Ava Middle School Bears Pick Up Wins Over Houston, Cabool

The Ava Middle School Bears returned from the Thanksgiving break to play at Houston Middle School on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Ava rallied in the seventh grade game to post a 38-36 win. The Bears trailed 13-6 after the first quarter of play and trailed 22-11 at halftime. Ava caught the Tigers and took the lead for good with two minutes remaining in the contest.
Leading scorers for the Bears were Josh Bray and Blake King with 11 points each. The remainder of the scoring for Ava included: Kayden Myers 8, Aeneas Stout 6, and Nate Swofford 2.
The eighth grade squad also started slowly before taking control of the game in the second half en route to a 60-35 win. Ava trailed 16-12 after one quarter of play and trailed 23-22 at halftime. The Bears took command of the game by outscoring Houston 22-6 in the third quarter. Caleb Johnson led Ava’s scoring with 18 points; other Bears in double figures included Stephen Copeland with 15 points and Drake King with 10 points. The remainder of the scoring for Ava included:  Thomas Emerich 9, Darien Rucker 3, Griffin Taylor 2, Dustin Kilgore 2, and Cylas Puchta 1.
The Bears returned home to notch two wins over the Cabool Bulldogs on Monday, Dec. 8. The 7th grade Bears jumped out to an early lead and defeated the Bulldogs 46-19. The Bears led 31-7 at halftime.
Josh Bray led the scoring for Ava with 12 points, followed by Blake King with 10 points. The rest of the scoring for Ava included: Kayden Myers 8, Nate Swofford 6, Aeneas Stout 4, Jacob Gillies 2, Evan Horn 2, and Devin Griffith 2.
The Bears defeated the Bulldogs 51-24 in the eighth grade contest. Ava outscored the Bulldogs 19-5 in the second period to take a 27-8 lead to the locker room at halftime. Ava’s scoring was led by Caleb Johnson’s 19 points and 16 points from Drake King. Stephen Copeland’s 6 points, along with 5 points each from Griffin Taylor and Dustin Kilgore, completed the scoring for the Bears.