Polk County made a determined comeback Friday, but suffered a 59-55 setback to Avery in a Western Highlands Conference boys basketball matchup in Newland.

The Wolverines (0-16, 0-6) trailed by 12 entering the fourth period, but were able to rally and narrowly missed their first win of the season.

Avery improved to 5-12 overall, 3-4 in WHC play.

Clark Phipps poured in a season-high 29 points and grabbed five rebounds for Polk County, with Dominique Carson scored 10 points. Zeke Hermann had eight points and five rebounds, with Keyandre Thomas scoring four points and hauling in seven rebounds.

Tyler Staley and Mitchell Yoder each added two points for Polk.

The Wolverines host T.C. Roberson on Monday in a non-conference clash.

– Submitted by PolkSports.com