Middle School Basketball Bears Open Season
The Ava Middle School Bears opened the 2018 basketball season by participating in the West Plains Middle School Tournament. The eighth grade Bears were able to win the consolation plaque in their division, while the seventh grade squad was eliminated in two games.
The Bears played the Licking Wildcats in the first round of both brackets on Monday, November 5th. Licking defeated the Bears seventh grade squad 41-19. Licking led 20-8 at halftime. Scoring for Ava included: Rylin Dickson 6, Ryan Thompson 3, Ivan Mings 3, Roebe Henry 2, Tyson Tidwell 2, Brayden Thorburn 2, and Wyatt Coberly 1. Licking defeated Ava’s eighth grade squad 37-16. Licking led 22-6 at the half. Scoring for the Bears included: Quin Breeding 9, Grady Goss 4, Hunter Hall 2, and Brett Ross 1.
Both of the Ava teams faced Salem in the consolation bracket on Tuesday, November 6th. Salem defeated the 7th grade Bears 33-27. The Tigers led the Bears 17-14 at halftime and led 24-19 after three quarters of play. Tyson Tidwell led Ava’s scoring with 7 points, followed by Ivan Mings and Kemper Wickware with 4 points each. The rest of Ava’s scoring included: Ryan Thompson 3, Junior Cazares 3, Roebe Henry 2, Rylin Dickson 2, and Rylan Lumley 2. The Bears defeated Salem 37-15 in the 8th grade contest. Ava led 17-7 at halftime and increased the lead to 27-13 after three quarters of play. Quin Breeding led Ava’s scoring with 17 points. The rest of the scoring for the Bears included: Josh Springer 6, Luke Little 6, Connor Prock 3, Hunter Hall 3, and Luther Supancic 2.
Ava’s win over Salem in the 8th grade tournament advanced the Bears to a consolation semifinal game against the Houston Tigers. The Bears defeated the Tigers 36-23 in that contest. The Bears led 12-10 at halftime, and worked to extend the lead to 16 points midway through the final period. Scoring for Ava included: Springer 12, Supancic 12, Breeding 6, Little 4, and Hall 2.
The 8th grade squad advanced to the consolation final on Thursday, November 8th, and defeated the Thayer Bobcats 32-22. The Bears played excellent defense in the second half to hold the Bobcats to 7 points. Springer led the scoring for Ava with 13 points, followed by Breeding with 8 points. The remainder of the scoring for the Bears included: Hall 5, Little 4, and Supancic 2.
