By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – App State men’s basketball came just short of its second Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season on Wednesday night. The Mountaineers fell to Wake Forest, 66-67 in a heartbreaking thriller.
Terence Harcum scored a corner three-pointer with 14 seconds left to give the Mountaineers a one-point advantage, but Wake Forest’s Andrew Carr responded with a buzzer-beating, mid-range jump shot to end the game.
Christopher Mantis led the way with 18 points on 6-7 shooting, a trio of three-point shots and a perfect game from the foul line. The sophomore was active on both ends, tallying two steals and two blocks in his third career start where he earned a plus/minus of +13 while he was on the court.
The Mountaineers had a hot first half, shooting 17-25 and getting out to a 37-31 lead at the break. The Demon Deacons responded with a 17-2 run to open the second half, leading to their largest lead of the game (9) with 14 minutes to go.
Donovan Gregory broke the ice with a driving finish through contact, sparking eight consecutive App State points to cut the lead to one. The teams continued to fight back and forth as the game saw 15 lead changes and six ties.
App State trailed by four with two minutes remaining before Dibaji Walker found his way into the lane to make the score 61-63. Walker followed with a block on the other end, leading to a CJ Huntley layup to tie the game.
After a couple of defensive stops by both teams, it was Walker again who came up with the defensive rebound leading to Harcum’s eventual go-ahead three-pointer.
The Mountaineers had an impressive offensive outing, shooting 52.7% from the field with 36 points in the paint and 17 points off of turnovers.
App State will return to action on Saturday at 4 p.m. as the squad hosts Regent. Next week, the Mountaineers ill compete against UC Santa Barbara in the Jerry Colangelo Classic at the Footprint Center.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Whether a bunch of older fellas hellbent on reliving the glory days of their youth or workaday dudes getting some exercise, the Watauga Community Recreation Center’s adult basketball league is about guys having fun, playing the game they love.
For the first game of the “play in” round of the championship tournament on Dec. 14, The Sky Hookers took on The Grillers. And don’t confuse the Sky Hookers as some kind of flight attendant escort service. No, these guys are basketball players.
Joel Brown of the Sky Hookers goes up for a reverse layup against The Grillers in the opening round of the Watauga Community Recreation Center Adult Basketball Leauge on Dec. 14. Photographic image by David Rogers
Sweat poured down the furrowed brow of former Watauga High School star point guard Caleb Bryson as he dribbled at the top of the key, calculating his options. In a blink of an eye, he was driving down the lane toward the basket, drawing in defenders, then passed the ball out to an open teammate, Jordan Cameron, on the perimeter. Cameron calmly put up a 3-point attempt, the ball arching toward the basket — to find nothing but net. For Bryson, it was just like old times in Lentz Eggers Gym. No Utah Jones, T.J Poulos or Bryant Greene, but Jordan Cameron or another Sky Hookers teammate was there. If Bryson is not scoring himself, he is setting up a teammate.
Also a former Pioneer, Seth Moore of the Sky Hookers towers above most of the other players, the envy of short guys everywhere who wish they were at least a little taller while playing basketball. Watching Moore pull down a rebound while standing head and shoulders above the crowd seems almost unfair, reminiscent of Charles Barkley in the Capital One ad on TV. “Pick me first,” he tells the grammar school age boys and girls choosing up sides. Then Moore’s immediate outlet pass to Bryson in transition takes appreciation for the way this game is being played to another level. It was Moore, not Dobbins, Ebaugh, or Lambert from whom Bryson was receiving the pass. The fast break result was all the same, challenging The Grillers to keep up.
Jay Bartoli (5) of The Grillers drives around the Sky Hookers’ Caleb Bryson, looking for a basket on Dec. 14. Photographic image by David Rogers
These guys play hard. These guys have played good basketball before. These guys know what they are doing. Any childhood thoughts about playing in the NBA one day have long since evaporated from their cranial tissues, but playing “like Mike” or emulating Steph Curry still lives in their youthful souls.
Hearing large adult bodies periodically slam to the floor with a thud, followed by the inevitable adult grown or grimace… well, it prompts the onlooker to hope that WCRC has an insurance policy against damage to their glistening hardwood floor. That wasn’t an earthquake making the chandeliers rattle all the way in the front lobby. That was one of the guys wishing he was a little more supple and resilient, taking a nosedive to the floor after being fouled as he drove to the basket.
In battle of ‘5s’, Joe Keys (blue) of the Sky Hookers is defended by Jay Bartoli of The Grillers on Dec. 14, in the opening round of the WCRC Adult League post-season championship tournament.
Holly Gates, the WCRC coordinator for the adult league explained that the regular season had just ended for the 14 teams. “We started with round robin pools,” she said, “and ended up with a top seven and a bottom seven. They will basically be playing in two separate tournaments at the same time, now.”
Bryson scored a little more than a third of the Sky Hookers’ points in his team’s 80-31 victory. But it didn’t seem like it because he was constantly distributing the ball to another player. The objective, he said, is not to be the individual that scores the most points. The objective is for the team to win, however that is accomplished.
Jordan Cameron (3) of the Sky Hookers launches a ‘three’ that finds nothing but net on Dec. 14 vs. The Grillers at the Watauga Community Recreation Center. Photographic image by David Rogers
On one occasion in the first half, the former Watauga star apologized to a teammate. In driving to the basket, Bryson had a good open look but, instead of taking the shot, he passed the ball to a teammate running down the lane toward the basket. Unfortunately, the teammate was in traffic and a Grillers player was able to poach the ball for a steal and what amounted to a Bryson turnover. “I’m sorry,” he said to the teammate. “I should have put it up.”
Credit to The Grillers. They were outmatched on this night, thumped by 49 points. And yet, just like the Sky Hookers they played hard all the way to the final tick of the game clock. It would have been easy to coast as their deficit reached 20 points, then 30 points, then 40 points… But they didn’t. They wanted to play basketball, too. And play they did.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Led by JJ Everett’s and Mason Tate’s 12 and 11 points, respectively, the Watauga District middle school boys basketball team raced by Carolina Day School on Dec. 14, 44-29, at the Watauga Community Recreation Center.
The young Pioneers jumped out to an early lead by the end of the first quarter, 13-6, but CDC came roaring back on a 10-5 run in the second quarter to trail by just two points, 18-16. The first half ended with the visitors faced with just a four point deficit, 20-16, but things almost immediately changed as momentum shifted to the host Pioneers.
Watauga’s Truett Healy (4) maneuvers outside the paint against Carolina Day on Dec. 14. Photographic image by David Rogers
Tate hit a 3-pointer and Colby Whiteside added a couple of inside buckets in the third quarter. That opened the floodgates for Watauga in the final stanza as they played determined defense, limiting CDC to just 2 points in the fourth quarter while finding the basket for 17 points of their own.
With the win, Watauga lifts its record for the season to 6-5, with five more games remaining. Next up: the District teams play at Heritage Middle School, in Valdese, N.C. on Dec. 15, the last game before Christmas and New Year. They open the 2023 new year with the final four games, all in January and beginning at East McDowell on Jan. 5.
By David Rogers. BURNSVILLE, N.C. — Yet another member of the Watauga women’s basketball team stepped up with offensive production on Dec. 13. This time it was Caroline Farthing’s game-high 17 points — including a pair 3-pointers in the opening quarter and a total of three from long distance in the first half — that propelled the Pioneers. Watauga won on the road in a 48-41 win over Mountain Heritage.
The usual suspects in offensive production for the Pioneers, Kate Sears and Charlotte Torgerson, also had significant roles with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Led by Farthing, Watauga opened a with a 15-6 lead after one quarter of play but Mountain Heritage fought back with a strong second quarter to trail by only one, 19-18 at intermission. A 19 point outburst led by 3-pointers from Sears and Farthing in the third period, however, combined with a strong Pioneer defensive effort in the second half provided ample separation to seal the win for Watauga.
With 10 points each, Ava Webb and Lilly Neill provided most of the scoring for the Cougars.
With the win, Watauga moves to 6-1 on the early season. They go on the road to Lake Norman on Dec. 16, before tackling Lee High School of Huntsville, Ala. in the first round of the Cherokee Invitational tournament at the Harrah’s Casino Resort Convention Center in Cherokee, N.C. on Tuesday, Dec. 20 (11:30 a.m. tipoff).
By David Rogers. BURNSVILLE, N.C. — A big, athletic Mountain Heritage team again proved too much for Watauga on Dec. 13. Less than a week after the Cougars overwhelmed the Pioneers at Lentz Eggers Gym, they did the same in the rematch on their own home court, 75-46.
Listed at 6 ft., 7 in., the Cougars’ Max Smoker can play either point guard or power forward and the versatile athlete burned the Pioneers for a game-high 29 points on the night, mostly inside but also adding a pair of 3-pointers and making good on 3 of 4 shots from the charity stripe. His 10 points in the first quarter accounted for more than half of the Cougars’ 17 points in the opening period, Mountain Heritage jumping out to a 17-8 lead at the end of the initial stanza.
Watauga actually outscored their hosts, 17-14, in the second quarter behind nine points from Wyatt Kohout and six from long range by Wyatt Keller. That performance pulled the Pioneers to within six points by intermission, 31-25, but the Cougars exploded for 22 points in each of the final two periods while clamping down on the Pioneers, defensively.
Kohout finished the game with a team-high 15 points. No other Pioneers managed double figures.
With this win over a competitive 4A school in Watauga, Mountain Heritage leaves little doubt that they aim to be a factor in the 1A state playoffs at the end of the regular season. Now 5-1 in their non-conference schedule (the only loss on Nov. 28 to an as yet undefeated Enka [Asheville] team), Mountain Heritage will next test their mettle in conference games at Rosman before two home games vs. Owen (Black Mountain) and a rematch vs. Enka before Christmas, on Dec. 21.
The loss evens Watauga’s early season, non-conference record to 3-3. The Pioneers have three more games before the Christmas holiday: at Lake Norman on Friday, Dec. 16, at home against Davie on Saturday, Dec. 17, and at T.C. Roberson in Asheville on Dec. 21. Their first action after Christmas is the High Country Holiday Classic hosted by Watauga, Dec. 28-29-30.
By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — Before they were adversaries, they were collaborators.
Parkway Patriots pictured, back row from left: Samuel Oren, Chase Watts, Daniel Jones, Kaiden Chiarolanzio, Landon Gilbers. Front row from left: Luke Dilner, Avery Tester, Chance Triplett, Tyce Anderson. NOT PICTURED: Parker Williams, Xander Law and Danny Bohoslavski. Photo courtesy of Rachael Mills
The Blowing Rock and Parkway middle school boys basketball teams were matched up in a championship tournament semifinal on Monday night, Dec. 12, but they weren’t thinking about that earlier in the day. Instead, they were working together to organize and deliver 16 gift bags for men residing at the The Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge rehabilitation facility.
Of course, there were moms involved, too, but once the idea was sprung upon them, the student athletes from both teams eagerly embraced the community service project as something they wanted to do.
Rachael Mills, a mother of one of the Blowing Rock boys explained to High Country Sports, “In a conversation, a member of First Baptist Church in Blowing Rock mentioned the need for various things for men at The Foley Center and two moms with sons on both teams came up with the idea. The boys were enthusiastic about the service opportunity and jumped into action very quickly.”
The 16 large gift bags “manufactured” by the two teams included blankets, shaving kits, mirrors, body wash, shampoo, mini Christmas trees and other decor for their rooms at The Foley Center.
“And the boys each wrote personalized notes and greeting cards for the residents,” said Mills. “That was very special.”
Blowing Rock Rockets pictured from left: Charlie Shive, Noah Blevins, Fletcher Farris, Knox Winebarger, Wilson Henline, John Wilson Mills, Cullen Sukow, Lucas Cash, Sean Rea, and Carson Morris. NOT PICTURED: Oryan Boling, Evan Cutlip, and Joaquin Miranda. Photo courtesy of Rachael Mills
Representing Parkway School were Samuel Oren, Chase Watts, Daniel Jones, Kaiden Chiarolanzio, Landon Gilbers, Luke Dilner, Avery Tester, Chance Triplett, Tyce Anderson
Parker Williams, Xander Law and Danny Bohoslavski.
Team members from Blowing Rock included Charlie Shive, Noah Blevins, Fletcher Farris, Knox Winebarger, Wilson Henline, John Wilson Mills, Cullen Sukow, Lucas Cash, Sean Rea, Carson Morris, Oryan Boling, Evan Cutlip, and Joaquin Miranda.
By David Rogers. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Running in Heat 3, Watauga freshman Hannah Graham posted the fastest time in the Women’s 500m on Dec. 12 at the JDL Fast Track for the Millennium Indoor Track Classic. Her time of 1:31.83 edged Allison Vasquez of Starmount (1:31.85), running in Heat 1.
Graham’s winning performance was just one of several Watauga keynotes for the meet, in both the men’s and women’s divisions. Among the men, Joshua Hamilton’s win in the 500m among 26 entries stands out as a top performance of the day.
Schools with entries in the Millennium Indoor Track Classic included Watauga, Forsyth Country Day, South Stokes, Lexington, Davie, East Lincoln, Millennium, West Stokes, High Point Central, Starmount
Selected Key Performances:
Women’s 55m (18 entries)
6th – Sophia Kop (Fr.)
Women’s 300m (18 entries)
4th – Lilly Stough (Fr.)
Women’s 500m (13 entries)
1st – Hannah Graham (Fr.)
6th – Sara Smith
Women’s 1000m (9 entries)
2nd – Mia Llibre (Soph.)
Women’s 1600m (8 entries)
4th – Mia Llibre (Soph.)
Women’s 3200m (5 entries)
1st Sadie Buchanan (Soph.)
Women’s 4x200m (3 entries)
2nd – team of Leah Gaydon, Alison Bertrand, Samantha Bertrand, Sophia Kop
Women’s 4x400m (2 entries)
1st – team of Lilly Stough, Sophia Kop, Leah Gaydon, Hannah Graham
Women’s 4x800m (1 entry)
1st – team of Anna Norris, Hadley Carpenter, Mia Llibre, Bailey Collins
Women’s Pole Vault (3 entries)
1st – Olivia Burroughs (Jr.)
2nd – Emmerson Martin (Jr.)
Women’s Long Jump (7 entries)
1st – Olivia Burroughs (Jr.)
3rd – Hannah Graham (Jr.)
Women’s Triple Jump (2 entries)
1st – Sophia Kop (Fr.)
2nd – Hannah Graham (Fr.)
Women’s Shot Put (12 entries)
3rd – Olivia Burroughs (Jr.)
Men’s 55m (28 entries)
5th – Lade Oguntoyinbo (Jr.)
Men’s 300m (29 entries)
3rd – Alex Gremmell (Soph.)
4th – Nyle Peays (Fr.)
Men’s 500m (26 entries)
1st – Joshua Hamilton (Sr.)
3rd – Matthew Leon (Fr.)
6th – Nathanael Cox (Sr.)
Men’s 1000m (19 entries)
7th – Kade Maiden (Jr.)
Men’s 4x200m Relay (6 entries)
1st – team of Lade Oguntoyinbo, Nyle Peays, Evan Burroughs, Alex Gremmell
Men’s 4x400m Relay (5 entries)
1st – team of Alex Gremmell, Matthew Leon, Nyle Peays, Joshua Hamilton
Men’s 4x800m Relay (3 entries)
2nd – team of Elijah Healy, Cameron Nance, Kade Maiden, Nathanael Cox
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — After falling to Blowing Rock in the regular season and falling into a 3-way tie for regular season honors with the Rockets and Hardin Park, the Patriots of Parkway had something to prove. They took it out on the Blowing Rock boys team in the second semifinal match of the championship tournament, 44-22.
Blowing Rock point guard Louie Winger twists and leaps through Parkway defenders on Dec. 12 during the final semifinal game of the county championship tournament. Photographic image by David Rogers
The Patriots got ahead and stayed ahead on this one, gradually pulling away to finish by doubling up on the Rockets. Parkway’s Chase Watts and Daniel Jones scored 22 and 17 points, respectively, to account for almost all of their team’s offensive production. Only Chance Triplett (3) and Sam Orem (2) contributed more points for Parkway.
John Wilson Mills and Lucas Cash tallied 10 and 8 points for Blowing Rock. Cullen Sukow picked up the first points of the game on an early bucket, but that was all he could manage on the night. The only other Rocket points came from free throws from Louie Winger and Fletcher Farris, one point each.
With the win, Parkway advances to meet Hardin Park on Dec. 15, with tipoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Lentz Eggers Gym.
SCORINGÂ
PKY Chase Watts (22)
PKY Daniel Jones (17)
BR John Wilson Mills (10)
BR Lucas Cash (8)
PKY Chance Triplett (3)
BR Cullen Sukow (2)
PKY Sam Orem (2)
BR Louie Winger (1)
BR Fletcher Farris (1)
During the regular season, Parkway finished in a 3-way tie with Hardin Park and Blowing Rock for the championship. After defeating Blowing Rock in the semifinals of the county tournament, they will face Hardin Park on Dec. 15. Photographic image by David RogersChase Watts (22) goes takes advantage of an open look against Blowing Rock on Dec. 12. Photographic image by David RogersOn Dec. 12, Blowing Rock’s Fletcher Farris goes up for two in the second half against Parkway. Photographic image by David RogersCullen Sukow (42) got the first two points of Blowing Rock’s game against Parkway on Dec. 12 in the semifinals of the county middle school championship tournament. Photographic image by David RogersJohn Wilson Mills of Blowing Rock has eyes only for the basket on Dec. 12, against Parkway in the county middle school tournament semifinals. Photographic image by David RogersLouie Winger goes for two on Dec. 12 vs. Parkway. Photographic image by David RogersAlong with Hardin Park and Parkway, the Blowing Rock middle school boys basketball team finished in a 3-way tie for the regular season championship in 2022. Photographic image by David Rogers
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Where both middle school girls semifinal games were nail biters, the first boys semifinal pitting No.1 seed Hardin Park against No. 5 upstart Green Valley was a runaway. The HP Golden Eagles defeated the GV Eagles, 51-25, on Dec. 12 at Lentz Eggers Gym.
Hardin Park’s Miller Hankins was a force on both ends of the court, collecting rebounds as well as scoring a game-high 14 points on the night. Lucas Flores added 12 to complement the Hankins’ offensive production.
Green Valley’s Olson Critcher (5) sets up an offensive play for the Eagles against Hardin Park on Dec. 12, in the county tournament semifinals. Photographic image by David Rogers
For Green Valley, Chauncey Garvin shot a game-high 9 points and Olson Critcher added 7 points to account for most of the Eagles’ offensive production. Given Hardin Park’s pressing defense, Green Valley was afforded very few scoring opportunities.
With the win, Hardin Park advances to the Dec. 15 championship tilt against Parkway. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., at Lentz Eggers Gym.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was sweet revenge for the Blowing Rock middle school girls basketball team on Dec. 12, at Lentz Eggers Gym. After being shutout by Bethel in the first game of the regular season, 24-0, the Rockets earned their comeuppance by defeating Bethel, 30-26, in the second semifinal game of the Watauga County Middle School Championship Basketball Tournament at Lentz Eggers Gym.
Blowing Rock’s Susanna Goff only scored 8 points against Bethel in the semifinals of the Watauga County middle school tournament, but used her penetration to feed other open players. Photographic image by David Rogers
No. 2 seeded Bethel trailed No. 3 seeded Blowing Rock, 11-1 in the opening half of the Watauga County Middle School Girls Basketball Championship semifinal on Dec. 12, but used an 11-1 run to tie the game at 12-12 with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter and jump into the lead, 16-12, a few moments later. But the resilient Rockets used a 3-pointer from Susanna Goff to pull within a point, 16-15, then traded leads with the girls from Watauga County’s west side before pulling away at the end to win by four points.
“Our girls really wanted this one,” said Blowing Rock head coach Libby Warren after the game. “They fought hard and they played for each other. Down the stretch, we really played good defense to keep a really good Bethel team from scoring more.”
Blowing Rock middle school girls head coach Libby Warren lays out strategy during a timeout in the second half of the Rockets semifinal matchup against Bethel in the county tournament. Photographic image by David Rogers
Bethel was able to rally in the latter portion of the first half and into the third quarter on Blowing Rock turnovers — and “traveling” calls. But the Rockets eventually got their act together, eliminated most of their earlier mistakes, and played disruptive defense.
Although in a losing effort, Payton Guy was prolific for Bethel, pouring in a game-high 12 points, including 9 in the second half. After intermission, she was 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Bethel’s Payton Guy (30) drives to the basket on a fast break against Blowing Rock. Guy tallied a game-high 12 points, but the Rockets went on to win, 30-26 with a broad scoring effort and pesky defense. Photographic image by David Rogers
Blowing Rock was led by Susanna Goff’s team-high eight points, but the balanced attack saw Francis Davis contribute 7 points, Kate Rex 6 points, Anna Byrne 5 points, and Ellie Hege 4 points.
With the win, Blowing Rock will another shot at Parkway on Dec. 15, in the tournament championship game, also at Watauga High School’s Lentz Eggers Gym. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. as the curtain raiser for the boys championship game to follow.
