Huskies Earn Road Wins Over Blackhawks, Greyhounds

By Joel Frady

Huskies tear past Blackhawks, 83-50
The Ashe County Huskies varsity boys basketball team made the trip to Wilkesboro to face the West Wilkes

Blackhawks on Wednesday, Jan. 28, in the first of two games the teams would play in the span of five days. Shortly after tip-off, any worry that the Blackhawks would prove trouble for the Huskies quickly disappeared.

Six Huskies scored in the first quarter, and Ashe County played with an aggressive edge on the defensive side of the ball. West Wilkes was only able to muster four points in the quarter as the Huskies led by 14 after the first eight minutes.

The Ashe County lead continued to increase in the second quarter, as a 6-2 run in the first two minutes gave them a 24-6 lead. The Blackhawks were finally able to find a rhythm on their offense as the quarter progressed, scoring 13 points in the final five minutes, but senior Daniel Waln countered their run with three three-point baskets to lead Ashe County to a 41-23 halftime lead.

West Wilkes was able to prevent the Huskies from adding to their lead in the third quarter, but weren't able to cut into that lead. The Blackhawks pulled within 15 points on three separate occasions, but Ashe County always had an answer of their own offensively.

Up 55-39 entering the final quarter, the Huskies mounted a run to put West Wilkes away for good. Ashe County outscored their opponent 15-4 over the first three-and-a-half minutes as they cruised to the 83-50 final.

Huskies tame Greyhounds
A case of bronchitis sidelined Ashe County senior center Tommy Spagnola against the North Surry Greyhounds on Friday, Jan. 30, in Mount Airy, but neither Spagnola's illness nor a slow start could stop the Huskies from mounting a giant second-half run to sweep the season series against the Greyhounds.

After the Huskies hit two baskets to take an early 4-1 lead, North Surry hit a hot streak. Led by guard Tanner Easter, who hit eight three-point shots during the Jan. 2 match in West Jefferson, the Greyhounds scored nine straight points to turn a 7-6 deficit into a 15-7 lead. Senior Tatum Lemly scored five points down the stretch for Ashe County, but North Surry was able to take a 21-14 into the second quarter.

North Surry continued their strong play for the first three minutes of the second quarter to go up 31-19, but the Huskies responded with a 12-point run of their own to tie the game at 31. Waln scored five points down the stretch to give the Huskies a brief lead, but North Surry would score the half's final four points to gain a 37-26 edge.

Once the third quarter started, however, it was all but over. Waln scored the first eight points of the half to lead Ashe County on a 10-0 run that put them up 46-37. Ashe went on to score 37 points in the quarter to a mere 12 from the Greyhounds, who never got closer than six for the rest of the game.

Ashe County's starters and back-ups all contributed down the stretch, holding North Surry to five points in the fourth quarter of the 75-54 victory that moved the Huskies to 8-1 in the Mountain Valley Conference.

"We played very good defense and we moved the basketball," said Head Coach Marc Payne. "We had guys that stepped up and played real well and we shot the ball well, both inside the arch and outside the arch."

Blackhawks revisited
The West Wilkes Blackhawks traveled to West Jefferson on Monday, Feb. 2, to play the second half of a home-and-home against the Huskies. Although the game got off to a much different start than the previous Wednesday's match, the outcome was the same: a 33-point victory for Ashe County.

The victory didn't seem certain for the first three minutes, however, as the Blackhawks scored the first 10 points of the game. Lemly finally knocked the lid off the basket with two free throws and the Huskies began to click. Senior Brandon Lucas scored four quick points to cut the West Wilkes lead to 10-6, and Lemly tied the game at 14 with a free throw. The final two minutes belonged to the Huskies, however, who went on a 7-0 run for a 21-14 lead.

The first two minutes of the second quarter was back-and-forth, but the Huskies hit a streak as the half wore down. Up 27-20 at the 5:40 mark, Ashe County went on a 22-6 run to take a commanding 49-26 lead into the locker room.

The Blackhawks' offense never got running in the second half, either, as the team only scored eight points in each of the final two quarters. Ashe County only scored 14 and 12 in those quarters, respectively, but it was more than they would need to finish the Blackhawks, 75-42.

Payne said that the games against West Wilkes "gave us plenty of opportunities to play a lot of folks." He noted that he hopes the team gets healthier before a home conference game against North Wilkes on Friday, Feb. 6. He expects Spagnola to return, but not senior Tavin Holman, who injured his elbow against Surry Central on Jan. 23.

After Friday's game against North Wilkes, the Huskies will travel to East Bend to play the Forbush Falcons on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

Admission to all home games is $5, and the varsity boys tip off at approximately 8 p.m. To find out more, contact Ashe County High School at (336) 846-2400.