Hendersonville Middle relies on second-quarter run to top Polk Middle

A rough second quarter proved Polk County Middle’s undoing on Monday as the Wolverines dropped a 40-28 decision to Hendersonville Middle in Blue Ridge Conference action at Polk.

The Wolverines (2-5) more than held their own against the East Division co-leading Bearcats (5-2) for the other three periods, but Hendersonville put together an 18-4 run in the second to take command of the game.

Hendersonville scored 10 straight points to open the second before Karlen McEntyre hit a layup with 3:13 left to stop that run. The Bearcats stretched the lead to 19 points before Polk’s Banks Barber hit a 3-pointer just before the half to give the Wolverines a 28-12 deficit entering the locker room.

The gap remained at 16 points until the final two minutes of the game, when Avery Hensley scored on a rebound and Eno Baker hit a jumper from the top of the lane to account for the final margin.

Hensley and Barber each had nine points for Polk Middle, with McEntyre scoring seven and Baker finishing with three.

Polk Middle hits the road on Thursday, facing the East’s other co-leader, Flat Rock.