Polk County delivered Monday exactly the type of performance and effort that head coach Josh Money has been wanting all season.
Everywhere, that is, except the free-throw line.
Even a mediocre night at the foul line would have enabled the Wolverines to close their regular season with a win. But a 6-for-20 showing ultimately helped allow Avery to escape with a 71-64 overtime triumph in a Western Highlands Conference tussle.
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Polk County (3-21, 0-12) did everything right except win. Wolverine seniors playing their final home game made certain it was a memorable one, focused on both ends of the court from start to finish.
“It was one of the best games I’ve ever been part of,” Money said. “We had intensity and fight and effort from the start of the game and never quit.
“All night long, I felt it was our game. Unfortunately, we went six-for-twenty from the free-throw line. If we make our free throws in regulation, that game’s over, no problem. But the biggest thing is that we just fought the entire way.”
The Wolverines took a 55-51 lead with 1:55 left on a Khristian Littlejohn dunk. But Avery (11-10, 5-7) battled back to even the score at 55-55, then took a 59-57 lead heading into the final 30 seconds.
Two Polk missed free throws gave the ball back to the Vikings, and Avery standout Hank Johnson hit a free throw with 16 seconds left to make it 60-57. With time winding down, Polk’s Aaron Jackson answered, popping the net with a long 3-pointer with eight seconds left to even the score. Avery could only get off a long desperation shot before the buzzer.
Another Littlejohn dunk made it 62-62 early in overtime. But a pair of turnovers and two more missed free throws allowed Avery to pull away in the final two minutes.
“We just had some inopportune turnovers,” Money said. “That’s a hard situation to be in, game on the line, regulation and overtime. Unless you’ve played that a lot, you just don’t have that kind of experience.”
The Wolverines trailed 4-0 early, but surged to a 12-4 lead and maintained that advantage throughout the first half. Littlejohn and Jackson scored the final six points of the first half to help give the Wolverines a 33-26 edge at the break.
Chase Stansbury’s jumper to open the third period made it 35-26, but Avery rallied, evening the score at 38-38 with 3:24 left in the quarter. The teams remained knotted at 45-45 entering the final period.
Jackson and Littlejohn each had 20 points to lead Polk County. Stansbury and Khalil Austin each added eight, with Nate Fagan scoring six and Blake Anderson adding two.
Polk County will face Mountain Heritage on Wednesday at Madison in the opening round of the Western Highlands Conference Tournament.
“Unfortunately, it took until the end of the season for things to start coming together,” Money said. “But if I was another team, I’d be scared to play us, because I feel like we’re going to put up a good fight.
“Even if we get beat on Wednesday, whoever we play probably won’t have any legs on Thursday, because I think we’re going to take it to whoever we play.”
