LMC Sports Roundup

Men’s Basketball: Bobcats Fall Short against Erskine, Coker
The Erskine College men's basketball team outscored Lees-McRae College (LMC) by a 21-10 margin down the stretch en route to a 61-54 win in Conference Carolinas action last Wednesday, Jan. 19.

LMC (3-10, 0-6 CC) posted a 45.2 percent clip from the floor, including a 52.6 percent mark in the second half, while holding the Flying Fleet (2-9, 1-5 CC) to a 37.3 percent clip from the field. Daniel Sepokas poured in a game-high 14 points, converting 8-of-8 attempts at the free throw line while recording a team-high three assists. Tevin Friday, Adam McFerran and Sam Youse each tallied eight points, while DeAndre Tillman posted a game-high seven rebounds.

Filip Pejovic equaled Sepokas' game-high 14 points while also pulling down a contest-best seven rebounds. DeShaun Hall chipped in 11 points and four rebounds, while Chris Gore added a game-high four assists.

Erskine took an early 10-4 lead on a triple by Travis Liner before LMC responded, countering with a 9-0 run to claim a 13-10 advantage on a free throw by Youse at the 8:38 mark. Neither team held more than a three-point lead for the remainder of the half, with the Bobcats taking a narrow 26-25 advantage into the intermission.

The Flying Fleet stayed within striking distance for much of the second half, launching a 17-7 run over a four minute span to take a 57-51 lead on a free throw by Pejovic with 1:05 to play. Erskine then closed out the win with a 4-3 edge over the final minute to claim the 61-54 victory.

Coker College out-rebounded LMC by a 38-28 margin, and held the Bobcats to a 35 percent mark from the field en route to an 81-61 win in Conference Carolinas action last Saturday, Jan. 22.

McFerran poured in a game-high 22 points for the Bobcats, connecting on 7-of-15 attempts from the floor and going 8-for-11 at the free throw line. The senior guard also pulled down a game-high seven rebounds. Youse and Sepokas joined McFerran in double figures with 15 and 13 points, respectively, as Youse posted game-highs of three assists and four steals.

Coker took control early, launching an 18-1 run following a game-opening triple by Sepokas to take an 18-4 lead on a Ryan Aijan layup with 11:38 to play in the half. The Bobcats would answer with a 14-10 run, cutting the margin to 28-18 at the 6:05 mark following four-straight triples from Youse.

The Cobras pushed the lead back to 13 points on a Aijan triple at the 3:01 mark, taking a 37-24 advantage before the Bobcats closed out the half with a 4-0 spurt, capped by a last-second McFerran layup to trim the margin to 37-28 heading into the intermission.

Coker reclaimed the momentum early in the second half, pushing the lead to 46-32 on a Kyle jumper before the Bobcats answered with a quick 5-0 spurt to cut the margin to 46-37 on a McFerran layup with 15:53 to play. After LMC cut the lead to 49-41 on a pair of free throws by Friday at the 13:47 mark, the Cobras answered with a 20-7 run to take a 69-48 lead on a Doles three-point play with 6:46 to play.

The Bobcats fought back with a 9-2 run, cutting the margin to 71-57 on the heels of a five-point spurt by Sepokas with 4:45 left on the clock. Coker reclaimed the momentum and quelled the rally from there, closing out the win with a 10-4 run to equal the final margin of 81-61.

LMC hosts Belmont Abbey College in Williams Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. this Wednesday, Jan. 26, and Barton College beginning at 4 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 29.

Women’s Basketball: Erskine Slips By Lady Bobcats, LMC Routs Coker
The Erskine College women's basketball team overcame a late double-digit deficit, outscoring LMC by a 19-4 margin over the final six minutes last Wednesday, Jan. 19, en route to a narrow 75-74 victory in Conference Carolinas action.

Chloe Parker paced the Bobcats with her second straight double-double, turning in season-highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting. Janina Thurau, Icey Patterson and Erin Thompson joined Parker in double figures with 15, 11 and 10 points, respectively. Melissa Jensen chipped in a game-high three steals for the Bobcats.

Morgan Porsha led the way for Erskine with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while Elizabeth Tatum chipped in a double-double with 17 points and a contest-best 14 rebounds. Jean Marie Harris added 12 markers for the Flying Fleet, as Neci Allen and Porsha posted six and five assists, respectively.

LMC opened the first half strong, taking an early 10-5 lead on a Thurau triple at the 14:20 mark before Erskine responded, launching a 17-11 run to take a narrow 22-21 lead on a jumper by Porsha with 9:20 left in the period. The Bobcats answered with a tremendous run of their own, closing out the half with a 22-9 spurt to take a 43-31 lead into the intermission following a triple by Candace Flowers with 35 seconds left in the period.

The Bobcats maintained the double-digit margin until the 13:04 mark of the second half, when Allen converted a three-point play to cut the lead to 54-45. Lees-McRae responded with a 10-4 spurt, pushing the margin to 64-49 on a jumper by Sophie Witte (Hamburg, Germany) with 9:27 to play.

LMC held the double-digit margin for much of the next five minutes until Erskine claimed the momentum, launching a 19-1 run over the next four minutes to take a 75-71 lead. LMC answered with a Thompson triple to cut the gap to 75-74 in the closing seconds to equal the final margin.

LMC utilized a balanced attack and superb defense to record a 61-37 victory over Coker College on Saturday afternoon in Conference Carolinas action.

Parker scored in double figures for the fifth straight game, pouring in 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting while hauling down a game-high eight rebounds. Patterson joined Parker in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, while dishing out a team-high three assists. Kasey Haynes chipped in nine points off the bench, as Patterson posted a game-high three steals.

Freshman Ashley Thompson paced the Cobras with a game-high 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while also pulling down seven rebounds and equaling Patterson's contest-best three steals. Megan Thomas and Cassie Kirby chipped in seven and six points, respectively, while Jasmine Alston added six rebounds and a game-high six assists.

LMC returns to the court at 5:30 p.m. this Wednesday, Jan. 26, when the Bobcats host Belmont Abbey College in Williams Gymnasium.

Football: Washburn Joins Philadelphia Eagles Staff

Former LMC defensive coordinator Jim Washburn was named as the defensive line coach for the National Football League’s (NFL) Philadelphia Eagles last Wednesday, Jan. 19.

For the past 12 seasons, the Shelby native had made his home in Nashville, Tenn. as defensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans, coaching players such as Jevon Kearse and Kyle Vanden Bosch. Washburn was instrumental in turning both Kearse and Vanden Bosch into household names in the NFL.

In Washburn's first season with the Titans, he helped convert Kearse from linebacker to one of the premier defensive ends in the game. Kearse tallied 14.5 sacks in his rookie season and went on to post 70 sacks in his first five seasons with the club.

Washburn began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Southern Methodist University before taking the reins as defensive coordinator at LMC, then a junior college, in 1977. Washburn spent two seasons on the sidelines for the green and gold before accepting the same position at Livingston College in 1979. Following stints with New Mexico and South Carolina, Washburn took the head coaching position for the Charlotte Barons of the Minor League Football System, winning a national championship in 1990.

Washburn's career continued to climb as he moved on to take the defensive line position with the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football. In 1993, Washburn returned to Charlotte as an assistant coach for the Arena Football League's Charlotte Rage before accepting the defensive line position with Arkansas. Washburn spent four seasons with the Razorbacks before spending one season in Houston prior to his joining the Titans.

Washburn replaces Rory Segrest as Eagles defensive line coach.

ASU Mountaineers Drop Pair in Low Country Road Trip

Appalachian State University (ASU) men’s basketball fell behind early at The Citadel and was unable to make up enough ground as the Bulldogs shot 61.8 percent from the field and took away an 81-63 win on Thursday, Jan. 20, at McAlister Fieldhouse.

Donald Sims scored 19 of the Mountaineers’ season-low 25 first-half points and added nine more in the second half to lead all scorers with 28 in the contest.
The home team raced out to a 28-13 lead and increased it to as many as 19 points before the intermission.

After a scoreless first half, Petey Hausley sank 6-of-9 attempts in the second half to finish with 12 points and five rebounds. Cameron Wells led four Bulldogs (7-13, 3-5) in double figures with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting with six rebounds and six of The Citadel’s 18 assists. Mike Groselle chipped in 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting with five boards for the Cadets.

Anthony Breeze notched a season-high nine points on 3-of-5 shooting with three free throws for ASU. The junior chipped in four rebounds and a pair of assists as well. Marcus Wright scored seven points off the bench to accompany three rebounds, an assist and one of ASU’s two steals.

Last Saturday, Jan. 22, the Mountaineers fell behind early against the potent College of Charleston offense and despite outscoring the Cougars in the second half, ASU suffered a 73-64 defeat at the Carolina First Arena.

ASU trailed by 15 points early in the second half before cutting the deficit to single digits on four occasions, but never pulled closer than nine points after intermission as the Cougars seemingly always found an answer to Mountaineer runs.

ASU (8-11, 4-5 SoCon) shot 37.5 percent in the first half and 40 percent after the break to finish at 39.3 percent with three treys in nine attempts. Charleston shot a scorching 54.8 percent in the opening period but was cooled off by the ASU defenders to finish the game at 44.8 percent.

Sims led ASU for a second-straight game with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting with four of ASU’s eight assists and three rebounds.

CofC won the battle of the boards by a slim 37-35 margin, paced by nine rebounds by Jeremy Simmons. Simmons led the Cougars with 18 points and scored his 1,000th career point in the second half.

Breeze made his first start of the season for the Black and Gold and produced a career-best 10 points in the first half before sustaining a head injury. The junior added a pair of rebounds in 15 minutes on the floor. Williamson came off the bench for the first time this season and responded with 10 rebounds, four points and a huge block on CofC’s Andrew Goudelock in the second half after the Mountaineers cut the score to 55-46 with 13 minutes to play. CofC’s newly-minted career scoring leader was limited to 15 points on 7-of-21 shooting with just one three-pointer in seven attempts.

Omar Carter started sluggish in the first half, missing his first five shots before sinking 4-of-10 field goals after the break to finish with 10 points, eight rebounds and a pair of assists.

ASU returns home to Boone at 7 p.m. this Thursday, Jan. 27, for a Southern Conference final rematch from last season as Wofford visits in the only regular season meeting between the teams.

Vikings Upend Mountaineers and Patriots in Weekend Thrillers

The Avery varsity boys basketball team (AHS) earned two key conference wins to remain in the thick of the Western Highlands Conference championship race.

Last Friday, Jan. 14, the Vikings met a tough Mitchell team that had defeated Hendersonville, a team that handed Avery its lone conference defeat. Inside the Viking Octagon, however, the home team came away with a 71-66 victory.

The two teams battled tooth-and-nail throughout the contest, with neither team able to build a comfortable lead. AHS took a 16-14 lead after one period, and both squads heated up from beyond the three-point arc during the second quarter. The teams traded baskets from long distance on multiple occasions with Avery coming out on top 36-32 at halftime, due in large part to a pair of three-pointers from senior Kody Hughes as part of a 10-point effort for the half.

The second half in many ways proved to be a duel between a pair of talented players in Mitchell’s Corey Greene and Avery’s Dustin Clarke. Greene came alive for the Mountaineers in the third period with nine points to help propel the visitors to a narrow 47-46 lead entering the final period.

During the fourth quarter both offenses heated up, and so did the play of the duo of Clarke and Greene. Clarke raised his game to match that of Greene, with the pair matching one another at times basket for basket. A Greene three-pointer at the top of the key gave the Mountaineers a 66-65 lead with 43 seconds left in the game, but Clarke used his ball-handling ability to cut to the basket, draw a foul and hit free throws to give the lead back to Avery at 67-66 with 35 seconds remaining.

Following a Mitchell offensive miss, the Vikings rebounded and Clarke was able to seal the game with two additional free throws to up the advantage to 69-66. The AHS defense held Mitchell scoreless on a final pivotal possession, Clarke went to the foul line and hit two more free throws which provided for the final margin of victory.

The Viking senior netted three field goals from the field in the final stanza for seven points, but also went to the free throw line five times, converting on 9-of-10 free throw attempts to close out the contest with 24 points. Mitchell led 66-65 with 43 seconds left in the game, but Clarke

Greene finished the game with 31 points to lead all scorers, but the Mountaineers went cold from three-point range, shooting just 1-for-12 from behind the arc in the second half.

Hughes (17 points) and Timmy Stewart (10 points) registered double figures in the scoring column to further aid the AHS cause, while Troy Self was the only other Mitchell player who scored double figures with 10 points.

The next day the Vikings ventured to Marshall to tangle with the Madison Patriots. In a battle of two athletic clubs, the game hung in the balance until the final ticks of the clock, when a jumper just inside the free throw line from Clarke with less than five seconds remaining proved to be the difference in a 72-70 Big Red victory.

The Vikings came out strong in the opening quarter, picking up where it left off offensively the previous evening to take an 18-12 lead after eight minutes. Clarke netted three three-pointers in the stanza while teammate Joey Potter scored two field goals in the frame and Timmy Stewart added five rebounds on the glass.

Madison rallied in the second quarter to outscore the Big Red by a 22-17 margin. Benji Stewart scored nine points in the period to spark the Viking attack, with a three-point basket each from Clarke and Timmy Stewart. Madison was picked up by eight points in the quarter from Dale Bailey as the Vikings took a slim 35-34 lead into the locker room at halftime.

As the second half ensued, Clarke continued to bear the brunt of the offensive burden for the Vikings. The senior guard scored 10 points in the quarter, while Potter and Benji Stewart each scored four points to help keep pace. The Patriots would not go away on its home floor, however, as the clubs were knotted at 57 going to the fourth quarter.

AHS opened the final period with a 7-2 scoring run in the minute of action to build a 64-59 lead, prompting a Madison timeout. The Patriots rallied with a pair of Austin Taylor baskets to draw within a pair at 68-66 with 3:26 to play.

With less than 90 seconds left in the game, AHS opted to milk the clock on offense as it held a 70-68 lead. Clarke eventually took a shot which misfired and the Patriots grabbed the rebound, went to its offensive end and made a basket to tie the contest at 70-70 with 53 seconds left in the contest.

Avery head coach Bo Manis instructed his team to hold the basketball to take the final shot, and with five seconds Clarke hit a pull-up jumper from just inside the free throw line to score the game’s final points and give the Big Red the dramatic victory.

“The game was so close throughout that we thought it would be decided by which team had the ball last,” Viking assistant coach Reggie Oakes said after the win.
“Coach Manis set up a play at the end that honestly didn’t materialize, but Dustin was able to create something and get a good look. It was a great team win for us. Kody played great and Benji made some great passes to cutting teammates. Potter really stepped up in the second half and ran the floor for us. He and Alex [Villanueva], along with Timmy were all big on the boards. Madison shot the ball well tonight, but to persevere and to get a win on the road in this gym and in this conference is always a big deal.”

Clarke ended the night with 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Benji Stewart chipped in with 13 points as the only other Viking in double figures. Potter scored nine, while Villanueva added eight points and eight rebounds and Timmy Stewart and Hughes tallied seven points apiece.

Lady Vikings Maul Mountaineers, Madison

The Avery Lady Vikings (AHS) remained unbeaten in Western Highlands Conference games this season with a pair of victories last week.

On Friday, Jan. 14, AHS snapped a regular season winless streak dating back more than a decade with a 60-40 rout of the visiting Mitchell Mountaineers, and followed up the win the following afternoon with a 58-37 triumph on the road at Madison.

In its game against the Lady Mountaineers, AHS took a 10-6 advantage after one quarter. Senior Mercedes Bentley hit each of her first three shots and scored eight in the frame. The contest stayed close throughout the second period as neither team’s offense fired with consistency. The Lady Vikings made 6-of-16 shots in the period, while the Lady Mountaineers made 5 of its 11 shot opportunities.

Emily Glenn paced the purple-clad Mitchell club with nine points in the first half, but Bentley countered with another five in the frame for 13 in the half. Teammate Megan Tennant chipped in with eight points in the first half as AHS took a 25-21 lead at halftime.

As the second half began, the Lady Vikings altered its defensive strategy. Rather than employ a full-court press, the Big Red instead opted to play half-court defense and utilized a 1-3-1 zone defense in the third quarter. The Lady Mountaineers reacted by connecting on just 4-of-15 shots in the period (one of which a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer by Glenn). In the meantime, Avery continued to ride the hot hand of Bentley, who connected on another pair of three-pointers in the quarter as the team shot 8-for-16 from the field in the period.

Tennant also tortured Mitchell from inside the paint, as she scored four field goals in the quarter, boosting AHS to a commanding 46-31 lead after three periods.
Over the final eight minutes, the Lady Vikings continued to build its lead as the Lady Mountaineers could not find anyone to consistently score the basketball.

Mitchell shot just 23 percent from the floor in the second half as AHS cruised to the 20-point win.

Bentley paced the Big Red with 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, with 18 points and eight rebounds from Tennant. Lauren Burleson scored eight points with 10 rebounds off the bench as she stepped up for senior starter Katelynn Eudy, who was hampered by foul trouble for most of the contest. Glenn led the Lady Mountaineers with 16 points.

“They were doing a good job against our man-to-man defense, so we went to the zone in the second half. They didn’t seem to have anyone who was scoring and Lyndsay [Mitchell guard Lyndsay Jensen] wasn’t hitting her threes, so that helped us to pull away,” Avery head coach Missy Lyons said after the win. “Megan played really strong on the post both offensively and defensively, which also opened things up on the outside for her to get a number of assists and get teammates involved.”

The next day the Lady Vikings traveled to Madison for a contest against the Lady Patriots. Avery pulled ahead with its interior game early in a physical contest and rode a season-best 21 points from junior center Tennant to improve to a perfect 6-0 in conference play.

In the opening period the Lady Patriots proved that they had no problem fouling Avery’s offensive playmakers. Madison amassed 10 personal fouls before the end of the first period. The Lady Vikings shot 16 free throws in the first eight minutes, converting 12, while shooting 5-of-9 from the field in building a 22-11 lead.

In the second quarter the Lady Vikings struggled to hit its shots, making only four field goals in 21 attempts from the field. Both squads combined for more than 30 turnovers in the opening half, but the AHS defense held Madison to a 2-for-15 clip from the field, which helped the Big Red actually increase its lead to 33-16 at halftime.

The two clubs played virtually even in the third period, as AHS used its frontline height and depth to bolster a 43-25 advantage going into the final eight minutes of play. Tennant completed a strong and successful night with seven points in the fourth period to lead the Lady Vikings to its sixth consecutive conference win.

Tennant led the Lady Vikings with a season-high 21 points, as well as five rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Burleson was the only other AHS player in double-figures scoring with 11 points and eight rebounds. Eudy added nine points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and a pair of assists. Bentley and Mary Chesnut Smith chipped in with six points apiece.

“We felt like we had a post advantage and Megan’s doing a good job of taking the ball inside and getting shots or being fouled. We also spread our offense out a little and wanted to take advantage of that strength,” Lyons said after the win.

“Madison was a scrappy club who played hard but played a little out of control. We also played like them rather than took control of the game. We were a little too aggressive and made too many sloppy turnovers, but hopefully we can get some consistency with practice and into the swing of things will help us get that under control.”

Avery shot 22-of-29 from the free throw line, but made only 26 percent of its shots for the game.

“We did some things well tonight, but our shots didn’t fall and we didn’t execute as well as I’d want us to,” Lyons said. “Some of that may be due to our practice schedule and not getting a lot of quality practice time in with the weather, but we hope that getting into our regular practice schedule again will help us get back to playing more consistently.”

The Lady Vikings traveled to take on the Owen Warlassies in Swannanoa last Tuesday, Jan. 18. The team’s home game scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 20, against West Wilkes has been cancelled, but Avery will take on Thomas Jefferson Academy at the Viking Octagon this Friday, Jan. 21.

Grapplers Return to Action at Orr Invitational

Following an extended break made more than a week longer by the recent winter weather, the Avery (AHS) wrestling team finally returned to the mat for action, traveling to Robbinsville High School on Saturday, Jan. 15, for the James Orr Invitational.

The Orr Invitational, formerly called the Far West Invitational, featured nine of the best high school wrestling teams in Western North Carolina. Overall, the Big Red earned 55 points as a team, good enough to finish seventh of the nine schools.
When the championship action wrapped up, Avery boasted three wrestlers who returned home with medals signifying a top-three finish.

Viking senior Brock Yackey was the lone AHS champion at the tournament, as he captured first at 135 pounds. Senior Lucas Lecka was a silver medalist, winning second at 215 pounds. Senior C.J. Vance came home with third place, medaling at 160 pounds.

Of the 11 AHS wrestlers competing in Robbinsville, seven came away from the tournament with at least one victory for their efforts. Wesley Hobbs earned a pinfall win in three matches in the 103-pound weight class, while Harley Rash won one match via pin in the 119-pound class. Luke Price was victorious by pinfall in his second and final match of the day at 152 pounds, with Brandon Huff winning the second of his two matches by first period pinfall in the heavyweight class.

Yackey’s road to victory went through three opponents. In his first match, he defeated Cody Newman of Hayesville by a 15-1 major decision. The semifinal match was a tough contest between Yackey and Swain County’s Tanner Beldon, which the AHS senior won by second-period pinfall.

In the championship match, Yackey met Tuscola’s Brannon Inman. It took over two periods, but at the 1:26 mark of the third period, Yackey pinned his opponent’s shoulders to the mat to win the gold medal.

Lecka’s second-place finish included a first-period victory by pin over Hayesville’s Taylor Woody. In the championship match, however, Lecka came up short against Alleghany wrestler Ryan Billings, who is coached by former Avery wrestling standout Derrick Calloway. The Viking alum’s club placed wrestlers in the finals in six different weight classes, with two champions and four second-place finishers, helping that team to finish third overall at the event.

Avery’s Vance fell by 16-6 majority decision in his first match against Robbinsville’s Ryan Ball, but bounced back to win his second match by a 7-4 decision over Tuscola’s Clay Wightman. In his final match of the tournament, Vance met Ball in a rematch, and this time got revenge with a hard-earned 7-3 decision victory to take third place.

No JV Basketball at Owen; Varsity Contest Time moved

Avery's scheduled junior varsity basketball games against Owen will not be played on Tuesday afternoon due to pending Wednesday semester exams for underclassmen at ACHS.

With the cancellation, combined with Thursday's cancellation of the scheduled games with West Wilkes (exams) and no JV clubs at Thomas Jefferson Academy, Avery's JV teams will next take the floor next Tuesday, January 25th at home against Hendersonville.

Today's scheduled varsity basketball games will still take place in Swannanoa, but the game time has been changed. Avery's varsity girls team will take on Owen beginning at 5 p.m., with the boys teams playing immediately afterward. The varsity teams will finish the week on Friday with games against Thomas Jefferson Academy in the Viking Octagon.

Avery Sports Schedule Update

Avery basketball returns to the floor on Friday afternoon with conference games against the Mitchell Mountaineers. Action will begin with the junior varsity girls contest at 2 p.m., with JV boys, varsity girls and varsity boys games to follow.

On Saturday, Jan. 15, the Viking wrestling team will be traveling to Robbinsville for the James Orr Invitational, while the basketball teams will be venturing to Marshall to make up games against Madison which were postponed back on Jan. 7th.

Avery’s Gonzalez, Mitchell’s Styles Named to 1A All-State Football Team

Avery Vikings wide receiver/defensive back Andy Gonzalez was named to the 1A All-State football team for the second consecutive season, North Carolina Prep Football News officials announced last week through its website, www.ncpreps.com.

Gonzalez caught 51 passes, tops in the Western Highlands Conference and fifth-highest among all Western North Carolina receivers, for 864 yards (6th best in WNC) this past football season. The senior played in all 14 Avery football games this past season and hauled in 12 touchdowns, the second-highest mark among all WNC receivers.

The six-foot tall wideout had three 100-yard receiving games in 2010, including a season-high 134-yard effort and two touchdowns in Avery’s win at Cloudland on Sept. 10.

“I’m extremely proud of Andy and I’m really proud for him,” Avery head football coach Darrell Brewer said of his player’s honor. “It was my pleasure to be his coach. He will be truly missed by the coaching staff.”

Gonzalez amassed 1,016 all-purpose yards in helping Avery advance to the third round of the state football playoffs in 2010, and registered 44 tackles and an interception on defense. Gonzalez also punted twice for the Vikings for a 33-yard average in its win over Madison on Oct. 22nd.

In addition to Gonzalez, Mitchell Mountaineers punter Michael Styles was also named to the 1A All-State squad. Styles punted 39 times for a total of 1,542 yards, an average of 39.5 yards per kick. Styles gained 532 yards rushing on 79 carries as a running back for the Mountaineers, scoring seven touchdowns. As a two-way player on defense, the junior amassed 101 tackles in 15 games, helping Mitchell advance to the 1A state semifinals.

Junior Varsity Hoops Roundup

Last Tuesday, Jan. 4, the Avery junior varsity basketball teams were a perfect 2-for-2 to start the new year, picking up a pair of conference victories over visiting Polk County.

JV Girls Behind a game- and career-high 29 points from Bre Heaton, the Lady Vikings held off a late charge by Polk County to win 45-42.

Avery trailed 13-10 after one quarter, but Heaton scored 10 of Avery's 13 points in the second quarter, while the Lady Viking defense held Polk to only two points in the second quarter, helping Avery to a 23-15 lead at half-time.

The Lady Vikings also found offense hard to come by in the third quarter, connecting for only four points in the frame to allow Polk to draw to within 27-23 after three quarters.

Between quarters Avery head coach Pat Daniels challenged his team to focus and pick up the effort in order to emerge victorious.
“I told the girls to take care of the ball and run our plays and keep the ball in the middle of the floor. When we kept the ball in the middle we did a better job of not committing turnovers,” Daniels said. “The girls responded and got the job done.”

In the final period, Avery made a run to start the quarter to open as large as an 11-point margin, as Heaton and guard Katie Rigdon combined to score 13 of Avery's 18 points in the final stanza. Polk didn't quit, however, drawing to within three points as time expired.

Heaton's 29 points were complemented by seven from Rigdon and three points from Shannon Smith.

“Bre had a good game,” Daniels said. “She shoots the ball well and that’s something I expect from her. We have a good pair of guards in she and Katie who can score the basketball.”

Avery forced 19 steals in the game, but committed 25 turnovers themselves, helping to keep the game closer than perhaps it should have been.

“We made some dumb turnovers during the game. We did some things we didn’t need to do here and there, especially when we had the lead,” Daniels said. “I really was ill about the turnovers because we can handle 10 or 12 turnovers, but 25 were just too many. They were a tall team and got a lot of second-chance points on rebounds. I feel like we helped Polk out an awful lot tonight, but I think we did a good job at key times to force turnovers. All our guards are working well. When we had trouble getting the ball inside tonight, the guards did a good job to pick up the pace and scoring.”

JV Boys
Avery sophomore guard Lane Smith torched Polk County for 25 points as Avery picked up its second conference win of the season by the final score of 61-55.

Avery led 14-12 after one quarter as Smith and teammate Luke Wotell scored six points apiece in the frame. Chance Watson and Stetson Stafford combined for nine points off the Viking bench as Avery and Polk were knotted at 27 at half-time.

Avery seized control of the game in the third quarter, holding the Wolverines to only eight points in the frame while doubling that total with 16 in the same span. Bryce Pittman scored five points in the frame as he and Watson each netted 3-pointers during the quarter to help the Vikings to a 43-35 lead after three periods.
In the final stanza, Avery maintained its lead at the free throw line. Smith scored nine of his 11 points in the quarter from the charity stripe, while Watson added three field goals to hold off a late Polk charge and earn the six-point win.

Watson scored 13 points as the only other Avery player in double-figures. Pittman and Wotell each scored eight for Avery in the win.

Avery’s JV games scheduled for last Friday, Jan. 7 at Madison were postponed due to snow. The games have been rescheduled with JV girls action tipping off at 2 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 15, followed by the JV boys game. JV games slated for Tuesday, Jan. 11, were also postponed. 

Varsity Basketball Wipes Out Wolverines

On Jan. 4, the Avery High School varsity basketball teams rang in 2011 in style by pummeling the Polk County Wolverines in the Viking Octagon.

The Lady Vikings kicked off the night by grabbing an early lead en route to a 72-39 blowout win. The men’s varsity squad did its part to make the evening perfect, defeating Polk by the final score of 76-65.

The Lady Vikings showed little rust from not having played in almost a week by trouncing the Polk Lady Wolverines. The front-court duo of Megan Tennant (19) and Katelynn Eudy (17) combined for exactly half of Avery's points for the game as the Lady Vikings won its eighth game of the season and remained unbeaten in conference play.

AHS jumped out to a 23-6 lead after one quarter, shooting 10 of 20 from the field in the quarter and forcing 14 Polk turnovers in the period. Polk scored six of the first eight points in the second quarter to cut the margin to 25-12, but the Big Red ended the quarter with a 14-2 scoring run to put the game out of reach, leading 39-14 at halftime.

Tennant tallied 17 of her 19 points in the first half, while senior Mercedes Bentley scored seven points and Savannah Dellinger added six points by intermission. AHS substituted liberally throughout the second half and the entire roster saw significant minutes of action. The changes did little to hurt the Lady Viking margin as AHS continued to maintain and even lengthen its lead, carrying a 56-26 margin after three quarters and earning the eventual 33-point win.

Tennant added five rebounds, three steals and two blocks to her team-high 19 points, while Eudy scored 17 and added nine rebounds, six blocked shots, three steals and an assist. Dellinger scored 10 markers to go with eight assists, with eight points and five assists from Kelsie Clarke in the win. Kailey Russell led Polk with nine points, with eight points from Brittany Phipps. The Lady Vikings shot 42 percent from the floor for the game, and was an impressive 10-for-13 from the free throw line in the win.

Following the Lady Viking victory, AHS and Polk’s varsity boys squads met on the hardwood in the evening’s final matchup. The game pitted a pair of talented clubs was a back-and-forth affair for much of the night. The home club eventually used clutch free throws in the final minutes from the free throw line to clinch the win.

AHS led 21-19 after one quarter behind seven points from senior guard Dustin Clarke and five points from senior center Colton Blackburn. The Vikings seized control in the second period to take a 40-30 advantage at halftime, as Benji Stewart chipped in with a pair of field goals and Spencer Blackburn netted five points off the bench.

AHS maintained its working margin in the third quarter, as a 7-2 Viking run to open the second half inflate The Big Red’s lead to as many as 15 points at 47-32. Polk outscored Avery 17-10 for the remainder of the period to cut the Viking advantage in half, as AHS led 57-49 going into the final stanza.

Polk cut the Avery lead to as little as six points on three different occasions during the final eight minutes. A Benji Stewart three-pointer early in the quarter pushed Avery ahead by nine, and free throws from Clarke in the waning minutes staved off any hope for a Wolverine rally.

The win was the sixth of the season for the Vikings and improved AHS to 3-1 in Western Highlands Conference play. Clarke netted a game-high 28 points, nine of which came from the charity stripe in the final three minutes of the contest on only 11 attempts. He added six rebounds and three assists in the win, with nine points from Joey Potter, eight points and eight rebounds from Colton Blackburn, seven points, four rebounds and three steals from Timmy Stewart, and six points each from Kody Hughes and Alex Villanueva. Andre Overholt led the Wolverines with 15 points, with 14 points from Stephen Staley and eight points, six assists and four rebounds from Shawn Gary.

Avery was scheduled to travel to Madison on Friday, Jan. 7 for another conference clash, but snow forced the postponement of the games. The contests have been rescheduled to Saturday, Jan. 15. The Tuesday, Jan. 11, games at Mountain Heritage were also postponed. The Vikings are next scheduled to take the floor this Friday, Jan. 14, for a conference matchup against neighboring Mitchell.

'Landers, Lady Landers Open Conference with Wins

The Cloudland Highlanders and Lady ‘Landers opened conference play with wins over University High on Tuesday, Jan. 4, as the ‘Landers ran to a 64-30 victory and the Lady ‘Landers cruised to a 74-24 win.


The Cloudland boys came out of the gate firing as they opened up on a 7-0 run and ended the first quarter with a 13-8 lead. The start of the second quarter saw Zac Potter score six points in an 8-0 run to give CHS a 21-8 lead midway through the frame. Michael Hyden tossed in six more points before half to help the ‘Landers run to a 29-17 lead at the break.


The second half was much of the same for Cloudland, as it outscored UH 18-7 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.


“We told the kids all week that is was going to be a grind it out game,” ‘Lander head coach Brandon Carpenter said. “We thought it would come down to the last shot. University High is a dangerous team, and we were worried about them. The kids stepped up for us.”


Hyden led the way for Cloudland with 17 points. Matthew Potter added in 16 points.


For the ‘Landers, it was also the way they felt they needed to open up conference play.


“I told the kids before we started that this was a must win,” Carpenter said. “We had to get this game if we want to have anything to do in the conference championship.”


In the night’s opening varsity contest, the Lady ‘Landers opened on the game with a 14-2 run and never looked back.


“It was important to come out on that run,” Lady ‘Landers head coach Matt Birchfield said. “I thought it was the turning point in the game. We talked about having to get a run and get after them, and I thought it just turned the game. It started with our defense.”


From that point, CHS raced out to a 23-10 lead at the end of the first and a 48-15 margin at half-time. The Lady ‘Landers put an exclamation point on the victory with an 18-0 run to close the third quarter.


“I thought our effort was real well tonight, and I thought we sit it with our defense,” Birchfield said. “I thought our team defense was real well tonight. We forced them into some turnovers and got some easy baskets.”


Courtney Clarke led CHS with 19 points, while Sydney Miller and Summer Hughes scored 11 points apiece.


Cloudland’s schedule also played victim to the weather, but not with a postponement. The threat of weather moved games last Friday, Jan. 7, at North Greene to Thursday afternoon, Jan. 6. The ‘Landers came away with a 78-37 victory while the Lady ‘Landers saw a late rally fall short 49-45.


Cloudland was scheduled to host county rival Unaka this past Tuesday, Jan. 11.

ASU Hoops Roundup

Men’s Basketball: Mountaineers Down Davidson, Defense Vaults ASU Past Georgia Southern

Charlotte native Omar Carter put on a second-half show with 19 points after the intermission to lead Appalachian State University men’s basketball to a 74-66 win at Davidson on Jan. 5.

Carter finished with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting with seven rebounds and a pair of assists, while Donald Sims added 14 points, four assists and two rebounds to help the Mountaineers (6-7, 2-1 SoCon) to a third-straight win against the Wildcats (7-7, 1-2).

ASU opened its largest lead of the game at 62-51 with just under four minutes to play in the contest when DC’s Brendan McKillop and JP Kuhlman drained back-to-back triples to pull within five points with two minutes on the clock.

Davidson then played 34 seconds of tough defense and forced Carter to launch a three-pointer from the left corner as the shot clock expired, which kissed the glass and put ASU back up by eight points.

Carter and Jeremi Booth then drained 7-of-10 free throws down the stretch and Mitch Woods broke free from a full-court trap for a layup with 22 seconds to play to keep the ‘Cats from pulling any closer than six points in the final minutes.

Booth scored nine points off the bench with a pair of rebounds in 21 minutes while Woods, who returned from injury after three games on the sideline, added five points, four rebounds and an assist. Petey Hausley scored seven points with five rebounds in the paint while Nathan Healy added eight points and six boards in 18 minutes off the bench before fouling out late in the contest. Andre Williamson was also plagued by foul trouble and added five points and three assists before collecting five fouls in just 15 minutes.

For Davidson, Jake Cohen was solid with 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks and was complemented by McKillop’s 12 points and three assists.

The contest got off to a slow, rough start, as both squads racked up fouls at the same rate as points before Davidson strung together a 9-2 run to open a five-point lead late in the period. ASU rallied to tie the score at 29-29 at the intermission behind a pair of three-pointers from Healy.

Neither team shot well in the first half as the ASU made just 39.3 percent from the field and were 3-of-10 from downtown, while Davidson shot 44.4 percent but missed all five 3-point attempts.

ASU sank 55.2 percent in the second half to finish the game at 47.4 percent, compared to 43.1 percent for the home team. ASU was 4-of-13 from downtown compared to 6-of-21 for DC.

The ‘Cats owned a 38-33 advantage on the boards but committed 16 turnovers to ASU’s 12. Davidson converted 16 second-chance points off of 15 offensive rebounds on the night.

On a snowy weekend for hoops, an early scoring burst allowed ASU to take a large first-half lead against Georgia Southern (GSU) and a solid defensive stand in the second half carried the Mountaineers to a 79-51 win last Saturday, Jan. 8, at the Holmes Center.

Carter had the hot hand early with 15 first-half points to help the Mountaineers to an early 28-14 advantage. Carter added 10 more after the intermission to lead all scorers with 25 on the afternoon. The junior guard was 8-of-15 on the day with five 3-pointers to accompany five rebounds and three steals.

GSU (4-13, 0-4 SoCon) cut its 14-point deficit to as close as five points before the break, before ASU stopped the rally to hold a 40-31 lead after 20 minutes of play.

ASU’s shooting touch cooled over half-time as the Mountaineers converted just one of their first eight shots to open the second half. GSU took advantage and climbed back within four points at 42-38. ASU then regained a double-figure cushion when GSU’s Cameron Baskerville converted a layup to cut ASU’s lead to 56-49 with eight minutes to play.

With the game in the balance, ASU then took off on a 20-0 run spanning the next five and a half minutes to lock down the victory. GSU scored just two points in the game’s final eight minutes.

ASU (7-7, 3-1) shot 46.9 percent from the field in the game and, after allowing GSU to make 13-of-24 shots in the first period, the Mountaineers locked down to keep the Eagles to 7-of-27 shooting in the second half.

Sims was 7-of-15 from the field for 19 points in addition to five rebounds and a team-high five assists. Sims was one of five players with at least five rebounds for the Black and Gold as the team held a 43-29 advantage on the glass.

Booth came off the bench to score 17 points with three rebounds and a pair of steals in 23 minutes for ASU. Williamson led ASU with seven rebounds, in addition to four assists, three points and a block. Healy scored eight points on 4-of-6 shooting with five rebounds in 19 minutes.

GSU was led by 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting by Ben Drayton. The guard added four assists and four of the squad’s nine steals.

Rory Spencer added 15 points and seven rebounds but committed four of GSU’s 18 turnovers. The Eagles added nine assists and three blocks in the game. GSU’s 51 points are easily the fewest allowed by ASU this season, as Robert Morris and Davidson previously held the distinction with 66 points each against ASU.

ASU’s quick homestead wraps up at 7 p.m. this Thursday, Jan. 13, as the Mountaineers welcome North Division rival UNC Greensboro (0-14, 0-4) to the Holmes Center.

Women’s Basketball: Lady Mountaineers Cage Cougars, Roll Past Wofford
ASU women’s basketball rallied from a two-point half-time deficit and won its 13th straight home game last Wednesday, Nov. 5, notching a 78-62 win over College of Charleston, its fourth straight in the series.

Suffering a 37-35 deficit at the break, the Black and Gold posted a 13-4 spurt in the opening minutes of second-half play to take the lead and never looked back.

After Cathryn Hardy connected on two free throws to begin the second period, the Lady Mountaineers answered with ten straight points to grab a six-point advantage. The scoring came from all over from ASU as Sam Ramirez, Anna Freeman, Courtney Freeman and Ashlen Dewart all contributed on the offensive front.

Continuing to fire on all cylinders, ASU extended its lead to 10 points off a Kelsey Sharkey free layup, making the score 58-48 in the Mountaineers’ favor.

Despite some late buckets by College of Charleston, ASU never led by less than 10 points and final jumpers by Canesha Edwards pushed ASU to the 16-point win. The impressive second-half by ASU proved to be the difference-maker in the contest, as ASU outscored its counterpart 43-25.

The stingy Mountaineer defense also stepped up in second half action, holding C of C to a dismal 20.6 field goal percentage, not allowing the Cougars to connect on a single three-pointer.

Sluggish and non-energetic play to start the game saw the Mountaineers fall behind by as many as nine-points, facing a 16-7 deficit just seven minutes into the game. Dewart and Ramirez stepped up however, and a Ramirez trey put ASU on top for the first time, taking a narrow 24-22 advantage with a little under eight minutes remaining until half-time.

The Cougars would not go away quietly, going on a 5-0 run in the waning minutes of first half play to lead by five, but fortunately for the Mountaineers, Ramirez drilled yet another trey and ASU went into the half down just two.

Appalachian picked up its pace in the second half and defensive domination coupled with offensive execution enabled ASU  to earn their third conference win of the season.

Four Mountaineers ended the game in double-figures with Dewart scoring a game-best 19 points. Tallying her third double-double of the season, she also hauled in a game-high 13 rebounds. In addition to Dewart, Ramirez chipped in 17 points, Freeman 15 and Edwards scored 14.

On Saturday, Jan. 8, ASU rolled to its fourth-straight victory in routing Wofford 81-60 last Saturday, Jan. 8, on the Terriers’ home floor. The victory is ASU’s seventh straight over Wofford and improves ASU to 10-3 on the season and 4-1 in league play, while WC falls to 5-8 overall and 1-4 in SoCon action.

After ASU took a comfortable 44-28 lead into the half, Wofford began the second-half with a spark, outscoring ASU 7-2 to pull within 11 points a little under five minutes into the period. ASU responded however, countering with a 10-2 streak of its own, paced by Sam Ramirez, pushing the ASU lead back out to 56-37 with 9:37 remaining.

Ramirez had five points during the Mountaineer spurt, and ended the contest with a game-high 24, two shy of her career-high on 10-19 shooting, including drilling four treys. The lone senior cluttered the stat line, playing perhaps her best all-around game of the season thus far as she recorded a career-high eight steals, hauled in seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

Never allowing Wofford to come closer than 17 points, ASU cruised to the dominating 21-point victory.

The Mountaineers started the game on fire, jumping out to a commanding 19-5 lead, thanks in part to impressive play by Spartanburg, S.C. native Ashlen Dewart. The sophomore scored eight of ASU’s first 19 points. Dewart was also stellar in the game, tallying her second straight double-double, scoring 21 points, while grabbing 16 rebounds.

Not shy offensively either, Ramirez and Courtney Freeman were also able to ignite the Black and Gold on the offensive front, and ASU made the score 24-9 in their favor with a little under 12 minutes to go until the break.

Wofford tried to get something going, posting an 8-2 run, with points coming from April Moorhouse and Mahagony Williams, and the Terriers were able to pull within nine.

Nine points however would be the narrowest of margins, as the Mountaineer offense was unstoppable. Ramirez drilled two treys in the waning minutes of first period play and ASU took a 14-point cushion into the half.

Despite Wofford trying to rally to begin the second half, ASU picked up its pace and maintained its double-digit lead.

Freshman Michelle Taylor helped enable ASU keep up their strong play, as she scored a career-high nine points, all coming in the second half, while grabbing six rebounds as well, and the Black and Gold went on to the 81-60 win.

Presley Finishes Third in Payton Award Voting

Appalachian State University quarterback DeAndre Presley placed third in voting for the 2010 Walter Payton Award, The Sports Network announced during its 24th-annual NCAA Division I FCS awards banquet at the Dallas-Frisco Embassy Suites.

Presley, the only underclassmen among the three players invited to the unveiling of the FCS player-of-the-year award, received 13 first-place votes and 182 total points in balloting among national media and sports information directors.

Stephen F. Austin's Jeremy Moses received the honor in a landslide, tallying 37 first-place votes and 372 total points. Western Illinois' Matt Barr placed second with 17 first-place votes and 262 total points.

With Presley's third-place finish, ASU has had four representatives among the top three in Payton Award balloting in the past seven years — DaVon Fowlkes also placed third in voting in 2004 and Presley's predecessor as ASU's starting quarterback, Armanti Edwards, became the first two-time winner of the award by taking home the trophy each of the last two years.

Presley became only the fourth player in FCS history to pass for 2,000 yards (2,631 — 20th nationally) and rush for 1,000 yards (1,039 — 28th nationally and second among QBs) in a season last fall and ranked second nationally with 35 touchdowns accounted for (21 passing, 13 rushing and one receiving) and fourth with 3,670 yards of total offense.

In balloting for the other major FCS awards handed out by The Sports Network last Thursday, Jan. 6, ASU defensive end Jabari Fletcher, linebacker D.J. Smith and defensive back Mark LeGree placed seventh, eighth and 17th, respectively for the Buck Buchanan Award (defensive player of the year) and head coach Jerry Moore placed 11th for the Eddie Robinson Award (coach of the year).

Eastern Washington linebacker J.C. Sherritt took home the Buchanan Award and Southeast Missouri's State's Tony Samuel, who played under Moore when ASU's 22-year head coach was an assistant at Nebraska, won the Robinson Award.

Bobcats Hoops Roundup

Women’s Basketball: Royals Outlast Bobcats

Melissa Thomas poured in a game-high 26 points, and the Queens University of Charlotte women's basketball team won the battle on the glass by a 48-20 margin en route to a 70-57 victory over Lees-McRae College (LMC) last Thursday, Jan. 6, in Conference Carolinas play.

Queens (5-5, 4-0 CC) connected on 44.4 percent of its attempts from the floor on the night, including a 48.5 percent clip in the second half, while holding the Bobcats (1-8, 1-3 CC) to a 41.1 percent mark overall and a 37.9 percent showing in the first 20 minutes. The Royals also went a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line, while outscoring the Bobcats by a 16-4 margin in second chance points.

Janina Thurau paced a trio of Bobcats in double figures with 14 points, while Chloe Parker and Icey Patterson recorded 12 and 11 markers, respectively. Patterson notched a game-high five assists and four steals, while Parker pulled down a team-best seven rebounds.

Thomas connected on 8-of-13 attempts from the field, and went 8-for-8 at the charity stripe to post a game-high 26 points while also notching a contest-best four steals. Marissa Hudley posted a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, knocking down 7-of-15 shots from the floor. Shakaria Hamlin chipped in seven points and seven rebounds, while Erin Goldner recorded eight points, three steals, and a team-high three assists.

Queens got off to a strong start, scoring 10 of the game's first 16 points to open a four-point lead on a Hamlin jumper at the 12:59 mark of the first half. LMC responded with a 5-0 spurt to claim a narrow 11-10 advantage on a Parker layup with 11:41 to play in the period.

After a quick basket by the Royals' Sarah Myatt, Flowers and Zukye Smith combined for a trio of three-pointers to propel the Bobcats to a 20-14 lead with 8:22 remaining in the first half. Queens answered with a run of its own, launching a 17-0 run to take a 31-20 advantage on a pair of free throws by Goldner at the 4:05 mark. The Royals then closed out the half with a 10-7 spurt to take a 41-27 lead into the intermission.

LMC opened the second half with two quick baskets by Parker and Patterson to cut the lead to 41-33, and stayed within single-digits for much of the next 12 minutes. With the scoreboard reading 60-53 in favor of Queens with just over five minutes remaining, the Royals took control, closing out the win with a 10-4 run to equal the final margin of 70-57 and remain perfect in conference play.

Men’s Basketball: Queens and Mount Olive Top LMC

The Queens University men's basketball team turned in a solid defensive effort en route to a 70-44 win over LMC on Thursday, Jan. 6, in Conference Carolinas action.

Queens (7-4, 3-0 CC) knocked down an even 50 percent of its field attempts on the night, including a 52 percent clip in the first half, while limiting LMC (3-7, 0-3 CC) to a 30.6 percent mark from the floor. The Royals won the battle on the glass by a 38-30 margin, including a 27-18 advantage on the defensive boards, while converting 18 Bobcats miscues into 18 points.

Adam McFerran led the way for the Bobcats with a double-double, recording game-highs of 16 points and 11 rebounds while knocking down 6-of-13 attempts from the floor. Tevin Friday and Daniel Sepokas chipped in seven and six points, respectively, while Matt Eller recorded a game-high three steals.

Queens' Daniel Bailey equaled McFerran's game-high of 16 points, connecting on 7-of-10 attempts from the floor and grabbing five rebounds to pace the Royals. Reggie Hopkins joined Bailey in double figures with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while David Mason and Sean Eads chipped in with nine and eight markers, respectively. Brent Evans grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for the Royals, while Joshua Twitty, familiar to Avery Vikings fans from his days as a high school standout for the Polk Wolverines, dished out a game-best three assists.

The Royals took command early, opening a 17-5 lead on an Eads triple at the 13:35 mark of the first half. Eads added another three-pointer 30 seconds later to push the lead to 21-5 before Bailey knocked down a jumper with 9:09 left in the period to widen the margin to 25-8. Queens pushed the lead to 33-13 with an 8-5 spurt over the next six and a half minutes, taking a 39-18 lead into the intermission.

Queens carried the momentum into the second half, opening the period with an 8-2 run to push the margin to 47-20 on a Preston Newlin layup at the 17:17 mark. The Royals maintained at least a 20-point lead for the remainder of the game, pushing the margin to as much as 34 points at 64-30 with six minutes left on the clock. The Bobcats finished strong, outscoring the Royals by a 14-6 margin over the final six minutes.

LMC’s scheduled home games and special “Take a Kid to the Game” day promotion scheduled for last Saturday, Jan. 8, against Mount Olive College were postponed a day due to inclement weather. The Mount Olive College men's basketball team shot a blistering 64 percent from the field in the second half en route to an 85-77 come-from-behind victory over LMC last Sunday, Jan. 9,in Conference Carolinas action.

Mount Olive (7-5, 2-2 CC) edged the Bobcats (3-8, 0-4 CC) by a 35-34 margin on the glass, including a 12-10 advantage on the offensive boards, while outscoring LMC by a 17-9 spread in second chance points. Both teams shot well from the field and the free throw line, as Mount Olive posted a 45.6 percent clip from the floor after knocking down 16-of-25 field goal attempts in the second half.

LMC connected on 43.6 percent of its attempts on the afternoon, including 44.4 percent of its shots from beyond the arc. Each team converted at least 80 percent of its attempts at the free throw line, as Mount Olive posted an 81.3 percent mark from the stripe while LMC connected on 84 percent of its chances at the line.

The Bobcats placed five players in double figures for the first time this season, led by senior McFerran, who poured in 20 points and went a perfect 5-for-5 at the free throw line. Dairl Scott, Jr. and Sepokas joined McFerran in double figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively, while Sam Youse and Friday each tallied 10 markers.

Scott also paced the Bobcats with a contest-best eight rebounds, while tying DeAndre Tillman for the game-high with two blocked shots. Reshon Benjamin dished out a game-high six assists, while Tillman recorded a contest-best three steals.

Mount Olive also placed five players in double figures, and was paced by Ewon Wright's game-high 23 points, as the freshman knocked down 5-of-10 attempts from downtown and went 6-for-8 at the charity stripe. Dory Hines joined Wright in double figures with 16 points, connecting on 6-of-8 attempts from the field while grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. Brandon Allen and Derek Stanton each recorded 15 points on the day, while Mahamed Ibrahim chipped in 10 markers.

The Trojans opened the first half strong, taking an early 9-5 lead on a Hines layup at the 15:47 mark before the Bobcats responded, launching a 13-2 run to claim an 18-11 advantage on a jumper by Friday with 9:19 to play in the period.

Mount Olive trimmed the margin to 20-19 on a pair of Staton free throws at the 7:22 mark before LMC answered once again, pushing the lead to 33-23 with a 13-4 spurt that was capped by a Tillman free throw with 3:28 left on the clock. Mount Olive closed out the first half on a strong note, outscoring the Bobcats by a 6-2 margin over the final three minutes to cut the lead to 37-31 at the intermission.

LMC maintained the lead in the early moments of the second half, stretching the advantage to 42-33 on a Scott layup with 18:44 to play. Mount Olive stayed within striking distance for much of the next six minutes until the Trojans caught fire, launching a 7-0 run to take a 60-58 lead on a layup by Aleks Mitrovic at the 9:33 mark.

The Bobcats quickly evened the score on a pair of McFerran free throws before Mount Olive took control, launching a 14-6 run over the next three minutes to take a 74-66 lead on a Wright triple with 4:11 to play. Mount Olive continued its hot shooting over the next several possessions, opening an 81-72 lead on a Wright layup with just over a minute and a half to go.

Stanton converted a pair of free throws with 33 seconds left to give Mount Olive its largest lead of the game at 83-72 before the Bobcats began to rally, forcing two turnovers on back-to-back inbound plays and cutting the lead to 83-77 on a Sepokas triple with 20 ticks remaining. Mount Olive regained control from there, converting a pair of last-second free throws to equal the final margin of 85-77.

LMC returns home to take on St. Andrews this Saturday, Jan. 15, with the women’s contest slated to tip off at 2 p.m. and the men’s game immediately following.