By Joel Frady

The atmosphere was electric at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Fleming Gymnasium on

Thursday, March 6, as the Ashe County High School varsity boys basketball team prepared to square off against the East Lincoln Mustangs in the fourth round of the North Carolina 2-A state tournament. Hundreds of Husky fans had made the trip, with the help of three charter buses, and the gym was loud before the game ever started.

In the end, however, it was the East Lincoln crowd that got to make the noise, as the Mustangs fought through a stiff Ashe County defense to claim the 46-37 victory.

Ashe County got off to the perfect start, winning the tip-off and using two passes to get the ball to senior Tatum Lemly, who scored only four seconds into the game. After that goal, however, they struggled to score from the offensive end for the remainder of the quarter, scoring only five points (three from the free throw line) and not scoring from the field until junior Greyson Wells hit a basket with four seconds remaining.

The Huskies' defense kept them in the game, however, and the teams were tied 2-2 after three minutes. The Mustangs scored four quick points to go up 6-2 and led by as many as eight late in the quarter before Ashe County cut their lead to 12-7.

The teams traded baskets for the first two minutes of the second quarter, and a three-point shot by Wells pulled Ashe County within three, 17-14, at the 5:51 mark. Keith Rendleman of East Lincoln scored four points in a minute to lift the Mustangs to a 21-16 lead at the 2:53 mark, but the Huskies mounted a comeback. They scored six points in the final two minutes, including four from senior Tommy Spagnola, to take a 22-21 lead into the half.

Lemly opened the third quarter with two baskets to put the Huskies up 26-23, but the rest of the quarter was a slugfest. Rendleman and Spenser Sydney each scored four points to spark a 8-2 Mustang run and take a five-point lead, but the Huskies found more magic with time running out. Spagnola hit a basket with 58 seconds remaining and Wells hit a three with two seconds left to tie the game at 33 heading into the final quarter.

Drew Spear of East Lincoln gave the Mustangs a lead with a basket at the 6:45 mark of the fourth quarter - a lead that the Mustangs would never surrender. The Huskies cut the Mustang lead to one on two separate occasions, and only trailed 42-39 with 30 seconds remaining in the game. But the Huskies went cold down the stretch, scoring only one basket in the final four minutes, and East Lincoln hit their final four free throws to seal the win.

Ashe County Head Coach Marc Payne said that the height and length of the East Lincoln players was a factor in the Huskies' offensive issues.

"They came out and used their length, really got out in the passing lanes to cause us a lot of problems, and certainly did a good job defending angles in our positioning to feed the ball to Tommy," said Payne. "We were able to get into some seams, but their length caused us a big problem when we got in the seams, too." He later noted that their length "makes it much tougher for [players] to shoot over them, and the shooting percentage tonight reflects that."

Payne noted that it was "a one or two possession game" until the final minute.

"When you get to the end, you have to make some fouls and some shots," he continued. "I would have liked to see us get a little better shots, something going to the basket, inside of a minute. [But] our guys who shot those balls have shot those balls all year long, so I cannot fault them."

He also said that the "team was very excited" going into the game.

"You look up in the stands and see the folks that we had down here, this has been something special for Ashe County," said Payne. "It's been special for the players, the school, the county."

With the loss, Payne watched the nine seniors on his team play their final game in an Ashe County basketball uniform.

"We've had a long run with those seniors," he said. "They provided us with a lot of great moments. I told them that we were fortunate and honored to have coached them."

For the juniors on the team, the message was easy: follow the example set by the seniors.

"These seniors have laid a blueprint for Ashe County basketball," he said. "If you want to reach the level that they've reached, you're going to have to follow that blueprint."

The Ashe County Huskies finished the season with a record of 25-4. They were the regular season and tournament champions of the Mountain Valley Conference.

To find out more about Ashe County High School athletics, click to www.ashe.k12.nc.us/achs/web/home/index.htm.