By David Rogers. HAYS, N.C. — Behind for most of the first half, the Watauga women’s basketball team rallied in the second half at North Wilkes to earn a hard-fought, 45-42 non-conference win on Jan. 5.
Kate Sears and Julie Matheson provided most of the Pioneers’ offensive firepower with 25 and 11 points, respectively.
“We were behind for almost the entirety of the first half,” said Pioneer head coach Bill Torgerson. “We made a few adjustments to our defense at halftime and challenged the players to string together stops on defense. They did it — and that led to a 10-0 run to open the second half and after that we were able to hang on for the win.”
Torgerson also observed, “It was a really tough game, a hard place to play with a passionate crowd. That (the Vikings’ Olivia) Rhodes opened the game with three 3s in the first quarter got them off to a great start and gave them confidence. We also had a tough night shooting at the free throw line, going 7-18. The players overcame a lot to get this win.”
Both teams are now 10-3 as they prepare for conference action, with both highly ranked in North Carolina and their respective NCHSAA classes. According to MaxPreps, Watauga is ranked No. 14 in North Carolina, No. 7 in the strong NC 4A West, and No. 8 in the Charlotte region. North Wilkes is currently ranked No. 2 in the NCHSAA 2A West behind only undefeated East Burke and No. 37 in the entire state, regardless of classes, out of more than 400 competing schools.
Key Watauga Performers
- Kate Sears – 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 blocked shot, 2 deflections
- Julie Matheson – 11 points, 1 steal, 2 deflections
- Kaitlyn Darner – 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 4 deflections
- Charlotte Torgerson – 3 points, 2 assists, 2 deflections
- Lainey Shook – 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 deflection, 1 blocked shot
