Basketball Game Preview: Avery County Vikings vs. Mountain Heritage Cougars

Avery County hasn't had much luck against Mountain Heritage recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Avery County Vikings will head out on the road to square off against the Mountain Heritage Cougars at 6:00 p.m. Avery County knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past four matches -- so hopefully Mountain Heritage likes a good challenge.

Avery County is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They came out on top against Polk County by a score of 67-58.

Caroline Hollifield

Steals

02/28/25 @ Polk County	6
02/25/25 vs Andrews	5
02/22/25 vs Mountain Heritage	2
02/18/25 @ Mitchell	3
02/17/25 vs Owen	1
+ 19 more games

Avery County relied on the efforts of Caroline Hollifield, who almost dropped a double-double with 21 points and nine rebounds, and Hallie Johnson, who went 5-for-11 on her way to 15 points and three steals. What's more, Hollifield racked up six steals, the most she's had since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Maddy Barrett, who posted nine points and six boards.

Avery County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive rebounds in 13 consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Mountain Heritage entered their tilt with Union Academy on Friday with 12 consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with 13. They walked away with a 55-45 win over the Cardinals.

Mountain Heritage pushed their record up to 25-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 32.7 points. As for Avery County, they are on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten games. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-7 record this season.

Avery County came up short against Mountain Heritage in their previous matchup last Saturday, falling 64-59. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Mountain Heritage's Lilly Neill, who dropped a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Now that Avery County knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.