Kropp sets school record, but Avery pulls away late for win

Despite a record-setting night by senior Hayley Kropp, Polk County’s fourth-quarter rally ran out of steam.

The Wolverines nearly came all the way back from an 11-point deficit, only to see Avery gradually pull away in the final minutes for a 58-48 victory in a Western Highlands Conference matchup at Polk.

At the heart of the comeback was Kropp, who finished the game with 37 points, breaking Briana Cunningham’s single-game school record of 35. Kropp also tied a school record with five 3-pointers.

But Avery (8-5, 2-1) overcome Kropp’s outburst with an offensive approach that often led to easy layups, freeing up players cutting from the back side. The scheme helped the Vikings outscore Polk 12-2 in a two and half minute span late in the fourth quarter to clinch the win.

“We had some mental breakdowns on possessions that we don’t usually have,” said Polk County head coach Brandy Alm. “We played incredibly well in our Christmas tournament, but tonight we had a lot of little things where we didn’t execute well.”

Polk County (6-6, 1-3) trailed Avery 40-29 early in the fourth period before Kropp went to work, hitting a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws, then following an Autumn Owen basket with another layup to make it 41-38 with 5:15 left in the game.

Kropp hit five free throws in a one-minute span to make the score 45-43 with 3:55 remaining. But that would be as close as the Wolverines would get, Avery scoring the next eight points and pulling away.

Kropp added 12 rebounds, six steals and four assists, with Owen scoring 11 points and grabbing four rebounds. Ansley Lynch also had four rebounds and Bella Marino had four steals.

Freshman Heaven Nelson paced Avery with 22 points.