By Logan Lawson

Correspondent

In what seemed like a blink of the eye, Cloudland found itself in a deep hole. That, however, didn’t keep them from battling all game long.

Despite that spirited effort, the Highlanders fell 55-45 to Avery County (N.C.) inside Sonny Smith Gymnasium on Tuesday night. The neighboring Vikings were one of the final four teams in their class in North Carolina last season.