Brian Hobson
sports@mitchellnews.com
On Friday night, Feb. 23, the Mitchell JV and Varsity teams won their respective Conference Championships in dramatically different fashions. The Mitchell JV boys dismantled Mountain Heritage 57-22 in the early game.
The Mountaineers started off strong, and though Mountain Heritage hung tough in the first quarter, Mitchell led at the half 32-15. The second half was more of the same, with the outcome never seriously in doubt. In contrast, the Varsity Boys’ Championship game against Avery was a nail-biter. Backed by a very loud and rowdy crowd of Avery fans and students, the game started physical, with Fernando Flores slamming to the floor and hitting his head early in the first quarter. Seemingly aware of the void left by Flores’ departure, Avery attacked and kept the game close. Flores returned later in the first half, helping the Mountaineers cling to a 3-point lead going into halftime.
The second half had Avery closing the gap to 1 multiple times, with clutch shooting by Ian Ledford, Dillon Barnett, Fernando Flores, and Connor Warren always pushing the lead just out of Avery’s reach. Both Chris Wences and Jordan Riddle locked down the middle of the floor, and valuable minutes by Colin Vance, Carson Banks, and John Hedrick kept the Vikings at bay. The final 1:30 of the game was plagued by fouls, sending Mitchell to the line numerous times, but the boys hit clutch free throws and ensured the victory for the Mountaineers.
Looking forward
Next up is the State Tournament, where the Mitchell Varsity Boys will play Mountain Heritage, and the Varsity Girls will travel to Hiawassee Dam, which they beat earlier in the season.