mecklenburg

WEST JEFFERSON � The Buckin' Elks from Elkin had beaten the North Wilkes Vikings twice this season with the help of a strong zone defense and some off shooting nights from the Vikings.

On Friday night in the Mountain Valley Athletic Conference tournament championship game, neither the Elks' zone or poor shooting troubled the Vikings.

North Wilkes connected on 57 percent of their two-point field goals on their way to a commanding 60-40 win.

The win for the Vikings avenged their only two losses of the season and they now enter the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 2A playoffs with a record of 25-2. The loss dropped the Elks to 23-3.

Jennifer Rhodes led all scorers in the game with 17 and went 6-of-9 from the floor including three 3-pointers. Point guard Victoria Young � the MVAC Tournament MVP � added 12 points as did Allison Livengood. Livengood also pulled in a team-high nine rebounds.

Savannah Billings added eight points and five boards and Emily Phillips chipped in four points and handed out a team-high seven assist.

The Vikings' man-to-man defense stifled the Elks for most of the game and as a team, Elkin shot only 26 percent from the floor.

Miracle Walters had a team-high 12 points for the Elks and Kenly Burchette added eight in addition to her seven rebounds. Kylie Thomas had a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with her four points and four assists.

Last week was a pretty good week for Allison Livengood.

One game after scoring her 1,000th point on the road against Starmount, the senior center came back to Hays Friday night with a chance to help her North Wilkes Vikings secure a share of the Mountain Valley Athletic Conference regular-season championship.

Livengood responded, pouring in a game-high 16 � and perhaps the basket of the night � in helping the Vikings defeat cross-county rival East Wilkes 57-39.

The Vikings improved to 22-2 in the senior night finale, and 12-2 in league play, but came into Friday's game needing help to claim the co-title with Elkin.

The Vikings got that help, as Wilkes Central upset the Elks (in Elkin, see SCOREBOARD for box score) prior to the end of the Cardinals/Vikings contest.

"We didn't even realize it until right at the end of the game," said Livengood. "The bench found out from people in the stands, but they didn't tell us so we'd keep our focus on the game."

Livengood admitted, "It took a second or two for it to really process. I was just shocked at first. We knew going in that Wilkes Central could win. In the top tier of this conference, anyone really can beat anyone else on any given night."

"The girls were ecstatic," smiled Vikings' Head Coach Steven Phillips afterward. "We've played extremely well all season long, and to go 22-2 and not get at least a share of the conference title would've been disappointing."

The Vikings stormed ahead early, building a 26-13 lead at the half.

But East Wilkes fought back in the third with a 9-1 run that cut the deficit to 33-27 with 2:01 in the quarter. Alexis Pardue led the charge with five of those points, including a nice up-and-under from the left for a contested layup.

Three straight Vikings' baskets followed, however. Livengood started the home team's run with an offensive rebound and put back from the left, and later assisted on a McKenzie Wood jumper from the free-throw line with 42 seconds on the third quarter clock.

The game turned for the final time on the first play of the fourth quarter. A mere nine seconds into the frame, Livengood drilled a deep 3-pointer from the right wing, and was hacked on the shot.

Livengood hit the subsequent free throw, and the rare four-point play made the score 43-27. And Livengood wasn't finished; on East's next offensive possession, Livengood recorded the steal and charged full court for the left-side lay-up and an 18-point Vikings' advantage.

All told, the Vikings answered East's late third quarter run with a 12-0 burst. East tried one last rally with four straight points on hoops by Pardue and Gracie Brown, but a runner by North's Victoria Young, and enough makes from the charity stripe down the stretch, helped secure the home team's win.

East Wilkes dropped to 14-8 and 10-4 with the loss, good enough for a tie for third place with Wilkes Central in the top-heavy Mountain Valley. Pardue scored 14 to pace the Cardinals, and Brown and Chelsea Edwards added six.

"We had spurts where we looked good defensively," said East Wilkes Head Coach Matt Campbell, "but offensively we couldn't get much going.

"North did a great job with a physical man-to-man defense. It was clean, but very physical. And they killed on the glass with second-chance points. We just have to continue to get stronger.

"But we are getting better," added Campbell, "we continue to battle every time we go out there."

Friday was senior night, as North Wilkes said goodbye to five senior girls � Livengood, Wood, Jennifer Rhodes, Shauna Saunders and Emily Hill.

"They all contributed to our success this season," said Phillips.

"Tonight, Shauna broke the ice for us offensively with our first basket, a 3-pointer," continued Phillips. "McKenzie had to guard their best post player and did a great job all night long.

"Emily is a solid team leader, whether she's in the game or on the bench, and always gives us big minutes. And Jennifer plays perimeter defense as well as anyone I've seen. We're really going to miss her; we're going to miss them all."

And then there's Livengood, who did damage Friday both inside and out.

"I can't take credit for that four-point play," laughed Phillips. "That was all Allison. But she knows she can shoot it when she's open. And that was a real momentum swinger.

"She was active on both ends of the court tonight," continued Phillips. "She was very good defensively, too. She helped us pick up our defensive effort when we needed it most."

And as for Livengood's 1,000th point, the senior was quick to point out "that is something I couldn't do without the help of my teammates. Basketball isn't a one-man show. I couldn't do anything out there without their help.

"But, yes, this achievement means a lot to me. It's a testament to the hard work that was put in by everyone involved to get to this point."

Notes: In the J.V. finale for both squads, North Wilkes survived for a 45-43 win against the Cardinals. East led by three heading into the fourth quarter, but North Wilkes stormed back, aided by 21 trips to the free-throw lane in the final frame. Raygan Casstevens led the Vikings with a game-high 27 points, and Courtney Holbrook chipped in five. Lauren Rakes and Leslie Sierra scored 22 and nine points for East Wilkes.