Category: High School

By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — It is hard to beat a good basketball team three times in a row at any level, especially when the first two contests were nailbiters. Freedom proved just that on Feb. 21, rallying from a 10-point deficit in the first half to defeat regular season nemesis Watauga, 79-75, to capture the Northwestern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament title.

The allure of two big games had the host Ashe County Huskies gymnasium packed to the rafters on this night. What amounted to a Watauga doubleheader featured the Pioneers’ women against South Caldwell, the only Northwestern Conference rival to put a blemish on their league record in 2025, a 93-91 double-overtime defeat on Jan. 31. Watauga proved their point with a 75-48 shellacking of the Hudson quintet and the gym was still abuzz with the Pioneers’ dominance.

For the nightcap final, it was the Watauga men vs. Freedom. At home on Jan. 22, the Pioneers leveraged strong inside performances by forward Jace Blocker and the versatile Josiah Railey to hold off Freedom, 77-70. Then on Feb. 12, Watauga survived a fourth quarter Freedom rally to win in Morganton, 72-69.

At the outset of the tournament championship game, Watauga appeared to take command, finishing the first quarter with a 9-point, 24-15 lead. But with the Patriots’ star forward Amore Connelly scoring 14 of his 17 game points in the second quarter, Freedom shrugged off the early deficit to close within a point at intermission, 39-38.

Momentum shifted in favor of the Patriots in the second half as the Pioneers cooled off in the shooting department. By the end of the third period, Freedom led, 60-55, and foul trouble was having an impact. Stalwart forward Blocker fouled out in the second half while guards Maddox Greene and Eli Bishop finished the contest with four fouls apiece. Watauga nonetheless battled back to a one-point deficit, 65-66, at the 4:11 mark, but the Patriots continually frustrated the Pioneers’ efforts to complete the comeback.

With the regular season Northwestern Conference title under its collective belt, Watauga should still end up with a favorable seed in the upcoming NCHSAA 4A Basketball Championship playoffs, with the first round scheduled for Feb. 25. The seedings and first round pairings are slated to be announced on Sunday, Feb. 23. Freedom will get the top 3A nod from the Northwestern Conference and its seeding prospects will be bolstered by the tourney championship game victory over its 4A rival Watauga.

Selected Team Stats

• FG% – WAT 42.9% (27-63), FRE 49.2$ (30-61)
• 3FG% – WAT 31.8% (7-22), FRE 26.1% (6-23)
• FT% – WAT 58.3% (14-24), FRE 59.1% (13-22)
• Points in Paint – WAT 38, FRE 42
• Points off Turnovers – WAT 10, FRE 9
• Second Chance Points – WAT 8, FRE 9
• Fast Break Points – WAT 12, FRE 14
• Bench Points – WAT 9, FRE 12

Key Performers

• WAT – Cade Keller: 24 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds
• WAT – Josiah Railey: 18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
• WAT – Maddox Greene: 10 points, 7 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, 3 rebounds
• WAT – Jace Blocker: 9 rebounds, 6 points, 2 assists
• FRE – Kobe Johnson: 18 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals
• FRE – Amore Connelly: 17 points, 6 assists, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals
• FRE – King Johnson: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
• FRE – Braxton King: 12 points

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — Talk about “finishing,” this time the Watauga men’s basketball team hammered Alexander Central, 71-47, in the Northwestern Conference tournament semifinal — and maybe even polished off the nail in the proverbial coffin.

Early in the 2024-25 season, the Watauga men’s basketball team had a hard time “finishing” the game. They had second half leads suddenly evaporate into losses against South Caldwell and Alexander Central in the Pioneers’ first two Northwestern Conference games. In Hudson, the Spartans dumped Watauga, 76-64. In Taylorsville, the Cougars rallied from a 7-point deficit with five minutes to go to edge the Pioneers, 68-65.

Fast forward to the regular season’s end. It turns out, those were the only two conference losses suffered by Watauga. In the rematches at Lentz Eggers Gym, Watauga pummeled South Caldwell, 80-61, on Jan. 31. Less than a week later, on Feb. 4, the Pioneers upended Alexander Central, 55-43.

So, with the Pioneers holding a 53-33 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, when Watauga head coach Bryson Payne implored his troops to “finish,” that is exactly what they did. Inspired by a rousing 3-pointer from Jackson Love and consecutive driving layups in transition by Josiah Railey, Watauga erased all thoughts of anything else save victory.

Railey finished with a team-high 23 points, one shy of the game-high posted by Alexander Central’s one-man show, Jayon Connor (24 points). Also in double figures for the Pioneers were Cade Keller (12) and Love (11). The rest of Watauga’s points were spread pretty evenly among Landon Smith and Eli Bishop, each with seven points off the bench, and strong inside play from starting forward Jace Blocker (6).

The win now sets up the NWC tourney championship game encounter with Freedom on Feb. 21, also to be hosted by Ashe County, with an 8 p.m. scheduled tipoff. The Patriots advanced with a 75-68 win over South Caldwell in the other semifinal pairing on Feb. 18.

Freedom brings a respectable 19-6 overall record into the Feb. 21 matchup, 8-3 in conference. They lost once to South Caldwell and two close games against Watauga, so the Patriots will be gunning to upset the Pioneers’ Cinderella season in the third encounter. They lost to Watauga, 77-70, on the road, and were edged, 72-69, on their home court in Morganton. Will a neutral venue be a difference maker?

KEY PERFORMERS of WATAUGA VS. ALEXANDER CENTRAL

• AC – Jayon Connor: 24 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
• WAT – Josiah Railey: 23 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, 4 rebounds
• WAT – Cade Keller: 12 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds
• WAT – Jackson Love: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
• WAT – Jace Blocker: 9 rebounds, 6 points, 6 assists
• AC – Koa Mikeal: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
• WAT – Maddox Greene: 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal
• WAT – Landon Smith: 7 points, 1 steal
• WAT – Eli Bishop: 7 points, 1 steal
• AC – Garison Millsaps: 6 points, 6 rebounds

By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — Shrugging off 14 turnovers that included eight opponent steals, the Watauga women’s basketball team waltzed to a dominant, 75-52 win over Alexander Central on Feb. 18, in the semifinals of the 3A/4A Northwestern Conference Basketball Championships, hosted in 2025 by the Ashe County Huskies athletic program.

With the win, the Pioneers advance to the championship final on Friday, Feb. 21, also in West Jefferson, with tipoff vs. the other semifinal winner, South Caldwell, at 6:30 p.m.

Watauga used a 13-4  opening run to gain separation from the Cougars and never looked back. As a team, the Pioneers were hot, hot, hot in burning the net on the offensive end — and disruptive on the defensive end of the court.

A quartet of Pioneers led the team to a 54.2 percent success rate from behind the 3-point arc. Starting guards Julie Matheson, Izzy Torgerson, Blair Haines and Kate Sears combined to knock down 13 treys, accounting for over half of the team’s total points on the night.

As impactful as the Pioneers’ aim from long distance might have been, this game was also won in the trenches. Led by Sears (14 rebounds), Chloe Wilson (6) and Shelby Thompson (5), Watauga nearly doubled up the Cougars in clearing the boards on both ends of the court, pulling down 40 errant shots vs. 24 rebounds by the Alexander Central hoopsters. Eleven offensive boards by the Pioneers led to a 10-4 advantage in second chance points and contributed to a 22-14 edge in points scored inside the paint.

“When we are shooting that well,” said Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson after the game, “it is hard to beat us.”

As Pioneer fans have come to expect, Sears recorded yet another triple double on the night, with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. For good measure, she added a blocked shot to her impressive stat line.

The Pioneers also got double-digit scoring from Matheson (18) and Torgerson (11).

The Feb. 21 championship game between No. 1 seeded Watauga and No. 2 seed South Caldwell sets up a potentially dynamic rematch. On Jan. 9 in Hudson, the Pioneers all but dismantled the Spartans in front of their home crowd, 74-55. But South Caldwell returned the favor on Jan. 31, taking a 93-91, double overtime win on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer off the hands of freshman guard Ava Anderson.

South Caldwell advanced to the final with a 64-54 win over Freedom in the second women’s semifinal on Feb. 18. Anderson again led the team with 18 points, but was just one of a Spartan quartet to reach double figures on the night. Fellow backcourt freshman Maggie Wilks poured in 15 points while sophomore Holland Weisner and senior Kristin Barber each added 11 points.

It would be an understatement to say that the upcoming women’s championship game could be the must-see ticket of the year in high school women’s basketball, at least in the High Country.

KEY PERFORMERS in WATAUGA VS. ALEXANDER CENTRAL

• WAT – Kate Sears: 32 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 blocked shot
• AC – Meredith Wike: 29 points, 3 rebounds, 1 blocked shot
• WAT – Julie Matheson: 18 points
• WAT – Izzy Torgerson: 11 points, 2 assists
• AC – Malayah Adams: 9 points, 1 blocked shot, 2 steals
• WAT – Blair Haines: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 blocked shot, 1 steal
• WAT – Chloe Wilson: 6 rebounds, 4 points, 1 blocked shot
• AC – Addie Jack: 5 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
• WAT – Kaitlyn Darner: 4 assists

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — There was plenty of love in Lentz Eggers Gym on Feb. 14 for the last regular season game of Watauga men’s basketball. Not only was it Valentine’s Day but it was also Senior Night — and grandstands were packed for the rivalry game between the Pioneers and the Ashe County Huskies. There were plenty of smiles to go around as Watauga left little doubt in forging a 70-43 win.

A quintet of Pioneer seniors took the floor in the opening period and battled the Huskies to a 13-13 draw by the end of the quarter, the seniors playing most of the eight minutes. As the regular starters began to rotate in, Watauga began to flex their offensive muscles, jumping out to a 33-25 lead by halftime. The team’s leading scorer, junior point guard-shooting guard Cade Keller poured in half of his game-high 24 points in the second quarter to drive the Pioneers’ separation.

The Huskies’ Trent Sheets tried to keep it close for the home team with 13 points in the first half but had little in the way of help other than 8 points from Ian Graybeal.  By comparison, Watauga’s first half may have featured Keller’s 14, but the Pioneers also got key contributions from Maddox Greene, Jackson Love, Josiah Railey and Jace Blocker.

Whatever hopes Ashe County harbored for forging a second half comeback were quickly dashed by defensive adjustments made by the Pioneers during intermission. Watauga tightened the screws and extended their lead even with liberal substitutions. They used a 21-8 third quarter run to take a 54-33 lead to begin the final stanza, then stayed consistent with a 16-10 run in the final 8 minutes.

For the game, 10 Pioneers got on the scoreboard, led by their usual scoring leaders Keller (24 points) and Railey (15). Scoring opportunities were bolstered by Blocker pulling down six of his game-high nine rebounds on the offensive end, providing second chances for a number of teammates.

Taking advantage of his most minutes in a game this season, senior JT Cook only scored two points but still had a significant impact in corralling 8 rebounds.

With the win, Watauga secures the No. 1 seed and a first round bye in the Northwestern Conference tournament. First round games are Monday, Feb. 17, hosted by the higher seed. Watauga will host the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed game in the first round. The other first round bye goes to No. 2 seeded South Caldwell. The semifinal games (round 2) will be hosted by Ashe County on Tuesday, Feb. 18, with the Championship game at the same location on Friday, Feb. 21.

SCORING SUMMARY

• WAT – Cade Keller (24 points)
• WAT – Josiah Railey (15)
• WAT – Jace Blocker (8)
• WAT – Maddox Greene (7)
• WAT – Jackson Love (6)
• WAT – Landon Smith (4)
• WAT – Kyle Williams (3)
• WAT – Wit Williamson (2)
• WAT – JT Cook (2)
• WAT – Paul Taylor (2)

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Leaving little doubt as to who might be the best high school women’s basketball team in northwestern North Carolina, Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson emptied his bench and had nine rostered players make the scoring column, including all five seniors, running away from Ashe County for a 72-33 romp at Lentz Eggers Gym on Feb. 14.

It is yet another Northwestern Conference championship for the Pioneers, who will take the No. 1 seed into the conference tournament slated to begin next week.

After jumping out to a 19-11 lead by the end of the first quarter, led by 13 combined points in the quarter from Kate Sears (7 points in the quarter) and Blair Haines (6), Watauga went for a statement win. Sears finished with a game-high 26 points and Haines, 11, but the Pioneers got broad production from seven other players throughout the night. Senior forward Chloe Wilson again showed how she is growing into her basketball potential with 8 points and even more rebounds in coming off the bench.

Shelby Thompson came off the bench to pour in a half dozen points in the second period with back-to-back 3-pointers. Meanwhile, regular starters Julie Matheson and Izzy Torgerson may have played limited minutes, but contributed 7 points and 5 points, respectively. Little used senior Gracie Lawrence saw her first court time of the year and rewarded the team with four points in the fourth quarter to help keep the rout going.

Ashe County’s Abby Sheets did her part, scoring 25 of the team’s 33 game points. She was 11-of-11 from the free throw line and added two buckets from long distance.

As the No. 1 seed in the Northwestern Conference tourney, Watauga is likely to receive a first round bye. Watauga is also playing for a high seed in the NCHSAA 4A West Bracket of the state tournament.

SCORING SUMMARY

• WAT – Kate Sears (26 points)
• ASHE – Abby Sheets (25)
• WAT – Blair Haines (11)
• WAT – Chloe Wilson (8)
• WAT – Julie Matheson (7)
• WAT – Shelby Thompson (6)
• WAT – Izzy Torgerson (5)
• WAT – Gracie Lawrence (4)
• WAT – Kaitlyn Darner (4)
• ASHE – Abby Eller (4)
• WAT – Steph Mendez (2)
• ASHE – Ally Greer (1)

By David Rogers. MORGANTON, N.C. — Although outpointed by Freedom in the first and fourth quarters, visiting Watauga got between those “bookends” to survive a critical Northwestern Conference game, 72-69.

It may well have been a matter a shifting offensive emphasis in the backcourt for Watauga. Where offensive leader Cade Keller was unusually quiet in the first half, only scoring two of his team-high 21 points before halftime, backcourt teammate Maddox Greene scored 11 of his 13 points before intermission.

Keller and Josiah Railey combined for 16 points in the third quarter, helping the visiting Pioneers to a 52-44 advantage by the opening of the final stanza. Freedom’s King Johnson and Amore Connolly combined for 14 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Patriots’ attempt to close the deficit, falling just short.

The win leaves Watauga in a tie atop the Northwestern Conference standings with South Caldwell, both with identical 7-2 conference records and 16-6 overall records. The Pioneers and the Spartans split their home and away series in the regular season, South Caldwell rallying to take the Jan. 9 encounter in Hudson, 76-64, with Watauga defending home court, 80-61, on Jan. 31.

Watauga closes out the regular season on Feb. 14 vs. Ashe County (7-13 overall, 2-7 in conference), while South Caldwell hosts Hibriten (3-20, 0-9).

SCORING SUMMARY

• FRE – King Johnson (21 points)
• WAT – Cade Keller (20)
• WAT – Josiah Railey (18)
• WAT – Maddox Greene (13)
• FRE – Kobe Johnson (13)
• FRE – Braxton King (11)
• WAT – Jace Blocker (9)
• WAT – Jackson Love (8)
• WAT – Brady Lindenmuth (4)
• FRE – Jonah Griggs (3)
• FRE – Amare Williams (3)
• FRE – Elijah Davidson (3)

By David Rogers. MORGANTON, N.C. — A trio of Pioneer seniors combined for 19 points in the fourth quarter, leading Watauga to a comeback rally and a thrilling, 58-53 win over the host Freedom Patriots on Feb. 12.

With Freedom defending home court and the Patriot faithful loudly behind them, it was a very different game than the dominating, 83-63 win by Watauga on Jan. 22 in Lentz Eggers Gym.

Freedom led by eight points at the end of the third quarter, 45-37, and seemed to be breaking things open early, jumping to an 11-point lead senior point guard Peyton Caldwell netted a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the final stanza.

But stifling defense by the Pioneers created forced shots and turnovers by the Patriots. Meanwhile, Watauga capitalized on the turnovers at the other end.

Freedom’s Caldwell, who was the only Patriot to score in the decisive fourth quarter, tallied a game-high 36 points as the Morganton girls’ offensive seemed to run through Patriot veteran.

It just wasn’t enough against the deeper Watauga roster. Matheson poured in a team-high 21 points for Watauga, with Sears adding 15 and Darner 12. Nine of Darner’s dozen points came in the fourth quarter.

Watauga (16-5 overall, 8-1 in Northwestern Conference) closes out the regular season on Feb. 14, at home vs. High Country rival, Ashe County (9-13, 0-9). With a win, the Pioneers will clinch at least a share of the conference regular season title for the fourth straight season.

KEY PERFORMERS

• WAT – Julie Matheson: 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
• WAT – Kate Sears: 15 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 steals, 2 blocked shots
• WAT – Kaitlyn Darner: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
• WAT – Blair Haines: 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
• FRE – Peyton Caldwell: 36 points, including 10-11 free throws, four 3-pointers

By David Rogers. LENOIR, N.C. — Watauga’s varsity men’s basketball team left few questions unanswered on Feb. 7 in cruising to a dominating, 62-30 shellacking of Hibriten.

This contest was only close at the tipoff. The Pioneers head coach, Bryson Payne, was able to empty his bench in this one. A full dozen rostered players, including a double-rostered junior varsity player, put points in the scoring column against the Panthers. The broad number of student athletes who saw court action explains why only one Pioneer, forward Jace Blocker, got into double figures with 11 points.

With four freshmen elevated to Hibriten head coach Ronshad Shabazz’s varsity roster, the young Panthers were largely overmatched but continued to battle throughout. Most of the Watauga regular rotation players were sitting by the start of the final period, with the Boone boys sporting a 48-22 lead. All of the Pioneer scoring in the fourth quarter was by non-starters.

Now 15-6 overall and 6-2 in conference, Watauga is in a 3-way tie for No. 1 in league standings, with South Caldwell and Freedom. They split with the Spartans in January, losing in Hudson on Jan. 9 (64-76) after leading late in the game, then winning handily in the friendly confines of Lentz Eggers Gym in the Jan. 31 rematch, 80-61. Watauga prevailed, 77-70, against Freedom at home on Jan. 22, and will look to complete the season sweep on Feb. 11, in Morganton. The Pioneers close out the regular season on Feb. 14 vs. Ashe County. Both South Caldwell and Watauga are vying for the Northwestern Conference’s No. 1 seed as the state playoffs approach.

SCORING

• HIB – Tanner Baker (12 points)
• WAT – Jace Blocker (11)
• WAT – Cade Keller (9)
• WAT – Maddox Greene (8)
• WAT – Josiah Railey (8)
• WAT – Eli Bishop (8)
• HIB – Rob Beasley (5)
• WAT – Brady Lindenmuth (4)
• HIB – Julius Martin (4)
• WAT – Jackson Love (3)
• WAT – Logan Greene (3)
• HIB – Christian Reynolds (3)
• WAT – JT Cook (2)
• WAT – Wit Williamson (2)
• WAT – Kyle Williams (2)
• WAT – Landon Smith (2)
• HIB – Damarion Gaither-Walton (2)
• HIB – Dalton Settylemere (2)

By David Rogers. LENOIR, N.C. — Try as they might, host Hibriten had few answers for visiting Watauga’s Kate Sears on Feb. 7. The Pioneers’ senior guard scored a game-high 31 points to lead Watauga to a comfortable, 57-45 win.

The Pioneers received even-handed offensive production from a supporting cast that included Julie Matheson and Blair Haines scoring seven points each, with Kaitlyn Darner and Chloe Wilson adding six points each.

Basketball is often a game of “runs” and whichever team has the most runs is usually declared the winner when the final buzzer sounds. On this night, that was the Pioneers. They opened the game strong, but the Aamori Patterson-led Panthers struck back to briefly take the lead in the first quarter. That didn’t last for long as the visitors from Boone used a dominating, 22-12 performance in the second quarter to gain decisive separation.

Patterson helped keep the Panthers within some semblance of striking distance throughout the night, tallying a team-high 24 points and the only Hibriten player to reach double figures, scoring.

Now 15-5 overall and 7-1 in Northwestern Conference play — the lone conference loss a double overtime, 93-91 loss to South Caldwell on Jan. 31 — the Pioneers will look to close out the regular season next week at Freedom, in Morganton (Feb. 11) and vs. Ashe County on Feb. 14 in Lentz Eggers Gym.

SCORING

• WAT – Kate Sears (31 points)
• HIB – Aamori Patterson (24)
• WAT – Julie Matheson (7)
• WAT – Blair Haines (7)
• HIB – Kara Connor (7)
• WAT – Chloe Wilson (6)
• WAT – Kaitlyn Darner (6)
• HIB – Skyla Lail (6)
• HIB – Karlee Starnes (5)
• HIB – Emilee Cook (3)