By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A storybook season of Pioneer men’s basketball came to an end on Feb. 26, as No. 22 seeded Central Cabarrus upended No. 6 Watauga, 83-79, allowing the Vikings to advance to Round 3 of the NCHSAA 6A state playoffs.
Early shooting woes and turnovers dug a big hole for the Pioneers. They trailed 39-26 at intermission after the visiting Vikings had four players combine for eight 3-pointers in the first half. Parker Watkins, a junior outside sharpshooter for Central Cabarrus knocked down three of those long-range shots in the first two quarters, matched only by his freshman brother, Kendrick Watkins. The older Watkins finished with a team-high 25 points, including a total of five 3-pointers.
Watauga rallied in the second half, overcoming as much as a 17-point deficit to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, only to see Central Cabarrus regain the upper hand in the final minutes.
The Watauga rally was broad-based in the third quarter, with the Pioneers suddenly “hot” on the offensive end and playing better defense. Just in the third quarter to spark the rally: Bowen Mayo (4 points), Jaden McInnis (3), Kyle Williams (2), Jackson Love (4), Cade Keller (4), Evan Burroughs (6) and Brady Lindenmuth (2).
With that broader production to outscore Central Cabarrus 26-19 in Q3 to eat into the deficit, senior guard Cade Keller seemed to put the team on his back in the final period, exploding for 20 of his game-high 33 points in the fourth period, including two long-range daggers that provided a much-need spark.
In the end, it just wasn’t enough after Central Cabarrus buckled down and responded to every Watauga score with one of their own, and then some. The final minutes were a whirlwind of action up and down the court.
With the win, Central Cabarrus advances to Round 3 where they will face No. 3 seeded Mount Tabor, a 70-58 victor vs. No. 14 Ashbrook.
All 6A West Scores in Round 2
- No. 1 Ben L. Smith 62, Phillip O. Berry Academy 53
- No. 9 Western Guilford 54, No. 8 Northern Guilford 50
- No. 12 Kings Mountain 65, No. 5 Freedom 58
- No. 4 T.C. Roberson 75, No. 20 Sun Valley 67
- No. 3 Mount Tabor 70, Ashbrook 58
- No. 22 Central Cabarrus 83, Watauga 79
- No. 10 Dudley 63, No. 7 South Caldwell 49
- No. 2 Charlotte Catholic 76, No. 15 Harding University 68
KEY SCORING IN WATAUGA VS. CENTRAL CABARRUS
- WAT – Cade Keller (33 points)
- CC – Parker Watkins (25)
- CC – Duron Vaughn (19)
- CC – Kendrick Watkins (13)
- CC – Dexter Montague (12)
- WAT – Bowen Mayo (11)
- WAT – Jackson Love (11)
- WAT – Evan Burroughs (9)
- CC – Infinite Morrow (8)
- WAT – Brady Lindenmuth (7)
- WAT – Jaden McInnis (6)
- WAT – Kyle Williams (2)
- CC – Kameron Cook (2)
- CC – Kobe Hayden (2)
BONUS PHOTOS
