By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — The hardest thing about watching Watauga High School’s varsity women’s basketball team is trying to take your eyes off freshman mainstay, Josie Mayo. Whether on offense or defense, Mayo was seemingly everywhere on Dec. 22 in the Pioneers’ 67-32 win over a hard-working, but outmatched West Caldwell team in Lentz Eggers Gym.
Mayo led all scorers with 18 points on the night, but her quick hands on defense was a difference maker. You want to do a crossover dribble in front of her? Prepare to have the ball taken away. The freshman recorded 10 steals on this night, more than half of the team’s total of 17 poaches.
In reality, the entire Watauga roster saw action in this runaway victory and effectively demonstrated how deep head coach Bill Torgerson can go and still put a capable lineup on the court. The only concern is how young and relatively inexperienced so many of his best players are at the varsity level.
Starting guards Shelby Thompson and Izzy Torgerson are the only seniors on the 2025-26 roster and certainly demonstrated their key roles against the Warriors. Thompson tallied 17 points while Torgerson put up nine points. Torgerson may have jumpstarted the Pioneer rout with a trio of 3-pointers in the first quarter.
West Caldwell had few answers for the Pioneers. Junior guard Sierra Brown scored a team-high eight points, followed closely by junior guard Amazin Icenhour’s six points.
Watauga dominated inside, including 26 total rebounds (a whopping 15 on the offensive side to feed second chance points). Mayo recorded triple double on the night with 18 points, 10 steals and 10 rebounds.
The Pioneers also made 11 of 26 (42 percent) three-point attempts from the perimeter to complement their inside game. Thompson was especially effective from beyond the arc, making good on three of five attempts (60 percent). Mayo hit on two of three attempts from long range (67 percent).
What really sets this edition of the Pioneers apart is their support for one another. The loudest cheers from the Watauga bench came a-screechin’ in celebration when second line players were on the floor and scored or outrebounded an opponent. None were louder than when junior Susanna Goff — a member of Watauga’s 6A state champion cross country team — drove the baseline for a layup or calmly lofted a 3-pointer from beyond the arc, showing her versatility.
Now 5-6 overall and yet to play a Northwestern Conference game, the Pioneers next go on the road at Davie County (Jan. 2) and R.J. Reynolds (Jan. 6) before opening league play on the road, at Freedom (Jan. 9).
KEY PERFORMERS
- WAT – Josie Mayo: 18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals, 3 assists, 1 block, 7 deflections
- WAT – Shelby Thompson: 17 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 deflections
- WAT – Izzy Torgerson: 9 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 deflections
- WAT – Charlie Mattox: 6 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound, 3 deflections
- WAT – Izzy Mohr: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 deflections
- WAT – Susanna Goff: 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
BONUS PHOTOS (click on any image for larger view and Slide Show Mode)
