The Ava Middle School Bears hosted the Reeds Spring Wolves on Tuesday, December 7.
The seventh grade Bears lost to the visiting Wolves by a score of 27-26.
The game was close throughout the night. Ava led 7-4 after one quarter of play and the game was tied 13-13 at halftime.
Caleb McFarlin was Ava’s leading scorer with 12 points, followed by Zach Hunsaker with 8 points. Austin Potts scored 4 points and Colton Overcast chipped in two points to round out the scoring for the Bears.
The Bears won the eighth grade game by a score of 41-27.
Ava jumped out to a 15-4 first quarter lead and led 33-18 after three quarters of play.
Cody Huff led the scoring for the Bears with 17 points, followed by Colton Akers with 8 points. Derrick Bushong and Tristan Haltom scored 6 points each, and John Luebbering added 4 points to complete the scoring for Ava.
The Bears traveled to Mountain Grove to play the Panthers on Thursday, December 9.
Mountain Grove won the seventh grade game by a 25-18 margin.
The Panthers’ largest lead of the game was their final margin of victory, as the Bears played excellent defense in the first three quarters.
The game was tied 5-5 after one quarter; Mountain Grove led 8-7 at halftime and held a 10-9 lead after the third quarter.
A three-point basket by Dakota Pierce tied the game at 12 early in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers responded with a rally and forced the Bears to foul late and the host team converted at the free throw line to put the game away.
Morgan Smith’s 6 points led Ava’s scoring, followed by Hunsaker with 5, Pierce with 3, and 2 points each from McFarlin and Nate Bray.
The Panthers won the eighth grade game 39-24.
Mountain Grove led 11-8 after one quarter and gradually increased the lead to 29-19 after three quarters of play.
Luebbering led Ava’s scoring with 8 points. The remainder of the scoring included: Huff 4, Akers 4, Bushong 4, Haltom 2, and Fred Haden 2.
The Bears will play their final games before the holiday break on Thursday, December 16.
The Bears will travel to West Plains to face the Zizzers.
Game time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. for the seventh grade contest with the eighth grade immediately following.
