It was a cold and snowy night in Newland, and Cloudland was unable to weather the storm.
The Lady ‘Landers and ‘Landers came up short in non conference action on Friday night falling to Avery County (N.C.). The Cloudland boys’ team fell 50-42 to the Vikings, while the Lady ‘Landers fell 55-43.
The boys’ game saw the ‘Landers trail 13-6 as Brinkley Mull and Preston Benfield hit shots for Cloudland. Benfield found his offensive groove in the second quarter with 10 points as the ‘Landers trailed 24-16 at the break.
In the third quarter, the teams traded points as CHS was unable to cut into the Viking lead. The ‘Landers closed the gap to two points with four minutes to play, but was unable to get back in front.
Benfield led Cloudland with 17 points, Jesse Potter had eight points, and Dalton Vines scored six points.
In the girls’ game, Payton Johnson scored six points in the first quarter, and Shian Strickland added four points as Cloudland held a 12-7 lead after a quarter of play. Avery, however, outscored the Lady ‘Landers 14-4 in the second to take a 21-16 lead at the half.
Johanna Johnson sparked Cloudland with a trey in the third quarter. However, Avery extended the lead to 11 heading to the fourth.
Strickland and J. Johnson added two 3-pointers apiece in the final quarter. Cloudland continued to battle but was unable to get back in front.
Strickland and P. Johnson paced Cloudland with 12 and 11 points, respectively. J. Johnson added nine points.
