Setting a Polk County varsity record did not seem to excite Hayley Kropp, whose 37 points against visiting Avery County on Tuesday, Jan. 5 is tops in Wolverine women’s basketball history.

Kropp simply wanted Polk to defeat the Vikings. Instead, Avery slipped by the Wolverines, 58-48, at Columbus, dropping Polk to 1-3 in Western Highlands Conference competition.

Irritatingly for Polk’s head coach, Brandy Alm, the game was much closer than the final score indicates. Either team had a shot, with Avery leading only 22-20 at the half.

The Wolverines had just come off a 3-0 performance in the Dec. 28-30 Wells Fargo WNC Holiday Basketball Classic in which they dispatched Calvary Baptist Day, 57-29; SouthLake Christian Academy, 64-37; and Rosman, 49-40.

That hat trick helped Polk’s overall record, now 6-6.

On Tuesday, however, Avery, with a larger roster than Polk, was able to keep more fresh bodies on the floor, with frequent substitutions.

“They definitely did that,” Alm agreed.

Of Kropp’s spectacular performance, which included five three-pointers and some cool shooting from the free-throw line (plus six steals, a dozen rebounds and four assists) Alm commented, “The bad thing is we lost.”

Late in the game, “I think we had some mental breakdowns,” Alm continued. “We mentally lost focus.” Thus, it seemed that whenever Polk cut Avery’s lead to two or three points, the Vikings found a way to add two or three points, eventually pulling away.

That must have been frustrating for Alm.

“Oh, definitely,” she replied.

Neither team set the nets on fire for much of the contest. About two and one-half minutes into the game, Kropp stole the ball, drove to the net and scored, to tie the game at 2-2. Polk overtook Avery, to lead, 12-11, after the first quarter.

Avery’s big quarter was the third, when the Vikings outpointed the Wolverines 16-9, to lead 38-29 with eight minutes to go. In that third quarter, Kropp’s baseline three-pointer gave Polk a 28-27 lead, but the visitors built a nine-point lead by the period’s end.

After visiting A.C. Reynolds Wednesday evening, Jan. 6, the Wolverines will travel to Landrum this Saturday, Jan. 9 for a re-match against the Cardinals, whom they edged, 45-43, at home on Dec. 4. Next Friday, Jan. 15, the Wolverines host Hendersonville.