The Patton Panthers (Morganton, NC) basketball nipped the host Avery County Vikings (Newland, NC), 70-65 in Thursday's non-league test.

The Panthers (5-6) will now prepare for their test against East Rutherford (Forest City, NC). The Cavaliers go into the 2A Conference 41 test with a 5-6 record. In their last test, East Rutherford got by Ballou (Washington, DC), 60-59, in a non-league test.

The Vikings now own a 8-4 record. They play next when they travel to Mountain Heritage for a 1A/2A Conference 42 test on Tuesday, January 3. Avery County will encounter a Cougars squad coming off a 50-46 non-league win over Crest (Shelby, NC). The Cougars record now stands at 11-1.