Streak snapped
Jamie Shell / (sports@averyjournal.com)
Avery varsity girls basketball met a trio of tough conference foes last week. On Tuesday, Jan. 10. The Lady Vikings trailed early in the high-scoring contest with Mountain Heritage, but used defense and a hot offensive hand to gain control and earn a 74-68 win.
The following evening AHS traveled to play Polk County. Despite a lackluster shooting night, Avery's defense clamped down, generating 24 Lady Wolverines turnovers to pace the Big Red to a 46-37 win.
Friday, Jan. 13, was unlucky for the Lady Vikings, as a trip to Mitchell and third game in four nights proved too great an obstacle to overcome, as the Lady Mountaineers downed Avery by a 58-48 final score.
Both the Lady Vikings and Lady Cougars began the game with hot shooting, as Avery led 15-8 early in the first quarter. Heritage rallied with a 19-7 run to close the period, however, and build a 27-22 lead by quarter's end.
Heritage maintained a lead that grew as large as seven points early in the second quarter. Avery rallied behind 12 first-half points from Megan Tennant and 10 points off the bench from Breanna Heaton to gain ground. Heaton's three-pointer at the buzzer knotted the contest at 37-37 at halftime.
Avery asserted itself in the third quarter, as forward Lauren Burleson netted a pair of three-pointers and nine points overall in the frame, helping the Lady Vikings claim a 60-54 lead after three stanzas. Heritage refused to fold, however, as it started chipping away at the lead, cutting Avery's margin to as little as 64-63 with 2:59 left to play. Less than two minutes later with Avery leading 67-66, the Lady Vikings lost Tennant for the contest when she fouled out on a questionable call. Heritage was unsuccessful in taking the lead in the closing minute, and senior Danielle Byrd sank a pair of free throws to seal the six-point win.
Burleson and Tennant scored 18 points each to lead the Lady Vikings, with 12 points from Heaton and nine from Savannah Dellinger.
“This was a really good girls basketball game. Both teams were giving their all and wanted to play their best basketball,” said head coach Missy Lyons after the win. “We played our best game offensively, and they were hitting everything and playing hard. We didn't rebound well in the first half, but managed to do better in the second half which gave us a little advantage in winning those last couple of quarters. We had a lot of turnovers, but everyone who came in really contributed well.”
The following evening Avery traveled to play Polk County. Columbus has been a tough place for the Lady Vikings, highlighted by a loss there two seasons ago that prevented the Big Red from claiming a conference regular season title.
Avery's defense made sure history did not repeat itself, as the Lady Vikings smothered the Polk guards, forcing multiple turnovers in the backcourt and generating them into points. Kelsie Clarke's quick hands generated five steals in the first period, while Burleson netted eight of Avery's 12 first-quarter points for a seven-point lead after the opening stanza.
The Lady Vikings extended its lead to 25-15 at halftime as Avery took 22 shots compared to Polk's seven in the quarter. Heaton again contributed off the bench, as the sophomore poured in seven first-half points.
Polk made adjustments in the locker room prior to the second half as Avery's shooting touch suddenly cooled. The Lady Vikings converted only three field goals in the third period, allowing Polk to narrow the margin to 31-25 by quarter's end.
Avery received a second half boost from guard Monica Estep, who scored all seven of her points for the game in the final two quarters. The Big Red converted 7 of 11 free throws in the final period to provide the difference in the contest.
Burleson scored 15 points to lead Avery, in addition to nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Tennant added nine points and 11 rebounds, with eight points, eight steals and five rebounds from Clarke. Avery shot only 28 percent from the field, but managed to pull out the victory.
“We started well defensively, but could not find the basket tonight,” Lyons added. “We talked about times we've struggled here, and it's been a burden for us. I'm just glad to get a win here as poorly as we played.”
Avery ended its week with a trip to Ledger to play rival Mitchell. Both teams battled for momentum early, with the Lady Mountaineers holding a 17-15 lead after one quarter. The story for most of the contest was Mitchell's ability to rebound against the Lady Vikings, primarily on the offensive glass. The extra opportunities generated multiple second- and third-chance shots for the home team. The Lady Vikings was held to only four field goals in the second quarter. The contest was tied at 23 with three minutes to play in the half, but a 10-2 Mitchell scoring run to close the quarter helped Mitchell regain and stretch its lead to 33-25 at halftime.
The Lady Mountaineers continued to pull away with a 14-point period to lead 47-34 after three stanzas. Mitchell's scrambling defense and rebounding prowess made life difficult for Avery all evening. The Lady Vikings trailed by as many as 15 points, and could only rally to within 10 for the remainder of the contest as Mitchell earned the victory.
Burleson paced the Big Red with 16 points, while Tennant added 10 points and eight rebounds. Heaton scored 10 points, with eight points, eight steals and seven assists from Clark.
The loss was Avery's first regular season conference setback in nearly two years, when the last defeat in regular season conference play occurred Jan. 15, 2010, when Mitchell defeated Avery 47-32 in Ledger.
The Lady Vikings returned to action earlier this week against Owen, and will take on West Wilkes in a home game this Thursday, Jan. 19, before traveling to play Thomas Jefferson this Friday, Jan. 20.
The following evening AHS traveled to play Polk County. Despite a lackluster shooting night, Avery's defense clamped down, generating 24 Lady Wolverines turnovers to pace the Big Red to a 46-37 win.
Friday, Jan. 13, was unlucky for the Lady Vikings, as a trip to Mitchell and third game in four nights proved too great an obstacle to overcome, as the Lady Mountaineers downed Avery by a 58-48 final score.
Both the Lady Vikings and Lady Cougars began the game with hot shooting, as Avery led 15-8 early in the first quarter. Heritage rallied with a 19-7 run to close the period, however, and build a 27-22 lead by quarter's end.
Heritage maintained a lead that grew as large as seven points early in the second quarter. Avery rallied behind 12 first-half points from Megan Tennant and 10 points off the bench from Breanna Heaton to gain ground. Heaton's three-pointer at the buzzer knotted the contest at 37-37 at halftime.
Avery asserted itself in the third quarter, as forward Lauren Burleson netted a pair of three-pointers and nine points overall in the frame, helping the Lady Vikings claim a 60-54 lead after three stanzas. Heritage refused to fold, however, as it started chipping away at the lead, cutting Avery's margin to as little as 64-63 with 2:59 left to play. Less than two minutes later with Avery leading 67-66, the Lady Vikings lost Tennant for the contest when she fouled out on a questionable call. Heritage was unsuccessful in taking the lead in the closing minute, and senior Danielle Byrd sank a pair of free throws to seal the six-point win.
Burleson and Tennant scored 18 points each to lead the Lady Vikings, with 12 points from Heaton and nine from Savannah Dellinger.
“This was a really good girls basketball game. Both teams were giving their all and wanted to play their best basketball,” said head coach Missy Lyons after the win. “We played our best game offensively, and they were hitting everything and playing hard. We didn't rebound well in the first half, but managed to do better in the second half which gave us a little advantage in winning those last couple of quarters. We had a lot of turnovers, but everyone who came in really contributed well.”
The following evening Avery traveled to play Polk County. Columbus has been a tough place for the Lady Vikings, highlighted by a loss there two seasons ago that prevented the Big Red from claiming a conference regular season title.
Avery's defense made sure history did not repeat itself, as the Lady Vikings smothered the Polk guards, forcing multiple turnovers in the backcourt and generating them into points. Kelsie Clarke's quick hands generated five steals in the first period, while Burleson netted eight of Avery's 12 first-quarter points for a seven-point lead after the opening stanza.
The Lady Vikings extended its lead to 25-15 at halftime as Avery took 22 shots compared to Polk's seven in the quarter. Heaton again contributed off the bench, as the sophomore poured in seven first-half points.
Polk made adjustments in the locker room prior to the second half as Avery's shooting touch suddenly cooled. The Lady Vikings converted only three field goals in the third period, allowing Polk to narrow the margin to 31-25 by quarter's end.
Avery received a second half boost from guard Monica Estep, who scored all seven of her points for the game in the final two quarters. The Big Red converted 7 of 11 free throws in the final period to provide the difference in the contest.
Burleson scored 15 points to lead Avery, in addition to nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Tennant added nine points and 11 rebounds, with eight points, eight steals and five rebounds from Clarke. Avery shot only 28 percent from the field, but managed to pull out the victory.
“We started well defensively, but could not find the basket tonight,” Lyons added. “We talked about times we've struggled here, and it's been a burden for us. I'm just glad to get a win here as poorly as we played.”
Avery ended its week with a trip to Ledger to play rival Mitchell. Both teams battled for momentum early, with the Lady Mountaineers holding a 17-15 lead after one quarter. The story for most of the contest was Mitchell's ability to rebound against the Lady Vikings, primarily on the offensive glass. The extra opportunities generated multiple second- and third-chance shots for the home team. The Lady Vikings was held to only four field goals in the second quarter. The contest was tied at 23 with three minutes to play in the half, but a 10-2 Mitchell scoring run to close the quarter helped Mitchell regain and stretch its lead to 33-25 at halftime.
The Lady Mountaineers continued to pull away with a 14-point period to lead 47-34 after three stanzas. Mitchell's scrambling defense and rebounding prowess made life difficult for Avery all evening. The Lady Vikings trailed by as many as 15 points, and could only rally to within 10 for the remainder of the contest as Mitchell earned the victory.
Burleson paced the Big Red with 16 points, while Tennant added 10 points and eight rebounds. Heaton scored 10 points, with eight points, eight steals and seven assists from Clark.
The loss was Avery's first regular season conference setback in nearly two years, when the last defeat in regular season conference play occurred Jan. 15, 2010, when Mitchell defeated Avery 47-32 in Ledger.
The Lady Vikings returned to action earlier this week against Owen, and will take on West Wilkes in a home game this Thursday, Jan. 19, before traveling to play Thomas Jefferson this Friday, Jan. 20.