison had as a team for the entire half as the Big Red led 45-18 at intermission.

From that point, the Lady Vikings defense did more than enough to sustain the momentum, forcing a total of 31 Madison turnovers for the game. Junior forward Katelynn Eudy scored 13 points in the contest, but also nabbed 12 rebounds and blocked five shots as part of the 71-48 Avery triumph. Megan Tennant scored 11 points off the bench, while Sara Wiseman scored ten points and grabbed eight rebounds. Kaitlyn Huff led Madison with 18 points in a losing effort.

The following night the Lady Vikings journeyed to Black Mountain to take on the Owen Warlassies, a team that gave Avery one of its closest games of the year in a two-point win in January. Avery jumped ahead early and withstood a late Owen rally to defeat the Warlassies 69-60.

Avery raced to an 8-0 run to start the game and took a commanding 24-6 lead after one period and built the lead to as much as 30-8 early in the second stanza behind 13 first-half points from Katelynn Eudy. Owen slightly cut into the advantage with seven points from guard Shae Frizzell, leaving the Lady Vikings with a 35-21 halftime bulge.

Another Avery scoring charge in the third quarter, this time fueled by six points from Sara Wiseman, extended the Lady Viking lead to 19 at 53-34 after three quarters.

The duo of Sheena Twitty and Frizzell sparked an Owen comeback over the final eight minutes. The combination netted 10 points each in the quarter, and a Frizzell three-pointer drew Owen within single digits at 58-49 with over two minutes left to play.

Owen decided in the closing minutes to send Avery to the foul line, a decision the Lady Vikings, and Lauren Avery in particular, made the Warlassies pay for. The senior guard was 10 of 11 from the free throw line in the final period as part of a 19-point, 6 rebound performance, helping the Lady Vikings stave off a game Owen club.

The Big Red forced 33 turnovers for the game while committing only 13 themselves. Sara Wiseman had a great effort for Avery with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and three steals, with 15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 blocks from Katelynn Eudy. Elyse Perry added eight points and six assists in the win.

In the final leg of its back-to-back-to-back series of games, Avery visited the Mountain Heritage Lady Cougars in Burnsville, again using a strong second quarter flurry to instigate a runaway victory as the Lady Vikings earned a 63-36 win.

Through the first eight minutes the teams played evenly thanks to three 3-point baskets from Heritage’s Kayla Sheppard. The junior scored 11 points in the quarter to help the Lady Cougars to a 15-11 lead, but Avery’s Mercedes Bentley and Lauren Avery sparked a 12-0 scoring run to take the lead for good. The pair combined to score 16 points during the stretch to pull Avery ahead 23-15 early in the second quarter.

Avery’s defensive pressure caged the Lady Cougars in the second period while the Lady Vikings offense shot 10 of 18 from the field. Guard Lauren Avery scored 18 first-half points in all and dominated the inside area under the basket. Numerous rebounds and Avery’s size advantage inside was too much for Heritage to handle as the Lady Vikings led 43-22 at halftime.

The Lady Viking defense made a statement in the third quarter as it held the Lady Cougars without a point for nearly four minutes, a field goal for nine minutes of play that included the entire third quarter, and allowed only a pair of Lady Cougar free throws. Avery outscored Heritage 11-2 for the quarter to extend its lead to 54-24 en route to the 27-point win.

Lauren Avery led ten Lady Viking players with 22 points, a single point shy of a career-high, with 12 points from Mercedes Bentley and eight points from Katelynn Eudy.

This past Monday the Lady Vikings hosted Hendersonville for “Vikings vs. Cancer” Night at Viking Gym, where the Avery players and coaches wore pink and donations were accepted on behalf of Haley Calloway, former Lady Viking basketball player undergoing cancer treatments at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem.

Calloway was in attendance at the game, present on the Lady Viking bench Monday night as an honorary coach. Avery routed the Lady Bearcats 72-47 in Hendersonville a couple of weeks earlier, and with inspired play obliterated the Lady Bearcats from the opening tip in a 78-26 victory, the team’s 20th win of the season.

Hendersonville had no answer for the potent Lady Vikings offense. Avery opened the game on a 14-2 scoring run and raced to a 27-12 lead after one period. In the second quarter the Lady Vikings defense kicked into high gear, denying the Lady Bearcats a single point in the quarter. A 23-0 run in the eight minutes of play making up the period turned the game into a laugher as Avery led 50-12 at halftime.

The entire Avery roster saw extensive minutes to give every player ample opportunity for floor time, as well as give head coach Missy Lyons the chance to rest her starters for the game scheduled the next evening against Mitchell.

Everyone who saw minutes contributed to the victory as Avery build a monumental 71-17 lead after three quarters and cruised to its 20th win with only two defeats.

Avery shot 49 percent (31 for 63) from the field as a team and forced 27 Hendersonville turnovers. All five Lady Viking starters scored double-figures, led by 17 points from Lauren Avery, who added four steals, four assists, and three rebounds. Elyse Perry netted 13 points, six assists, and five steals. Mercedes Bentley added 11 points, with ten points from Katelynn Eudy and 10 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks, and three steals from Sara Wiseman. Over five hundred dollars was raised to benefit Calloway during the course of the evening.

The Lady Vikings were scheduled to host Mitchell on Tuesday for Senior Night, but inclement weather postponed the matchup to Friday night. The night will be Paint It Black (or Red) Night, as fans are encouraged to wear red or black t-shirts to support the Vikings.

In addition, Young Adults Helping Haiti will be holding a fund raising effort to help victims of the recent Haiti earthquake. A scheduled make-up game set for Friday at West Wilkes has been cancelled to play the Mitchell contest.

A full report on Friday’s action can be found in next week’s print edition as well as at www.ajtsports.blogspot.com , the AJ-T Sports Online Edition.

Vikings Shine in Road Victories Over Madison, Owen; Fall in Narrow Defeats to Cougars, Bearcats

Last week was a pivotal one for the Avery Vikings boys varsity basketball team in terms of standings in the Western Highlands Conference. The team entered the week off an emotional comeback win at home against Polk and sought to keep the positive momentum rolling in three road games over three nights.

Avery faced the Madison Patriots on Tuesday night in Marshall looking for a regular season sweep. The two teams played to a tie through the first half, but Avery surged to a late lead, making key plays down the stretch in a 62-58 win.

The Vikings grabbed an early 16-9 lead after one quarter, but the physical Patriots used four 3-point baskets in the second quarter to tie the contest at 32-32 at halftime.

Dustin Clarke and Dylan Eppley accounted for all of Avery’s scoring in the third quarter, scoring 13 points between them to propel the Vikings to a 45-40 lead with eight minutes left to play.

In the final stanza the Vikings received contributions from multiple players. Kody Hughes hit a three-pointer from the corner to extend Avery’s lead to 50-44 early in the quarter, and a basket off the bench from Luke Pittman stretched the Viking lead to eight at 52-44.

Madison refused to fold and continued to keep battling, drawing fouls on Avery and converting at the free throw line. Madison scored 12 points at the charity stripe in the quarter and took a 58-57 lead on two Colton Kent free throws with 50 seconds left in the game.

A basket in the paint from Eppley helped Avery take a 59-58 lead with 28 seconds left. After Viking guard Joey Potter drew a charge on Madison’s Corey English, Eppley was sent to the free throw line for two shots. Eppley made the first attempt, but on the missed second attempt Clarke contested Madison’s Corey English for the loose basketball, throwing the ball off English out-of-bounds to maintain Avery possession. In his anger English received a technical foul for arguing with the official. Clarke hit a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to clinch the win.

Avery was paced by 25 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals from Clarke, with 13 points and 8 rebounds from Eppley. Potter tallied 9 points with 3 rebounds.

The Vikings shot an efficient 19 of 40 from the field (47.5 percent) and was 23 of 34 from the free throw line in the win.

The following evening Dustin Clarke had a career evening, as he scored 36 points, along with 12 rebounds, 8 steals, and 5 assists to lead Avery to a 67-63 come-from-behind win at Owen.

Avery fell behind 24-14 after one quarter as Clarke netted 13 of the team’s 14 points for the frame and 22 of Avery’s first 23 points in the game. Owen maintained its working lead by dominating the paint area. The tall duo of Ben Marett and Tony Halvorson paced the Warhorses, while guard Timmy Stewart scored seven points in the second period to help keep Avery close at 39-30 at halftime.

An 8-2 scoring run to begin the second half pulled Avery to within three points midway through the third quarter, and the Vikings eventually took a 45-44 lead. Owen answered with its own 9-0 scoring spurt to close the period and took an eight point margin at 53-45 into the final eight minutes of play.

After a basket from the Warhorses upped its margin to ten points in the first minute of the fourth period, Avery scored 12 straight points to take back the lead at 57-55.

For much of the final four minutes the two teams traded baskets. With Avery holding a two-point lead, a three-pointer from Owen’s JD Chaplain missed and Avery’s Hughes hauled in the rebound and was fouled. Hughes sank both free throws to help the Big Red secure another win.

In addition to Clarke’s big night, Dylan Eppley scored 10 points, with seven points each from Stewart and Joey Potter.

On Thursday night, Avery braved the elements and traveled to Burnsville to take on the Mountain Heritage Cougars. Before a capacity crowd in attendance including Appalachian State University men’s head basketball coach Buzz Peterson, both teams put on a great show as the conference’s top two squads squared off. Avery gave the conference-leading Cougars everything they could handle, but fell in a narrow 71-65 loss.

The teams battled tooth-and-nail through one period. Avery raced out to an early 8-2 lead and led by double-figures at 15-5. Mountain Heritage answered with an 11-2 run to close out the quarter, however, leaving the Vikings with a 17-16 lead.

Avery’s defense was effective in holding Mountain Heritage 6’11” center John Cannon to just three points for the first half, while drawing a pair of first half fouls on the man in the middle. Clarke scored five points for the Vikings in the second quarter, but 11 first-half points off the bench from the duo of Trevin Miller and Jacob Neill pushed the Cougars ahead by a 32-28 margin at halftime.

In the third quarter John Cannon asserted himself for the Heritage offense with nine points, extending the Cougar lead to as large at 41-32 midway through the quarter. Avery received an offensive spark in the quarter from Kody Hughes, who tallied five straight points to help keep Avery close. Teammate Timmy Stewart went coast-to-coast in the final seconds of the quarter, making a layup to leave the Big Red trailing by a single point at 49-48 going to the final stanza.

In the first four minutes of the fourth quarter Heritage’s Steven Wilson heated up on offense, scoring three straight baskets to push the Cougar lead to 59-50. Undaunted, the Vikings were carried by the offensive will power of Clarke, who answered Wilson’s baskets with two of his own as part of a 14-point fourth quarter effort.

With 1:12 remaining Clarke converted a three-point play to draw the Vikings within 64-62. Less than 30 seconds later, a three-pointer by Hughes cut the lead to only one point at 66-65.
Forced to foul, Avery sent Alex Biggerstaff to the line and he sank both foul shots for a three-point lead. Avery was unable to hit the shot to tie the game as Mountain Heritage finished sealing the win at the free throw line.

Dustin Clarke netted 29 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and three blocks. Hughes turned in another great performance with 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting. John Cannon tallied 13 points, a career-high 20 rebounds, and 5 blocks for the Cougars.

Avery looked to get back on the winning track back home on Monday night against Hendersonville. The Vikings led at halftime, only to see a strong second half push by the Bearcats prove too much to handle in an 85-78 loss.

Avery opened the contest on fire, running out to an 8-0 run and 20 first-quarter points. Kody Hughes led the way with 9 points in the stanza on 4 of 4 shooting from the field as the Vikings led 20-12 after eight minutes.

Hendersonville rallied and a Marquis Johnson layup capped an 11-2 run cutting the Avery lead to a pair at 33-31. Avery finished the half strong with the final three points of the half, pushing its lead to a 36-31 margin at halftime.

Much like the first meeting between the teams, Hendersonville came out running and executing to start the second half. The Bearcats opened the half on a 7-0 run to take the lead that would not relinquish again in the game. Hendersonville found lanes inside and made high percentage shots near the basket. Desmond Whiteside spearheaded the Hendersonville attack with 11 points in the third quarter that helped the Bearcats pull away 70-60 after three periods.

Trailing by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter, the Vikings managed an offensive surge. Joey Potter scored three times as part of a 10-3 Big Red scoring burst that drew Avery within eight at 70-62. The Bearcats would have no part of a comeback win for the home team, as Johnson and Bracken Kirkland scored 11 points in the quarter. Hendersonville hit just enough free throws to stay comfortably ahead as Avery lost by an 85-78 final score.

Dustin Clarke was impressive yet again, as the Player of the Year candidate recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. Four players in all reached double-figures scoring, led by Dylan Eppley’s 18 points and 8 rebounds. Joey Potter chipped in with 15 points, with 13 points from Kody Hughes. Luke Pittman scored eight points with 10 rebounds. Desmond Whiteside from Hendersonville led all scorers with 24 points, while adding 8 steals and 7 assists.

“This past week we played three tough road games that meant something. The fact that we played well in all of the games showed a lot of character. All the teams, both JV and varsity, played hard and showed a lot of heart,” Avery head coach Bo Manis said after the loss to the Bearcats. “What hurt us tonight is that our players worked so hard, only to come up short. We’ve come through a tough stretch, but I would have called you crazy if you told me we would come away with two wins out of our three games last week. The team showed a lot of heart tonight that will only help us down the road.”

Avery was scheduled to take on Mitchell in the conference finale Tuesday, but bad weather forced the game to be rescheduled to this Friday night. Avery has cancelled its makeup contest at West Wilkes scheduled for Friday.

A report on Avery’s showdown with Mitchell can be found in next week’s print and online editions.

Avery Basketball Senior Night vs. Mitchell Postponed

Avery's Senior Night festivities and scheduled basketball games at home against Mitchell this evening have been postponed due to inclement weather. The games have been rescheduled to Friday afternoon at Avery High School.

The previously scheduled games to be played at West Wilkes this Friday have been cancelled.

Vikings vs. Cancer Night this Monday against Hendersonville

Monday night's Avery basketball contests against Hendersonville will be "Vikings vs. Cancer" Night at Viking Gym.

Donations will be accepted during the evening to assist Haley Calloway, former Lady Viking basketball player who is undergoing cancer treatments at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem. If Monday's game is postponed, the event will be held on the night Avery is rescheduled to play Hendersonville.

Vikings Varsity Sweeps Owen, Time Change for Mountain Heritage contest

The Avery Lady Vikings handled the Owen Warlassies 69-60 in Swannanoa on Wednesday night to push its current win streak to seven straight games. Avery scored the first eight points of the game and put Owen behind by 18 points after one quarter, as the Vikings scorched the nets for a 24-6 lead. The Warlassies slowly cut into the Viking margin, however, narrowing the gap slightly to 14 at 35-21 at halftime.

A 10-point third quarter from Avery senior Sara Wiseman paced the Big Red attack as the Lady Vikings extended their lead to 53-34 with eight minutes to play.

Down but not out, the Warlassies mounted a rally to narrow the lead to nine points at 58-49 after a Shae Frizzell three-pointer with 2:26 to play. Owen then strategized to send the Lady Vikings to the line, a move that backfired on the Warlassies as Avery calmly sank 14 of its 19 free throws in the final period and 31 of 42 shots (73%) overall.

Lauren Avery was sent to the line on six separate occasions in the final stanza, making 10 of 11 free throws to rebuild the Avery margin to a dozen points. Owen fought hard but the Vikings withstood a final rally and captured the nine-point win.

Wiseman scored a total of 20 points with six rebounds and three steals before fouling out with just over three minutes left to play. Lauren Avery ended the night with 19 points and six rebounds, while Katelynn Eudy added 15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 blocks. Mercedes Bentley chipped in with eight points, with eight assists and six steals coming from Elyse Perry.

Avery forced Owen into 33 turnovers in the contest and held the Warlassies to 40 percent shooting from the field. The Lady Vikings improve to 18-2 overall, with a 10-1 mark in Western Highlands Conference play.

The Avery varsity boys and Owen put on a show for the crowd on Senior Night in Buncombe County. Owen jumped out to a 24-14 lead after one quarter. For the Vikings, the only offense for much of the first half came from conference player of the year candidate Dustin Clarke, who scored 13 of Avery's 14 points in the quarter.

Clarke continued to fire on all cylinders as the second quarter ensued with some help from teammate Timmy Stewart. Stewart hit three baskets, including a three-pointer from the wing, to cut the Owen lead to 36-30 in the final 30 seconds of the half. A three-point shot at the buzzer from Owen's JD Chaplain rebuilt some of the lead lost, giving the Warhorses a 39-30 at halftime.

Avery was kept in the contest by Dustin Clarke's 22 points, while the frontcourt duo of Tony Halvorson and Ben Marett had their way on the low block, scoring a number of baskets on offensive rebounds and putbacks.

During halftime the Avery coaching staff made number of adjustments, moving Timmy Stewart from a forward defensive position to that of a guard to cover talented Owen point guard Bruce Wallace. Clarke, meanwhile, was moved to the forward position on defense to help with covering the Owen trees and help the Avery frontcourt to offset the duo of Marett and Halvorson.

The coaching strategy proved to be a stroke of genius. Offensively a supporting cast of scorers emerged for the Big Red in the third quarter, including Dylan Eppley and Joey Potter, who helped Avery to an 8-2 run to start the second half and cut the Owen lead to three points. A three-point play from Eppley tied the score at 41 midway through the period. A Clarke jumper gave Avery its first lead of the second half at 45-44, but Owen answered with a 9-0 scoring run to close the stanza, sparked by two additional three-pointers from Chaplain to propel Owen to a 53-45 lead after three quarters.

Owen scored the first bucket of the final stanza to lead by ten, but the Vikings found its second wind with a 12-0 run to regain the lead at 57-55. After being held to only two baskets in the third quarter, Clarke again found space and made the Warhorses pay in the final eight minutes.

The two teams traded baskets for much of the latter portion of the final quarter. A Clarke layup gave Avery a four point lead at 61-57 at the 3:27 mark, but Owen rallied and eventually tied the contest at 63-63 on a Marett basket and free throw. Clarke sank key free throws to put the Vikings back up by a pair. On Owen's final meaningful possession, a shot attempt from Chaplain was rebounded by Kody Hughes. The Avery junior was fouled and sank two huge free throws to provide the for the final margin in a thrilling 67-63 win.

Dustin Clarke finished a career night with 36 points, 12 rebounds, 8 steals, and 5 assists. Dylan Eppley netted ten points, with seven points from Joey Potter. Chaplain finished with 15 points for Owen, while the combination of Halvorson and Marett combined for 35 points.

The Avery boys improve to 10-8 overall, with an 8-3 conference mark.

Avery travels this afternoon to Burnsville to take on Mountain Heritage. The JV girls contest will start at the special time of 3:30 p.m. in advance of a coming winter storm.

VIKING SCHEDULE CHANGES

There has been two changes to the upcoming Avery Vikings athletics schedule:

• The Avery basketball game scheduled at Mountain Heritage for Friday has been moved up a day to Thursday evening due to potential inclement weather.

• The Western Highlands Conference Wrestling Tournament scheduled for Friday at Owen High School has also been moved ahead a day to Thursday.
  

Vikings Split Pair of Duals as Postseason Nears

Avery’s wrestling team earned a second consecutive triumph on the mat with a 35-16 match victory over Hendersonville. It was Senior Night at Viking Gym, and Avery honored its lone senior Nick Malgadey.

The evening got underway at 112 pounds with a double forfeit. Viking junior Brock Yackey quickly dispatched his opponent in the 119 pound class with a 15-0 technical decision. Nick Malgadey picked up a forfeit win 125 pounds to put Avery ahead 11-0. Both clubs forfeited at the 130-pound weight class, and Avery surrendered a forfeit at 135 pounds to make the score 11-6 in favor of the Vikings.

At 140 pounds Avery’s Taylor Potter was defeated by pinfall to give the Bearcats its first lead at 12-11. Bryan Moody wrestled hard and prevented extra team points by pinfall at the 145 pound class, falling in a 12-1 decision to give the Bearcats a 16-11 advantage.

A double forfeit occurred at the 152 pound weight class, and CJ Vance put Avery back on the winning track at 160 pounds with a first period pin to help the Vikings regain a 17-16 lead.

Following a double forfeit at 171 pounds, Kyle Greene stepped up in a huge way as he earned a pinfall victory at the 1:55 mark in the first period to boost the Avery edge to 23-16. Lucas Lecka earned a forfeit win at 215 pounds and Colton Blackburn won by forfeit at the heavyweight class to provide for the final margin.

On Thursday evening, however, the Vikings ran into a deep and talented roster of wrestlers in Columbus from Polk County. The Vikings only managed a single decision victory during the dual when Brock Yackey defeated Polk’s Jose Rameriz by a 13-6 score.

C.J. Vance also put up a strong effort as he fell by a final match score of 24-10. Vance registered ten escapes in the match, but could not overcome a strong effort from Polk’s James Maxwell.

The remainder of the match was all Wolverine victories by either pin or forfeit as Polk County defeated Avery 76-3.

Avery was scheduled to travel to Madison to make up a rescheduled dual meet this past Tuesday to conclude regular season competition, with the conference tournament scheduled for this Friday at Owen High School.

Junior Varsity Basketball Roundup

The Avery junior varsity basketball teams experienced both highs and lows last week. The junior varsity girls team swept games against conference foes Hendersonville and Polk County, earning head coach Pat Daniels his 100th career win with the program. However, the JV boys lost point guard Shea Buchanan to injury in a loss at Hendersonville and came up short in a home game last Thursday to the Polk Wolverines.

Junior Varsity Girls:
In last week’s contest at Hendersonville, the Avery defense dominated an overmatched Lady Bearcats club in a 63-22 win.

The Lady Vikings led 14-0 after one period as part of a 24-2 overall run to start the game. Avery led 31-5 at halftime and the entire Lady Vikings roster saw extensive action against a Hendersonville team that had only three players score points in the game.

Kelsie Clarke led Avery with 15 points, five steals, and four assists, with nine points apiece from Megan Dellinger and Monica Estep. Brooke Buchanan added six points, 10 rebounds, and a pair of assists.

“Hendersonville had a couple of good players, but we were able to spread the ball around. Both point guards played well tonight. We tried to give everyone time on the floor and everyone played hard,” Coach Pat Daniels said after the win. “We’ve got a lot of mature sophomores. We have a fun-loving group, but we also need to continue stepping up. We have work to do on our traps and rebounding, though. Our guards need to work a little on keeping their head up dribbling down the floor. But I’m proud of how all the girls stepped up tonight.”

Tuesday’s win was a special one for Coach Daniels, as he earned his 100th victory. The sixth-year head coach’s teams have experienced unprecedented success. Mountain Heritage is the only current conference team to have defeated Avery during the stretch, with the Lady Vikings winning the Western Highlands Conference tournament every season of his tenure.

“The time has flown by. I absolutely love to coach,” Coach Daniels said of the historic win. “(Coach) Missy (Lyons) set up this program several years ago when she took over the varsity girls program and got the youth coming to the camps, which makes all the difference in the world. I have to give God the glory. He’s been good to us and provided us with great talent and classy players and teams.”

Avery raced out and never looked back in a 63-29 romp of Polk County last Thursday night. The Lady Vikings led 16-4 after the first quarter, and pulled away with a 15-3 run in the second period to lead by 24 points at the half.

Kelsie Clarke paced the Lady Vikings with 21 points, eight assists, and four steals. Taylor Hobbs had a great evening shooting the basketball with ten points, while Shayna Vance added eight points and four rebounds, with four points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks from Brooke Buchanan. Ten Avery players scored in the win.

“We switched Johanna Pittman and Shayna Vance’s positions this evening and both adjusted really well and had good games,” Coach Daniels said after the win. “Polk has some possibilities to play well, but they just didn’t have any ball-handlers to deal with our press. When our girls play determined on both ends of the floor, we’re almost unstoppable. The girls are really buying into our system.”

The junior varsity girls return to action Wednesday at Owen (Madison has no JV girls team, so the girls will not play at Madison), as well as travel to Mountain Heritage on Friday.

JV Boys:

Avery’s junior varsity boys dropped a tough contest at Hendersonville last week. The teams played a nip-and-tuck first period. A three-pointer at the buzzer by Dillon Greene tied the contest at 12 after one quarter.

The second quarter was also closely fought. Lane Smith scored five points in the frame, with four points from Austin Lyons, but Hendersonville held a 27-24 advantage at the end of the first half.

With the score 31-26 in favor of Hendersonville at the 4:22 mark of the third quarter, Avery starting point guard Shea Buchanan went to the floor hard after drawing contact from a Hendersonville player. Buchanan injured his knee on the play, was helped off the court and taken to a local hospital.

Without its floor general, Hendersonville opened up a six-point edge after the third quarter. Avery rallied as Dustin Clark scored eight second-half points, but the Bearcats pulled away late for a 55-44 win.

Clark led the Vikings with 14 points, while Bryce Pittman also registered double-figures in the scoring column with ten. Lane Smith added nine points.

In Thursday evening’s game at home against Polk, Avery struggled to find its offense. Polk opened up an 11-2 lead after one period and extended its advantage to double-figures at 19-8 at halftime.

As the second half unfolded Avery refused to lay down and mounted a comeback. Avery outpaced Polk 11-7 in the stanza to cut the deficit to 26-19. The Wolverines hit 7 of 8 free throws in the closing period, however, to hold its lead and capture a 38-28 win over the Big Red.
Clark was Avery’s lone player scoring double-figures with 13 points. No other Viking scored over four points.

“I thought the kids stepped in well in the absence of Shea,” Vikings JV boys head coach Reggie Oakes said after the week’s action. “Our defense looked good at times, but our offense needs improvement. It seemed at crucial times that Polk wanted it more.”

The junior varsity boys began a busy three-game week by venturing to Madison on Tuesday. Avery fell behind in the first half and trailed by as many as 22 points in the late third quarter. The Vikings rallied behind the hot shooting of Austin Lyons to cut the Madison lead to as little as eight. The hole proved too deep to dig out of, however, as Madison took a 63-48 home victory.

Avery's junior varsity teams play at Owen on Wednesday, and finishes at Mountain Heritage on Thursday rather than the originally scheduled date of Friday due to weather concerns.

Lady Vikings Basketball Steamrolls Hendersonville, Polk

Avery continued to roll through conference foes last week in a pair of lopsided wins, routing Hendersonville 72-47 on the road last Tuesday and blowing out Polk County 62-37 at home last Thursday evening.

In Tuesday’s contest, Avery had early difficulties getting its offense untracked, but found its shot late in the opening half. Avery then pulled away in the second half to outdistance the Lady Bearcats.

Avery was careful with the basketball, committing only two turnovers in the first half. Nevertheless, Hendersonville was economical with its shooting in keeping the game close through the first quarter. Avery made only five of its first 20 shots in the first half, allowing the Lady Bearcats to remain within a pair at 11-9 after one quarter.

The second stanza was a different story as the Lady Vikings gained control. Avery used a 5-0 scoring run to open the quarter, eight first half points from Sara Wiseman, and a separate 6-0 scoring spurt late in the quarter to take a 36-17 halftime lead. The advantage could have been much greater had Avery shot better than its 3 for 15 effort from the free throw line in the half.
Avery extended its advantage to 24 points at 54-30 after three periods and cruised to the 25-point win.

Sara Wiseman led Avery scorers with 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Lauren Avery scored 12 points, six rebounds, and three steals, while Katelynn Eudy registered another double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds, in addition to four steals.

Hendersonville’s Brooks Walz was one of only five Lady Bearcats to score in the game, but led all scorers with a game-high 22 points.

Last Thursday night the Lady Vikings hosted the Polk Lady Wolverines. The contest was the final regular season matchup between Avery head coach Missy Lyons and Polk head coach Mitch Davis, as Davis announced he is leaving the school after the semester to enroll in seminary toward a missionary career.

Avery opened up the game white hot from the field, hitting 9 of its 19 shots in the frame. Mercedes Bentley netted seven points in the quarter, while Elyse Perry added six points.

The Lady Vikings took care of the ball by committing no turnovers in the opening stanza for the second consecutive game, while the Avery defense forced seven Polk turnovers in the quarter. Polk made just three shots in the period and the Big Red led by a 24-6 score after eight minutes.

As the second quarter unfolded, Avery continued its barrage on the Lady Wolverines. Lauren Avery scored six of her nine first-half points in the period to help stretch the Viking lead to 38-14 at halftime.

Through two quarters the Lady Vikings already had statistics indicative of a full game. Elyse Perry scored six points and hit her game average of five assists in the first half alone. Avery added six rebounds, three assists, and three steals to her first half point total. Polk’s Melinda Morgan netted 10 of the team’s 14 first-half points.

In the third quarter the Lady Vikings were bolstered by nine additional points from Lauren Avery as the Big Red extended its lead to 51-22. Mercedes Bentley added seven second-half points and ten Lady Vikings in all scored as Avery picked up its eighth conference win and 16th win overall against two losses.

Lauren Avery ended the night with 18 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists, with a season-high 14 points from Mercedes Bentley.

For the senior Avery, she has steadily rose her scoring and rebounding averages through the course of the season, and credits her success both in Thursday’s win and throughout the season to her teammates.

“I owe it to the team. I thought we played great team ball,” Avery said after Thursday’s win. I think this team is very united and we’re unselfish as a team.”

Teammate Perry ranks among the region’s leaders in assists with over five per game and nabs four steals per contest.

“Our team is so good at getting open and we read each other so well. Honestly if I can pass the ball off and not shoot it, I’d rather do that,” Perry remarked after her eight point, seven assist performance Thursday. “Each time we go out Coach tells us to let our defense create our offense, and I really think that has been a turning point. We play tight defense and we talk to each other when we see screens and help each other out which has been a huge part of our success.”

Avery has three road games over three nights this week. The Lady Vikings traveled to Madison on their Senior Night and decimated the Lady Patriots by a 71-48 final score behind 18 points (16 in the second quarter alone) from junior guard Mercedes Bentley. Avery travels to Owen on Wednesday, then to Mountain Heritage on Thursday.



Editor’s Note: Avery High School is asking for the help of all fans and students to PAINT IT BLACK or RED in Viking Gym during Avery's regular season home finale on Tuesday, February 9th vs. Mitchell by wearing BLACK or RED t-shirts! Young Adults Helping Haiti (YAHH) & UIC raised $320 to assist the country of Haiti with earthquake relief at Thursday night's home contest against Polk. The groups plan on holding a second fund raising effort for Haiti during Avery's Senior Night contest in Big Red Country against Mitchell on Tuesday, February 9th.

Vikings Drop Thriller to Hendersonville; Rally to Beat Wolverines

This week the Avery boys varsity basketball team experienced the gamut of the comeback spectrum. Last Tuesday, January 26th Avery jumped to an early lead in Hendersonville against the #6 state-ranked Bearcats, only to have the home team roar back to hand Avery an 82-78 defeat.

On Thursday night the Vikings returned the favor, rallying from a 12-point halftime deficit at home against Polk County. Avery was beneficiary of a career night from junior Kody Hughes as the Big Red pulled out a 79-71 victory.

Avery had its best start to a game all season in the first quarter at Hendersonville. The Vikings converted on 11 of its 19 shots in the stanza and scored a whopping 27 points in the quarter, bolstered by ten points from center Dylan Eppley, to take an eight-point lead after the first period.

Although Hendersonville shot a respectable 40 percent from the field in the first half, Avery’s streak of great shooting continued through the remainder of the first half. Avery shot 61 percent from the field through the first two quarters. Dustin Clarke was 6 of 10 from the field in the first half and netted 17 first-half points as the Vikings led by a dozen at 50-38 at intermission.

As the second half ensued, it became apparent that the Hendersonville pressure and speed began to reverse the tide of momentum Avery had worked so hard to build. The inside play of Keyvon Young and perimeter play of guards Desmond Whiteside and Paul Posthumus.

An 8-0 scoring run in the first two and a half minutes of the second half quickly brought the Bearcats to within four. The Bearcats tied the game at 59 apiece, but a shot from the wing by Avery’s Mark Polsgrove gave the Vikings the slim two-point lead entering the final quarter.

Hendersonville benefited from a number of foul calls during the second half. The Bearcats took 17 free throws in the final quarter and made 12 of them. In comparison, Avery took only 19 free throws for the entire game.

Avery’s Clarke heated up from the field, helping the Vikings stay close each time the Bearcats threatened to pull away. Dustin scored ten points in the quarter despite fatigue from constant double-teams, relentless Bearcat defensive pressure, and his own defensive assignment of guarding Hendersonville’s speedy point guard.

The Bearcats led late as Whiteside netted a pair of baskets and ten of his 21 points for the game during the fourth quarter. Twice Avery rallied in the final two minutes, drawing to as close as three points when a Polsgrove three-pointer with 11 seconds left drew the Vikings to within 81-78. Hendersonville managed to hold on in the end to escape with a four-point win.

Clarke ended the night with 29 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Dylan Eppley finished with a season-high 19 points and eight rebounds.

“I felt in the second half we played some good basketball. The game sometimes depends on how the ball bounces and the breaks go. At times we needed a break and it didn’t go our way,” Avery head coach Bo Manis said following the game. “We had some shots we weren’t able to hit. Had we made them, we may have kept the lead. We had a hard time adjusting to how the officiating called the game. The officials seemed to change the way they called the game in the second half compared to the first. It just seemed the breaks we needed every now and then didn’t come, especially on the road. I accept the loss for that game, though. The kids absolutely played their hearts out.”

On Thursday evening the Vikings returned home to host a Polk County Wolverine club that defeated Avery 74-68 in their first meeting earlier in the month in Columbus.

Before the contest Avery High School honored Dustin Clarke by presenting him a game ball recognizing his 1,000 career points scored feat which he reached earlier in the week.

Polk and Avery played a tight first quarter as the Wolverines led 19-16 through the first eight minutes. Wolverines guard Andre Overholt paced Polk with a pair of three-pointers and 13 first-half points. Avery received ten points from Clarke and three baskets by Dylan Eppley in the first two quarters, but five made three-point shots and eight different players scoring points for Polk helped the Wolverines lead by a dozen at 38-26 at halftime.

“We didn’t play good defense the first half. Whoever we played in the first half would have had a great night the way we played,” Coach Manis said. “I don’t think we were focused in the first half, and credit Polk for taking advantage of that.”

Coming out of the locker room, the Vikings showed confidence and played with the same precision the team showed in the first half of Tuesday’s Hendersonville contest. Avery lit up the Polk defense for 55 percent shooting from the floor and scored 31 points to erase the Wolverine advantage.

Luke Pittman scored seven of his eight points for the game during the quarter, and a three-pointer from the right wing by Timmy Stewart as time expired gave Avery a 57-56 lead going to the final stanza.

“Timmy made himself available for the shot, had a good look at the basket, and it got our bench into the game and excited us,” Coach Manis said. “I knew if we just kept pushing Polk, our shots would start falling and they would wear down.”

Polk stayed close in the second half largely due to its three-point shooting. The Wolverines were 12 of 26 for the game from beyond the arc, highlighted by four three pointers in the second half by guard Jeff Bontrager.

In the final eight minutes, the Vikings received a much needed lift with the game in the balance from junior Kody Hughes. After scoring five points in the first half, Hughes swished a pair of key three-point baskets in response to scores from Polk. Kody scored 16 points in the second half to help preserve the Viking edge.

A second three-point basket from Stewart in the fourth quarter pushed the Avery lead to seven at 70-63 with two minutes left to play. Polk could get no closer than five for the remainder of the game as Avery hit free throws to ice the win.

“In the second half we came out and did the things we are good at doing. I knew they were playing their third game of the week, and we started to wear them down. We continued to push the ball up the floor. We weren’t talking on defense early, but when we started talking on the floor we started communicating better. That was a sort of ripple effect that spread to all the players and it re-energized us.”

Clarke led Avery with 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Hughes scored a career-high 21 points, including three 3-pointers as part of a 6 of 12 shooting night. Dylan Eppley had 10 points with eight rebounds, with nine points from Joey Potter and eight points, seven rebounds from Luke Pittman. The Avery defense held Polk’s leading scorer Overholt scoreless in the second half.

“Joey started our momentum by moving without the ball and Kody made several huge shots. They stayed with it and didn’t get frustrated, which paid off in hitting the big shots,” Coach Manis said.

Avery won its second thriller in a row with a 62-58 win at Madison on Tuesday, improving its overall record over the .500 mark at 9-8 and to 7-3 in conference play. Avery travels to Owen on Wednesday. The scheduled Friday game at Mountain Heritage has been moved ahead a day to Thursday out of concern over inclement weather possibilities.

Editor’s Note: Avery High School is asking for the help of all fans and students to PAINT IT BLACK or RED in Viking Gym during Avery's regular season home finale on Tuesday, February 9th vs. Mitchell by wearing BLACK or RED t-shirts!

Young Adults Helping Haiti (YAHH) & UIC raised $320 to assist the country of Haiti with earthquake relief at Thursday night's home contest against Polk. The groups plan on holding a second fund raising effort for Haiti during Avery's Senior Night contest in Big Red Country against Mitchell on February 9th.

Basketball and Benevolence Come Together at Avery This Evening

The Avery Vikings will play host to the Polk Wolverines in a key night of Western Highlands Conference basketball this evening in Viking Gym.

A variety of activities will take place during the night. Avery High School's United in Christ (UIC) group is partnering alongside Young Adults Helping Haiti (YAHH) to raise awareness and funds to help victims of the recent earthquake in the island nation.

The UIC, along with Avery's Student Government Association will have a table set up at the front entrance where fans pay to enter the game. They will be accepting donations and raffling off tickets for prizes. All money raised will go to rebuilding schools in Haiti.

Come out and support your Avery High School basketball teams and players and help our local students help Haiti!