Youth league games highlight competitive weekend

The fifth- and sixth-grade Bulls and Warriors opened the Saturday, March 7, Youth Basketball League schedule. Facing the Warriors, the Bulls pulled away for a 30-17 win.

Game two featured the third- and fourth-grade Cavs and Vikings. The Vikings stayed in front throughout the contest and held on for an 18-10 victory.

In game three, the fifth- and sixth-grade Vikings faced the Spartans. The Spartans dominated the boards on both ends of the court and scored 40 points in a 40-28 win.

The final contest of the day featured the third- and fourth-grade Tar Heels and Huskies in what proved to be the most competitive game of the day. The teams battled back and forth with several ties and frequent two-point leads, most of which favored the Huskies.

A basket in the final minute gave the Huskies a narrow victory. Balanced scoring from several teammates helped keep the Huskies unbeaten as they edged the Tar Heels 13-12.

The third- and fourth-grade Knights and the fifth- and sixth-grade Hornets had the weekly bye.

League standings as of March 7 in the third- and fourth-grade division are Tar Heels, 6-0; Knights, 4-1; Huskies, 2-3; Cavs, 1-5; and Vikings, 1-5.

In the fifth- and sixth-grade division, the standings are Vikings, 4-2; Spartans, 4-1; Bulls, 3-3; Hornets, 2-3; and Warriors, 1-5.

Top five scorers in the third- and fourth-grade division as of March 1 are Louis Thaxton, 52; Layne Harris, 45; Harper Dunlap, 44; Karysa Bryant, 30; and Kolt Anderson, 23.

Top five scorers in the fifth- and sixth-grade division are Vonte Robinson, 77; Kamden VanCuren, 66; Paxton Smith, 63; Blake Barcroft, 61; and Brayden Kelly, 31.

The player of the week for Feb. 28 in the third- and fourth-grade division was Hadley Coffman, who scored eight points to help defeat the Vikings 20-1 while setting a personal scoring high.

The player of the week in the fifth- and sixth-grade division was Jace Bumgardner of the Warriors. Bumgardner scored six points to help lift his team to its first win of the season.