Ashe County Boys Retain Conference Lead with Two Big Wins

By Joel Frady

Huskies stifle Vikings with second half run
Head Coach Marc Payne got his 500th career win as a head coach with a relatively easy 63-32 victory at

North Wilkes on Jan. 9, but the Vikings didn't go down as easily when they visited West Jefferson on Friday, Feb. 6.

The Huskies appeared to take control of the game early, as back-to-back three pointers by seniors Daniel Waln and Dustin Hamm sparked an eight-point run that put Ashe County up 10-2. But North Wilkes fought back, pulling within three points late in the quarter before Ashe County used a 9-4 run in the final two minutes to take a 21-13 lead.

The Huskies started the second quarter on a 7-4 run to push their advantage to 13, but the Vikings made sure that wasn't the story for the entire quarter. The final 5:44 was a nightmare for Ashe County, as Romone Andino of North Wilkes scored nine points to lead the Vikings on a 15-0 run to end the first half.

For Ashe County, a 28-15 lead had turned into a 30-28 deficit.

"We had a great first quarter," Payne said after the game. "North Wilkes had a good second quarter, and we didn't have a very good second quarter. Credit them for our problems. I thought we were pretty inept offensively in the second quarter.

"North Wilkes was very aggressive," he continued. "We didn't do a very good job on their penetration. They got some offensive rebounds for scores. We just were out of synch."

Ashe County tied the game early in the third quarter before North Wilkes regained control, using a 7-2 run to take a 37-32 lead at the 4:10 mark. The Huskies then went on a run of their own as Waln tied the game with a three-point basket at the 3:21 mark before senior Tatum Lemly gave Ashe County the lead with a three-point play 30 seconds later.

The Huskies' scored the first nine points of the fourth quarter to complete a 20-0 run and give them a 52-37 lead. North Wilkes finally hit a basket at the 4:08 mark - more than eight minutes after their previous basket - but were never able to get back into the game. The Huskies didn't hit a basket during the final four minutes, but they went five-of-eight from the free throw line to seal the 59-42 victory.

"In the third quarter, we came out and tried a little something different," said Payne. "We worked around and got a chemistry on the floor with the players we had, and once we got that focus we just stuck with what we had."

Payne noted that "when you allow a team 12 points in the second half, you've done a pretty good job."

The win moved Ashe County to 9-1 in the Mountain Valley conference and 18-3 overall.

Huskies sweep Falcons in road finale
Ashe County traveled to East Bend on Tuesday, Feb. 10, to face the Forbush Falcons in the Huskies' final road game of the regular season. Ashe County defeated Forbush 80-59 when the teams met in West Jefferson on Jan. 16, and the Huskies pulled off the sweep thanks to dominating play in the second and third quarters.

Junior Grayson Wells scored the first five points of the game for Ashe County, sparking an 8-2 run to open the game. Forbush then mounted a run, however, outscoring the Huskies 10-4 to cut the lead to one.

Ashe scored the next five points to push the lead back to six and ended the first quarter with a 21-15 advantage.

The Falcons came out hot in the second quarter, however, using a 6-2 run in the first two minutes to cut the Huskies' lead to 23-21.

Payne then called a timeout to refocus his team, and the Huskies took off when play resumed. Senior Jordan Nichols scored eight points for Ashe County as they reeled off a 16-1 run to take a 39-22 lead.

Forbush made a run of their own in the closing minutes of the half, but were only able to cut the lead down to 43-30.

Ashe County remained hot in the third quarter, opening with a 5-2 run for a 48-32 lead. Forbush scored the next six points, but the Huskies answered with an 8-0 run. The Huskies' lead was at 20, 60-40, by the end of the quarter. Forbush never came closer than 20 the rest of the way as the Huskies sealed the 81-56 victory.

With the win, Ashe County moved to 10-1 in conference play and 19-3 overall. The victory also sets up a "winner take all" match against the Wilkes Central Eagles on Thursday, Feb. 12, in West Jefferson. The Eagles currently trail Ashe County by one game in conference play, but they also handed the Huskies' their only conference loss with a 65-64 overtime heartbreaker on Jan. 21 in Wilkesboro.

With a win on Thursday, Ashe County can also earn a first-round bye in the Mountain Valley Conference tournament. The tournament will begin on Monday, Feb. 16, with the first round being played at the higher-seeded schools. Ashe County will host the semifinals and finals in West Jefferson.

Admission to all home games is $5, and the varsity boys tip off at approximately 8 p.m. Anyone unable to attend any of the games can tune into the action on WKSK 580 AM. To find out more, contact Ashe County High School at (336) 846-2400.