By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Down by 17 points entering the fourth quarter, Watauga rallied behind suddenly hot shooting by guards Cade Keller and Jackson Love to narrow the deficit to just a single point — but couldn’t quite complete the comeback in losing to South Caldwell, 70-63, on Jan. 13 in Lentz Eggers Gym.
Turnovers plagued the Pioneers throughout the contest but especially in the first three quarters, including missed layups as well as 3-point attempts gone awry and ball-handling miscues.
Meanwhile, visiting South Caldwell was getting good production from a quartet of Spartans. Gavin Frasure and Colby Greene led a second quarter SC surge that put the visitors ahead, 38-32, by intermission. They finished the game with 20 and 26 points, respectively, while Carter Anderson (9 points) and Sam Keaton (10) had critical contributions.
Keller scored 16 of his team-high 22 points and Love added 9 of his 13 total points in the fourth quarter to fuel the Pioneer rally.
Watauga (8-5 overall, 0-2 in Northwestern Conference play) will try to return to its winning ways on Friday, Jan. 16, at Alexander Central, in Taylorsville. The Cougars sport a 10-5 overall record, 2-0 in NWC play, after road wins at St. Stephens (73-54) and McDowell (72-69).
South Caldwell is now 11-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Spartans return home to host Freedom on Jan. 16.
SELECTED WATAUGA PERFORMERS
- Cade Keller: 22 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals
- Jackson Love: 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
- Cole Lewis: 12 points, 4 rebounds
- Evam Burroughs: 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
- Eli Bishop: 4 points, 1 assist, 1 steal
- Brady Lindenmuth: 5 rebounds, 1 blocked shot
