By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — Full court pressure by Watauga in the second half disrupted host Ashe County’s offensive possessions, allowing the Pioneers to run away with a convincing, 76-52 win to complete the first round of conference games during the 2024-25 regular season.
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Senior guard/forward Josiah Railey poured in seven points in the first quarter and added eight more in the second half to record a team-high 15 points. Railey’s early effort was critical in keeping the Huskies at bay in the first half, the Pioneers taking a 34-32 lead into intermission.
But Watauga’s defensive adjustments at halftime proved bothersome for Ashe County, creating turnovers and missed shots in quarters three and four. The Huskies’ Cole Treva recorded 17 of his game-high 27 points in the first half. Although the Pioneers limited the 6-4 junior forward to “just” 10 points in the second half, Treva was a force to be reckoned with inside the paint throughout the contest.

Whereas Ashe County’s offensive success was centered around Treva, Watauga’s attack was more balanced. In addition to Railey’s team-high 15, forward Jace Blocker pounded the inside for 14 points while junior guard Cade Keller contributed 13 points, mostly from the outside.
Watauga had what could be called season “breakout” performances in seeing 9 points from point guard Maddox Greene and 7 points (all in the first half) scored by junior forward Brady Lindenmuth. Greene was again fearless in driving down the lane to the basket while Lindenmuth was a genuine force in the paint, bringing much needed energy to the court in coming off the bench for the Pioneers.

Altogether, Watauga (11-6 overall, 3-2 Northwestern Conference) had scoring contributions from 10 rostered players.
Next up for Watauga is a rare road trip to Elkin on Jan. 29, with a 6 p.m. varsity only tipoff. A 1A school competing in the
SCORING
- ASHE – Cole Treva (27 points)
- WAT – Josiah Railey (15)
- WAT – Jace Blocker (14)
- WAT – Cade Keller (13)
- WAT – Maddox Greene (9)
- ASHE – Trent Sheets (9)
- ASHE – Bryce Peters (8)
- WAT – Brady Lindenmuth (7)
- WAT – Jackson Love (7)
- ASHE – Ian Graybeal (6)
- WAT – Landon Smith (4)
- WAT – Kyren Williams (3)
- WAT – JT Cook (2)
- WAT – Paul Taylor (2)
- ASHE – Corbin Carpenter (2)