Category: Middle School

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Mabel jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Parkway could even get on the scoreboard in the first semifinal of the Watauga County girls middle school championship tournament — but the Patriots clawed their way back to trail by only 13-10 at the half. A 10-point outburst in the third quarter combined with pesky, disruptive defense throughout the second half allowed the Patriots to advance to the Dec. 15 championship final. Final score: Parkway 22, Mabel 21.

Mabel’s Gwen May poured in a game-high 13 points. nine of them in the team’s runaway first half. Parkway’s Caroline Childers also got into double figures, with 10 points on the night.

Although the Patriots were able to tie the game at 10-10, Mabel went on a run to expand their advantage in the second half, at one point ahead, 17-13, prompting thoughts of a potential upset in the making for the No. 4 seeded Mabel over the No. 1 seed, Parkway.

But a 5-0 run by the Patriots thrust them into the lead, 18-17. The teams would alternate leads three more times before Parkway went ahead to stay and used stifling defense to force Mabel turnovers and thwart their scoring efforts in the closing seconds.

Asked what he was thinking when his team opened the game looking at the wrong end of a 7-0 deficit, Parkway head coach said, “I was thinking we might have a very long night ahead of us. I am proud of how our girls fought back, their resilience.”

With the win, Parkway advances to the championship final on Dec. 15, vs. Blowing Rock, which defeated Bethel in the second girls semifinal tilt.

SCORING

• BTL Gwen May (13)
• PKY Caroline Childers (10)
• Kailey Greer (6)
• PKY Kaylee Lewis (4)
• PKY Cali Townsend (3)
• PKY Mary Flynn Sevensky (3)
• PKY Emma Kate Wade (2)
• BTL Camaline Hicks (2)

By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. —  Ten Rockets got into the scoring column on Dec. 8, as Blowing Rock dominated Valle Crucis in Round 1 of the Watauga County Middle School Championship Tournament, 47-9.

Behind Lucas Cash’s game-high 13 points, nine of them in the first half, the Rockets led 25-6 at intermission and only allowed another three points to Valle Crucis for the rest of the night.

For most of the first quarter, the Cougars hung with the Rockets but that thought soon evaporated as Blowing Rock exploded for 19 points in the second period and limited VC to just two in the period.

Among the other top scorers for the Rockets, Louie Winger tallied seven; Joaquin Miranda. six; Fletcher Farris, five; and Noah Blevins, four.

With the win, Blowing Rock advances to the tournament’s semifinal round for a rematch with Parkway on Dec. 12, 7 p.m.

OTHER SCORES

In the other first round games, Parkway got by Bethel, 35-20, and in the upper half of the bracket, Hardin Park was a convincing winner over Mabel, 57-11, while Green Valley defeated Cove Creek, 36-30, in the lone lower seed upset of the night.

SCORING SUMMARY

• BR Lucas Cash (13)
• BR Louie Winger (7)
• BR Joaquin Miranda (6)
• BR Fletcher Farris (5)
• BR Noah Blevins (4)
• VC Jamie Canter (4)
• BR Wilson Henline (3)
• BR Carson Morris (3)
• VC Lucas Aldridge (3)
• BR Cullen Sukow (2)
• BR Sean Rea (2)
• BR John Wilson Mills (2)
• VC Quinn Cashwell (2)

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — At the end of the first half of the middle school boys basketball team between the Watauga District team and T.A. Dugger Middle School of Elizabethton on Dec. 7 in Lentz Eggers Gym, the host Pioneers sported an 11-point lead. The visiting Cyclones got hot on the scoring end and grew more disruptive on the defensive to close the gap, but Watauga survived to record a 42-41 win.

Guard J J Everett recorded a game-high 23 points, while teammate Aiden Amasen accounted for nine points, the duo providing most of the Pioneers’ fire power.

On the other end, three T A Dugger players got into double figures, including Isaiah Adams (13), Brawlon Britt (10) and Evan Chambers (10).

With the win, the Watauga District boys team improves to 5-5 on the season. Their next action will be on Dec. 15, against Heritage Middle School of Valdese, N.C.

SCORING SUMMARY

• WAT JJ Everett (23)
• DUG Isaiah Adams (13)
• DUG Brawlon Britt (10)
• DUG Evan Chambers (10)
• WAT Aiden Amasen (9)
• DUG Grayson Blair (4)
• WAT Quincy Honeycutt (3)
• WAT Hunter Townsend (3)
• WAT Truett Healy (2)
• WAT Mason Tate (2)
• WAT Colby Whiteside (2)
• DUG Brycen Blevins (2)

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Watauga’s Presli Woods drained a 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining to tie the game at 19-19 and send it into overtime, but the Pioneers’ middle school District team fell in OT to TA Dugger (Elizabethton, Tenn.), 22-20, on Dec. 7 at Lentz Eggers Gym.

The visiting Cyclones led the entire way until Woods’ tying shot. It was a mostly a defensive battle, with plenty of steals and other varieties of turnovers. The Pioneer girls frequently poached the ball on the defensive end but often lost it back to the Cyclones as they dribbled up the court on a fast break, unaware that someone was sneaking up from behind with larcenous intentions.

TA Dugger’s Reagan May poured in a game-high 13 points, while Woods and Blair Haines each scored nine points for Watauga, accounting for all but two points scored by Stephanie Morales-Mendez.

With the loss, the Watauga Middle School District girls fall to 8-2 on the season. Their next action will be Dec. 15 at Heritage Middle School in Valdese, N.C.

SCORING SUMMARY

• DUG Reagan May (13)
• WAT Presli Woods (9)
• WAT Blair Haines (9)
• DUG Daisy Parks (3)
• DUG Jasy Shell (3)
• WAT Stephanie Morales Mendez (2)
• DUG Rylee May (2)
• DUG Molly Wallin (1)

By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — There were a few things that weren’t supposed to happen when the Watauga middle school tournament’s No. 6 seed, Cove Creek, played the No. 3 seed, Blowing Rock on Dec. 7.

For starters, the game ball wasn’t supposed to get stuck between the metal frames in the backboard. Maybe wedged between the rim and the backboard, but way up there? What are the odds…

And then, when Blowing Rock started off 7-0 early in the first quarter and led 9-2 at intermission, who would have thought that the Cove Creek Raiders would rally back to challenge the Rockets for the right to advance to round 2 of the playoffs?

Apparently, the understaffed Raiders (just six rostered players) thought the unthinkable because in the second half they played pesky defense, forced Blowing Rock turnover after turnover, and outscored the Rockets 11-7 after the halftime break. Blowing Rock did just enough to win, but not by much, 16-13, when all was said and done.

From a scoring standpoint, Cove Creek’s second half surge was a two-player show. Addison Foster (6) and Kayden Kaufman (4) scored 10 of the Raiders 11 second half points.

In Blowing Rock’s winning effort, Susanna Goff and Francis Davis tied Foster for game-high honors with six points each, while Anna Byrne and Kate Rex each added two points.

With the win, Blowing Rock advances to the semifinals at Watauga High School on Monday, Dec. 12, 5 p.m.

This story will be update with all Round 1 scores as soon as they become available.

More Random Photos

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A final night of regular season basketball games among Watauga County’s middle schools did nothing to change the standings at the top of the Girls Division and left a three-way tie for first place in the Boys Division.

The undefeated Parkway girls managed to get past Mabel, 15-14, to remain in full control of the regular season championship. With the loss, Mabel settled into fourth place second place Bethel and third place Blowing Rock.

While Blowing Rock faced only a small challenge in defeating Valle Crucis, 24-10, Bethel jumped past Green Valley, 21-7 and Cove Creek edged Hardin Park, 19-15.

In the Boys Division, Hardin Park, Parkway and Blowing Rock all won and remained tied atop the standings at 6-1, all with 1-1 records in head-to-head play. Blowing Rock defeated Valle Crucis decisively, 42-23, while Hardin Park was able to prevail over Cove Creek, 35-17, and Parkway swamped Mabel, 46-10.  In the remaining middle school boys game, Green Valley doubled up on Bethel, 47-20.

Watauga Middle School commissioner Andy Eggers explained how the ties in the standings were settled as the teams start the post-season tournament’s first round play on Wednesday (Girls Division) and Thursday (Boys Division).

“In the girls standings, we had two ties,” said Eggers. “Green Valley and Cove Creek tied for 5th place. Green Valley won the tie breaker as they won the head to head match up with Cove Creek. Valle Crucis and Hardin Park also tied, for 7th place. Valle Crucis won the tie breaker as they won the head to head match up.

In the boy’s standings, Hardin Park, Parkway and Blowing Rock all tied for first place,” Eggers added. “Each team finished with a 1-1 record against the teams they tied with. None of the teams lost another game. So the final tiebreaker under the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) model is a draw from the hat. The draw was held tonight. Hardin Park drew the No. 1 seed, Blowing Rock the No. 2 seed and Parkway the No. 3 seed.”

FINAL REGULAR SEASON GIRLS DIVISION STANDINGS

• 1. Parkway (7-0)
• 2. Bethel (6-1)
• 3. Blowing Rock (5-2)
• 4. Mabel (4-3)
• T5. Green Valley (2-5) (One of Green Valley’s wins was against Cove Creek, so awarded tiebreaker)
• T5. Cove Creek (2-5)
• T7. Valle Crucis (1-6) (Valle Crucis win was against Hardin Park, so awarded tiebreaker)
• T7. Hardin Park (1-6)

FINAL REGULAR SEASON BOYS DIVISION STANDINGS

• T1. Hardin Park (6-1, lost to Parkway, defeated Blowing Rock. Gets No. 1 seed by draw from a hat)
• T1. Blowing Rock (6-1, lost to Hardin Park, defeated Parkway. Gets No. 2 seed by draw from a hat)
• T1. Parkway (6-1, lost to Blowing Rock, defeated Hardin Park. Gets No. 3 seed by draw from a hat)
• 4. Cove Creek (4-3)
• 5. Green Valley (3-4)
• 6. Bethel (2-5)
• 7. Valle Crucis (1-6)
• 8. Mabel (0-7)

GIRLS DIVISION FIRST ROUND GAMES (Wednesday, Dec. 7, 4 p.m.)

• No. 8 Hardin Park @ No. 1 Parkway
• No. 5 Green Valley @ No. 4 Mabel
• No. 6 Cove Creek @ No. 3 Blowing Rock
• No. 7 Valle Crucis @ No. 2 Bethel

BOYS DIVISION FIRST ROUND GAMES (Thursday, Dec. 8, 4 p.m.)

• No. 8 Mabel @ No. 1 Hardin Park
• No. 5 Green Valley @ No. 4 Cove Creek
• No. 6 Bethel @ No. 3 Parkway
• No. 7 Valle Crucis @ No. 2 Blowing Rock

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — After trailing by as many as seven points in the second half of its Dec. 1 faceoff with first place Parkway, Blowing Rock trimmed the deficit to just three points with 18 seconds remaining in the game. Rocket guard Lucas Cash took care of the rest, draining a 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds on the clock to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Energized, the Rockets played solid defense and got solid rebounding from John Wilson Mills to deny the Patriots any field goals in overtime. Blowing Rock went on to a 31-28 win.

In OT, Parkway got the ball back with almost 11 seconds left but was unable to take advantage of the opportunity.

Early in the game the two teams traded leads but Parkway slowly built its lead in the second half before Blowing Rock came rallying back.

Cash ended up being the team’s high scorer with 10 points while Mills was right behind with nine and Fletcher Farris and Louis Winger added seven and five, respectively.

Parkway’s Daniel Jones poured in a game-high 16 points. Chase Watts added seven points and Kaiden Chiarolanzio contributed five to the Patriots’ campaign.

Blowing Rock came into the game tied with Hardin Park for second place in the Watauga middle school league. Parkway entered the game undefeated with sole possession of first place. They go home after the game tied atop the league standings at 5-1, likely joined by Hardin Park in a 3-way tie assuming the Eagles won their Thursday night contest at Bethel.

All Watauga Middle School Boys Scores for Dec. 1:

• Blowing Rock 31, @ Parkway 28
• @Cove Creek 48, Mabel 13
• Hardin Park 58, @ Bethel 17
• @Green Valley 32, Valle Crucis 8

STANDINGS THROUGH DEC. 1

• T1 – Blowing Rock (5-1)
• T1 – Parkway (5-1)
• T1 – Hardin Park (5-1)
• 4 – Cove Creek (4-2)
• T5 – Bethel (2-4)
• T5 – Green Valley (2-4)
• 7 – Valle Crucis (1-5)
• 8 – Mabel (0-6)

More Random Images (by David Rogers):

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A battle between the Watauga middle school league’s No. 1 and of the No. 2 girls teams turned out to be a defensive battle on Dec. 1. Parkway found its way past a scrappy Blowing Rock side, 16-10.

It was the last home game of the season for the host Patriots and they played like… well, like they were playing for something, including the defense of their first place position in the Watauga County middle school league standings.

A trio of Patriots shared team-high and game-high honors in scoring with four points each, including Cali Townsend, Dylan Buckwalter, and Brynn Slagle. Caroline Childers and Mary Flynn Sevensky each contributed a bucket, too.

Blowing Rock’s Susanna Goff and Anna Byrne also shared team-high and game-high honors in scoring with four points each. Nara Westwood rounded out the Rockets’ tally with two points.

In other Watauga County school specific middle school action, the Mabel girls defeated Cove Creek, 19-5. The other scores have not yet been reported and this story will be updated as they arrive.

All Watauga County Middle School Girls Scores for Dec. 1:

• @Parkway 16, Blowing Rock 10
• Mabel 19, @Cove Creek 5
• @Bethel 19, Hardin Park 9
• @Green Valley 18, Valle Crucis 12

STANDINGS THROUGH DEC. 1

• 1 Parkway (6-0)
• 2 Bethel (5-1)
• T3 Blowing Rock (4-2)
• T3 Mabel (4-2)
• 5 Green Valley (2-4)
• T6 Cove Creek (1-5)
• T6 Valle Crucis (1-5)
• T6 Hardin Park (1-5)

More random photos:

By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — When the Cove Creek middle school boys basketball team opened the final quarter with a narrow, 28-26 lead over host Blowing Rock on Nov. 29, the game had all the ingredients for a nail biter finish, perhaps even overtime.

But Blowing Rock had a different outcome in mind for their last home game of the 2022 season. The Rockets held the Raiders scoreless in the final stanza while exploding for an 18 point scoring outburst themselves in the last period to win going away, 44-28.

The High Country Sports “Game of the Week” lived up to expectations as a hotly contested affair. Cove Creek led at the end of each quarter until the end, 10-9 after the first quarter, 18-15 after the second, and 28-26 when the third quarter was done. In between, however, there were lead changes aplenty as both teams challenged for court supremacy.

But when Blowing Rock arched in a total of five 3-pointers in the second half, one Blowing Rock fan, Justin Lawrence, quipped, “Welcome to 3-point elementary!”

Fletcher Farris and Louie Winger hit 2 and 1, respectively, from beyond the arc in the third quarter to keep Blowing Rock close, but it was the Rockets’ Lucas Cash’s 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers, that led the home team’s finishing onslaught. Winger scored half (4) of his eight points for the whole game in the fourth quarter to bolster Cash’s efforts.

Cash finished with a game-high 16 points on the night, closely followed by Farris’ 15.

For the Raiders, Isaac Gutschall tallied a game-high 11 points, with Jack Bridgeman adding 7 points, with Daniel Rattler and Braxton Raymond contributing four apiece.

Additional photos at bottom of article

FULL WATAUGA COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS SCORES ON NOV. 29

• @Blowing Rock 44, Cove Creek 28
• @Parkway 42, Bethel 10
• Valle Crucis 23, @Mabel 16
• @Hardin Park 51, Green Valley 27

Watauga District Boys 54, @Carolina Day 13

WATAUGA SCHOOL SPECIFIC BOYS STANDINGS THROUGH NOV. 29

• 1. Parkway (5-0)
• T2. Blowing Rock (4-1)
• T2. Hardin Park (4-1)
• 4. Cove Creek (3-2)
• 5. Bethel (2-3)
• T6. Green Valley (1-4)
• T6. Valle Crucis (1-4)
• 8. Mabel (0-5)

By David Rogers. Johnson City, Tenn. — Izzy Mohr and Blair Haines each scored a dozen points on Nov. 29, leading the Watauga District middle school girls basketball team to a narrow, 32-31 win over Liberty Bell, in overtime.

Mohr also led the team in rebounding, with eight, including seven defensive rebounds to deny the Johnson City girls second chance opportunities. Stephanie Mendes-Morales and Paige Shuman also contributed in clearing the boards with six and four rebounds, respectively.

Liberty Bell opened the game looking for a runaway, finishing the first quarter with an 11-5 lead. But the visitors found their legs and turned the tables on their hosts, outscoring Liberty Bell 11-6 in the second quarter and 10-9 in the third. The final quarter of regulation was a 4-4 defensive battle, the teams ending regulation locked in a 30-30 tie. Overtime was also low scoring, Watauga making a basket while limiting Liberty Bell to a single free throw.

As a team, Watauga collected 25 rebounds and poached 12 steals, with Haines also leading the team in thefts (5).

Quinn Haines and Mohr also helped the defensive cause with a blocked shot apiece.

In the scoring column, the Liberty Bell girls were led by Kyleigh Mitchell’s nine points, including one or four free throw attempts in overtime. A trio of Liberty Girl athletes were credited with five points apiece, including Annabelle Eanes (sp), Allie Connor, and Mattie Littleton (sp).

“In Tennessee, they have a state tournament for middle school basketball,” said Watauga head coach, Andy Eggers. “Liberty Bell was state champion in 2020 and had deep runs in the 2019 and 2022 playoffs, too. Our girls battled toe-to-toe with this great program the entire game. This was a great effort by our team tonight and I can’t tell you how proud I am of them for this win.”

Both of Watauga’s middle school boys and girls teams return to action on Friday, Dec. 2, against Calvary Day in Winston-Salem, N.C.