Changing paces: Sears’ 31 leads Watauga past NW Guilford, 58-37

February 23, 2023

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Watauga guard Kate Sears sees and seizes opportunity to attack the basket on Feb. 23, vs. NW Guilford in Round 2 of the 4A state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogers

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Switched gears, same result.

Compared to a chaotic first round win that saw Watauga score a season-high 83 points against Chambers on Feb. 21, the Feb. 23 Round 2 matchup against Northwest Guilford slowed to a snail’s pace. Nonetheless, the Pioneers prevailed decisively, 58-37, to advance to Round 3 in the 4A North Carolina State Championship Basketball Tournament.

BONUS PHOTOS at bottom of article

Pioneer forward Brooke Scheffler powered through this block attempt by NW Guilford’s Payton Vernon (12) to score on Feb. 23. Photographic image by David Rogers

Led by 31 points from point guard Kate Sears, the Pioneers jumped out to a 22-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and it never got closer. Sears did her usual looking for an open teammate, but when the visiting Vikings rolled out the red carpet, the “super soph” didn’t hesitate in attacking the basket, including making good on four 3-pointers from outside the arc. Junior guard Charlotte “Downtown” Torgerson chipped in another 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to account for a little more than half the balance of Watauga scoring.

A punishing Watauga defense and an exceptional rebounding effort on both ends of the court led to the home team’s first half dominance. A strong performance on the offensive boards led to numerous second chance points by the Pioneers and bringing the ball up court quickly, in transition, after recovering forced Viking shots all but doomed the visitors from the get-go.

After getting NW Guilford’s Madison Young (21) going one way in defense, Watauga’s Charlotte Torgerson reverses field and looks the other way for an open teammate on Feb. 23, in Round 2 of the 4A state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogers

For NW Guilford, a pesky defensive effort by point guard Maslyn Mosbacher while marking Sears probably avoided even a larger margin of dominance by Watauga. Mosbacher tied for team-high scoring honors with Bel Veradi, both with 11 points. Most of Veradi’s points (7 of them) came from the free throw line.

On this night, performance at the free throw line was a study in contrasts. The Vikings were 10-of-20 (50 percent) while the Pioneers were 11-of 13 (85 percent), including 4-for-4 by Torgerson.

Kaitlyn Darner (30) hits a 3-pointer from downtown Blowing Rock early on Feb. 23, vs. NW Guilford in Round 2 of the 4A NC State Championship tournament. Photographic image by David Rogers

“I was really proud of our team tonight because we had to shift gears with a completely different game plan after watching film of how Northwest Guilford plays,” said Pioneer head coach Laura Barry after the game. “The pace against Chambers was somewhat chaotic, but Northwest Guilford is more deliberate. We had to prepare for them a little differently than we prepared for the Round 1 game.

“They gave Kate (Sears) some open looks tonight,” added Barry, “and she didn’t hesitate in attacking the basket.”

Ever the field general, Watauga sophomore point guard Kate Sears barks out a play on Feb. 23 in Round 2 of the state playoffs vs. Northwest Guilford. Photographic image by David Rogers

Seeded No. 2 in the 4A West bracket, in beating No. 15 Northwest Guilford, the Pioneers advance to Round 3, and will host No. 7 South Mecklenburg, another team from Charlotte, on Saturday, Feb. 25. The 24-4 (12-0 in 4A Conference 49) Sabres were a 79-57 winner over No. 10 Asheville. The preliminary time for the Round 3 tipoff is 6 p.m., at Lentz Eggers Gym.