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
