Varsity Boys Claim Regular-Season Conference Title

By Joel Frady

Huskies even season series with Wilkes Central
The Ashe County High School varsity boys basketball team had already won the outright regular season

Mountain Valley Conference title and a first-round tournament bye before their regular season finale against the Wilkes Central Eagles on Thursday, Feb. 12, in West Jefferson. But the Huskies came prepared for a game they wanted to win on Senior Night, in front of a packed house, against the team that handed them their only conference loss in a 65-64 overtime match in Wilkesboro on Jan. 21.

Wilkes Central, on the other hand, looked more like the team that had lost two days prior, 45-34 to the 5-13 Starmount Rams, than the team that beat the conference champion Huskies on a buzzer beater.

After Wilkes Central scored the game's first basket on Thursday, the Huskies went on a 12-0 run led by seniors Tatum Lemly and Dustin Hamm, who each scored four during the four-and-a-half minute stretch. Wilkes Central was only able to muster four more points in the quarter and trailed 16-6 by the end.

Ashe County opened the second quarter in similar fashion, as five players led a 10-0 run over the first five minutes to push the lead to 24-6. Wilkes Central finally hit a basket at the 2:55 mark to help them outscore the Huskies 8-7 over the final three minutes, but Ashe County still went into the break with a comfortable 31-14 lead.

The Eagles fought hard in the third quarter, which was also the only quarter that they managed to outscore Ashe County. The teams traded baskets for most of the quarter, but Wilkes Central never got closer than 14 and trailed 45-29 entering the final quarter.

The Huskies dominated the fourth quarter, using a strong defense and six early points from senior Tommy Spagnola to claim the 65-36 victory.

Ashe County Head Coach Marc Payne said that the teams' "motivation was a little bit higher because we lost that game," but added that his team "played really hard tonight."

With the win, Ashe County moved to 11-1 in the conference and 20-3 overall.

"It's very gratifying and very special for our program to win 20 games in the regular season," said Payne.

"I'm happy for our seniors," noted Payne, who has nine seniors on his 14-player varsity squad. "It was a good regular season, and now it's time to point our attention toward the tournament."

Payne hinted that he wouldn't count out Wilkes Central, the number two seed in the conference, despite the two-game losing streak they ended the season on.

"If I was a betting man, I'd bet we play again," said Payne.

Conference Tournament in West Jefferson
Ashe County enjoyed a break on Monday night, thanks to their bye, while the rest of the conference battled for spots in the semifinals. The higher seeds won two of the first-round games, as two-seed Wilkes Central beat seven-seed Surry Central 63-42, and three-seed North Wilkes got a 70-57 win over six-seed Forbush. The only upset came in Mount Airy, as five-seed Starmount defeated North Surry 79-71 in overtime.

The Huskies will play Starmount on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Ashe County beat the Rams soundly both times the teams met, 77-49 in Boonville and 74-50 in West Jefferson.

The winner of the Ashe County/Forbush match will move on to Friday's championship game. Wilkes Central and North Wilkes will play on Thursday night at 8 p.m. for the other spot in the title game.

The semifinals and finals will both be held at Ashe County High School in West Jefferson. Admission is $5 each night.

For more information about the tournament, call tournament director Scott Grubb at Ashe County High School at (336) 846-2400