By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?”
— Shylock in The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
Just three weeks ago (Jan. 22), Watauga men’s basketball was staring at a 1-4 Northwestern Conference record. It was the end of the first round of games against the other five league opponents and many High Country basketball fans questioned whether the Pioneers would do well in the conference tournament, much less make the 2026 NCHSAA 6A state playoffs.
Fast forward. In the interim, Watauga etched out a 4-game win streak in NWC play, highlighted by a 75-59 conquest of previously undefeated Freedom on Feb. 11. Now, all that stands in the way of a likely No. 2 seed in the Northwestern Conference Championship tournament — and a first round bye that goes with it — is a home matchup against St. Stephens on Friday, Feb. 13. Win, and the Pioneers should be crowned No. 2 after any combination of tiebreakers (they are also assured a matching conference record with either Alexander Central or South Caldwell).
A ‘Statement’ Win
With disciplined, punishing defense and a strong shooting performance by a quintet of Pioneers, Watauga made a statement with its Freedom win: “We have football and disruptive High Country weather behind us now and are ready to play some good basketball.”
Freedom forward Dayvion Feaster-Hicks collected a quick pass from teammate King Johnson underneath the basket and put it up and in for the first basket on Feb. 11, against Watauga in Lentz Eggers Gym — but it would be the Patriots’ only lead of the game. Watauga went on a 14-6 run en route to a 20-12 lead after the first quarter.
The Patriots gathered themselves in the second period and narrowed the gap slightly by intermission (32-25), but the Pioneers all but put the game away with a 25-14 outburst in the third period for an 18-point lead going into the final stanza (57-39). Then, with several of the reserves getting some valuable minutes with the clock ticking down in the fourth quarter, Watauga held on for a decisive, 16-point victory.
Senior guard Cade Keller lit up the scoreboard for a game-high 26 points. Senior guard Jackson Love (11 points, 9 rebounds) and senior forward Brady Lindenmuth (10 points, 8 rebounds) were each within an eyelash of double-doubles for the night. Meanwhile, senior guards Bowen Mayo and Evan Burroughs got in on the action with 12 and 8 points, respectively.
For the visiting Patriots, Kobe Johnson posted a team-high 16 points, joined in double figures by King Johnson’s 11 points.
Interestingly, much of the scoring action in this game came from inside the paint. The Pioneers were good on only four shots from behind the 3-point arc, two by Keller and one each from Williams and Love. The Patriots only made three long-range shots, one each by King Johnson, Jewlez Pearson and Amare Williams.
LOOKING AHEAD
Because of the weather-induced rescheduling, Watauga has now played four games in five days, running through its Northwestern Conference opponents in the rematches, defeating South Caldwell, 72-59 (Feb. 7), Alexander Central, 93-57 (Feb. 9), McDowell, 70-67 (Feb. 10) and Freedom, 75-59 (Feb. 11). With each win, the Pioneers shot up the NWC standings.
Freedom’s loss to the Pioneers is the lone blemish on its 2026 record in conference play so will undoubtedly be the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament, whatever it does at McDowell on Feb. 13. At the moment, Alexander Central and South Caldwell are tied with Watauga for the No. 2 spot in the standings, all at 5-4 and reflecting how competitive this year’s edition of the Northwestern Conference has proven to be.
That second place “knot” should be a little more unwound on Feb. 13, as South Caldwell hosts Alexander Central for their regular season finale. At 1-8 (with the sole win being a home win vs. Watauga, 54-43, on Jan. 22), St. Stephens is almost assured of the lowest seed (No. 6) in the conference tourney, but could prove to be a spoiler in the Pioneers’ quest for the No. 2 seed if the Indians can upset Watauga in the rematch.
KEY PIONEER PERFORMERS, WATAUGA VS. FREEDOM
- WAT – Cade Keller: 26 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
- WAT – Bowen Mayo: 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
- WAT – Jackson Love: 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
- WAT – Brady Lindenmuth: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists
- WAT – Evan Burroughs: 8 points, 5 assists, 1 rebound
- WAT – Jaden McInnis: 4 rebounds, 2 steals
- WAT – Kyle Williams: 4 points
