Mountain Heritage is a perfect 10-0 against Avery County since January of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Mountain Heritage Cougars will square off against the Avery County Vikings at 6:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Avery County will be up against a hot Mountain Heritage team: the squad just extended their winning streak to ten. Mountain Heritage simply couldn't be stopped on Tuesday as they easily beat Draughn 67-30. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 79th, while the Wildcats are ranked 284th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lilly Neill
| 02/18/25 vs Draughn | 3 |
| 02/17/25 vs NCSSM: Morganton | 3 |
| 02/14/25 @ Draughn | 3 |
| 02/13/25 vs NCSSM: Morganton | 9 |
| 02/07/25 vs Madison | 4 |
Mountain Heritage can attribute much of their success to Layla Worley, who went 7-for-16 to rack up 17 points in addition to eight rebounds and four steals, and Lilly Neill, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and ten boards. Neill has been hot, having also posted three or more steals the last five times she's played. Callie Capps was another key player, putting up 11 points and six boards.
Mountain Heritage smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in 23 consecutive matches.
Mitchell typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Avery County proved too difficult a challenge. They blew past the Mountaineers 60-28. The victory was familiar territory for the Vikings, who have now won seven games in a row.
Mountain Heritage better focus on containing Maddy Barrett and Caroline Hollifield as the pair were huge in Avery County's win. Barrett went 7-for-13 en route to 16 points along with five rebounds and three steals, while Hollifield went 7-for-11 on her way to 16 points and three steals. What's more, Barrett also posted three assists, the most she's had since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Hallie Johnson, who had 12 points.
Avery County's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 19-6. Those victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.6 points over those games. As for Mountain Heritage, their record is now 22-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Mountain Heritage has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 37 boards per game. However, it's not like Avery County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27.1 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Mountain Heritage beat Avery County 57-50 in their previous matchup back in January. Does Mountain Heritage have another victory up their sleeve, or will Avery County turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
