Basketball Game Preview: Avery County Vikings vs. McDowell Titans

Avery County hasn't had much luck against McDowell recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The two teams will round out the year against one another at at 5:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Avery County comes in on four and McDowell on eight.

Avery County is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 79-42 victory over Draughn. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 112th, while the Wildcats are ranked 252nd), the result on Thursday wasn't entirely unexpected.

Avery County relied on the efforts of Marley Jones, who went 14 for 19 on her way to 31 points, and Caroline Hollifield, who went 6 of 7 en route to 17 points and six rebounds. Jones continues to improve, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Hallie Johnson, who went 5 of 11 on her way to 11 points.

Meanwhile, McDowell won against T.C. Roberson on Tuesday with 66 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. McDowell breezed by Franklin to the tune of 66-24. The Titans have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matches by 26 points or more this season.

Avery County's win was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.9 points per game. As for McDowell, their victory bumped their record up to 8-0.

Avery County took a serious blow against McDowell in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, falling 71-35. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Avery County was down 43-19.