Lady Vikings cage Lady Bearcats, Wolverines
Jamie Shell / (jamie.shell@averyjournal.com)
Avery Lady Vikings cruised to a pair of Western Highlands Conference wins last week, upending the Lady Bearcats from Hendersonville 81-40 on Tuesday, Jan. 24, and following up the win on an emotion-packed Friday, Jan. 27, at Viking Gym with a 75-31 blowout against Polk County.
Against Hendersonville, the Lady Bearcats hung close in the early going, but Avery built an 18-11 advantage after one period. A 24-13 scoring run in the second quarter extended the Lady Vikings lead to 42-24 at halftime.
The Big Red flexed its muscle and made a statement with a 20-3 scoring run to build a commanding 62-27 lead en route to the 41-point rout.
Kelsie Clarke paced Avery on the scoreboard with 17 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, along with four assists, four steals and three rebounds. Megan Tennant and Lauren Burleson added 15 points and eight rebounds apiece in the win, with 11 points from Breanna Heaton.
Alyssa Chet led Hendersonville with 12 points, with 10 points from Raven Thompson.
Avery returned home on Friday, Jan. 27, for an emotional game against Polk County. With the loss of Vikings public address announcer Jim Greene, the team’s hearts were heavy. The players honored Greene by wearing black bands on their jerseys, and proceeded to release its frustration by destroying the Lady Wolverines.
The evening was also an opportunity for the Lady Vikings to promote cancer awareness, as all Viking basketball teams wore pink during the game and donations were collected between the varsity contests.
The first quarter was all-Lady Vikings, as Avery blitzed Polk 26-8 after eight minutes. Clarke scored 10 points in the period, and added defensive pressure that led to a number of Lady Wolverines turnovers in the stanza.
The onslaught continued for the remainder of the half, as sophomore guard Katie Rigdon came off the bench to score five points in the quarter. Tennant scored 11 points in the first half, helping the Big Red to a 45-20 lead at halftime.
The unsung portion of Avery’s effort against Polk was the defense, which limited the Lady Wolverines to 11 points over the final two quarters. Breanna Heaton scored all six of her points for the game in the third quarter to help Avery seize a 63-26 lead after three periods. Head coach Missy Lyons generously used her bench over the final eight minutes as the Lady Vikings coasted to the 44-point victory.
Four Lady Vikings registered double-figures in the win, led by 20 points from Tennant. Lauren Burleson tallied 13 points, with 12 from Clarke and 10 points by Rigdon.
Avery improved its record to 16-4 overall, with a 7-1 record in Western Highlands Conference contests. AHS returned to the court earlier this week with a game at Madison. The Vikings takes to the road this Friday, Feb. 3, with a Western Highlands Conference showdown at Mountain Heritage.
Against Hendersonville, the Lady Bearcats hung close in the early going, but Avery built an 18-11 advantage after one period. A 24-13 scoring run in the second quarter extended the Lady Vikings lead to 42-24 at halftime.
The Big Red flexed its muscle and made a statement with a 20-3 scoring run to build a commanding 62-27 lead en route to the 41-point rout.
Kelsie Clarke paced Avery on the scoreboard with 17 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, along with four assists, four steals and three rebounds. Megan Tennant and Lauren Burleson added 15 points and eight rebounds apiece in the win, with 11 points from Breanna Heaton.
Alyssa Chet led Hendersonville with 12 points, with 10 points from Raven Thompson.
Avery returned home on Friday, Jan. 27, for an emotional game against Polk County. With the loss of Vikings public address announcer Jim Greene, the team’s hearts were heavy. The players honored Greene by wearing black bands on their jerseys, and proceeded to release its frustration by destroying the Lady Wolverines.
The evening was also an opportunity for the Lady Vikings to promote cancer awareness, as all Viking basketball teams wore pink during the game and donations were collected between the varsity contests.
The first quarter was all-Lady Vikings, as Avery blitzed Polk 26-8 after eight minutes. Clarke scored 10 points in the period, and added defensive pressure that led to a number of Lady Wolverines turnovers in the stanza.
The onslaught continued for the remainder of the half, as sophomore guard Katie Rigdon came off the bench to score five points in the quarter. Tennant scored 11 points in the first half, helping the Big Red to a 45-20 lead at halftime.
The unsung portion of Avery’s effort against Polk was the defense, which limited the Lady Wolverines to 11 points over the final two quarters. Breanna Heaton scored all six of her points for the game in the third quarter to help Avery seize a 63-26 lead after three periods. Head coach Missy Lyons generously used her bench over the final eight minutes as the Lady Vikings coasted to the 44-point victory.
Four Lady Vikings registered double-figures in the win, led by 20 points from Tennant. Lauren Burleson tallied 13 points, with 12 from Clarke and 10 points by Rigdon.
Avery improved its record to 16-4 overall, with a 7-1 record in Western Highlands Conference contests. AHS returned to the court earlier this week with a game at Madison. The Vikings takes to the road this Friday, Feb. 3, with a Western Highlands Conference showdown at Mountain Heritage.