By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Maybe call the Feb. 4 women’s basketball game between host Watauga and 4A rival Alexander Central a “Here’s Chloe!” party after the 6-foot senior and first year basketball player Chloe Wilson blossomed before everyone’s eyes at Lentz Eggers Gym.  Drawing a crowd inside the paint and proving a disruptive force defensively, Wilson was a major factor in Watauga’s convincing, 63-48 victory in front of a standing room only crowd at Lentz Eggers Gym.

A strong third quarter by Alexander Central, led by junior guard Meredith Wike, tightened things up a bit in the second half but host Watauga shrugged off the Cougars’ comeback rally. Watauga countered Wike’s game-high 30 points (and double-double in adding 12 rebounds) with a broad-based team effort.

Three Pioneers, including Wilson’s 14 points, scored in double figures. Senior guard Kate Sears recorded another triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, all team-highs, and sophomore guard Blair Haines added 10 points. Two more Pioneers were within an eyelash of double figures: senior guards Julie Matheson and Kaitlyn Darner, each with nine points.

Fans of Watauga have come to expect Virginia Tech-bound Sears to put up gaudy numbers, often with the ability to put the team on her back and will the Pioneers to victory when it doesn’t seem possible. But Watauga’s team performance against the Cougars proved that the Pioneers’ supporting cast is nothing to be trifled with. In addition to having five players with nine or more points scored, Watauga had five players with four or more rebounds.

Wilson’s late season emergence is noteworthy. An accomplished softball player, the senior was persuaded to come out for basketball in her final year, a sport in which she had previously not competed, at least formally. Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson noted after the game that where Sears, Matheson, Darner, Haines and others on the Pioneer roster had played organized basketball from a young age, Wilson had not been exposed to some of the game’s fundamental skills, do’s and don’ts, much less the intricacies of a team working together for a common purpose.

“It is a credit to Chloe’s athleticism and hard work, as well as her teammates helping to bring her along,” said Torgerson in applauding Wilson’s performance against Alexander Central. Especially with her presence inside the paint, said Torgerson, it takes some of their opponents’ defensive pressure away from Sears, as well as from the other Pioneer outside shooters.

Winning nine of the last 10 games buoyed the Pioneers’ overall record to 14-5, 6-1 in Northwestern Conference play. Next up: a Friday, Feb. 7 appearance at Hibriten. Last time out, Watauga beat the Panthers, 59-44, on Jan. 17.

SELECTED TEAM STATS

• Field Goal%: WAT 43.1% (25-58), AC 31.9% (15-47)
• 3-Point%: WAT 26.9% (7-26), AC 33.3% (7-21)
• Free Throw%: WAT 60.0% (6-10), AC 73.3% (11-15)
• Points in Paint: WAT 34, AC 6
• 2nd Chance Points: WAT 11, AC 10
• Fast Break Points: WAT 8, AC 0
• Bench Points: WAT 17, AC 6
• Turnovers: WAT 5, AC 9

KEY PERFORMERS

• WAT – Kate Sears: 18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals
• AC – Meredith Wike: 30 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal
• WAT – Chloe Wilson: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal
• AC – Malayah Adams: 12 points, 4 assists, 1 steal
• WAT – Blair Haines: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
• WAT – Kaitlyn Darner: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block
• WAT – Julie Matheson: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a basketball game with more thrilling twists and turns than the famed “Tail of the Dragon” highway in the Great Smoky Mountains. There were ups and downs to take your breath away faster than the massive, “Falcons Flight” roller coaster in Qiddaya, Saudi Arabia. It was one of those games you didn’t want to end but knew at some point one of the adversaries would have to be declared the winner and another, the loser.

On this Jan. 31 night, the South Caldwell women’s basketball team earned the right to dance with joy at midcourt, 93-91.

There were just nine seconds on the clock when the Spartans in-bounded the ball after Watauga took the lead, 91-90. Despite the Pioneers’ stifling defensive pressure, the ball found its way into the hands of the Spartans’ freshman guard, Ava Anderson, just past midcourt, some 15 feet inside the left sideline. With a desperation heave for the ages, Anderson’s shot arched through the air and bounced off the rim to the other side of the hoop, rolled around precariously and flirting with both victory and defeat before dropping through the net — just as the orange lights framing the backboard flashed game’s end with the final buzzer.

It was a moment of unbounded, exuberant joy for the South Caldwell players and coaches, who had fought to the finish and earned the win. It was a moment of gut-wrenching despair for a Watauga team that led by 10 points after just the first quarter of play, trailed by nine late in the fourth period, but rallied to send the game into overtime.

For the game to have been this close was somewhat of a surprise for most onlookers. Watauga had put a double-digit licking on the Spartans in their first meeting, in Hudson on Jan. 9, 74-55. With a 13-4 overall record and 5-0 in Northwestern Conference play coming in to this game, the Pioneers were ranked No. 17 in all of North Carolina, South Caldwell way down the list at No. 111. MaxPreps had Watauga at No. 5 in the 4A West, the Spartans (then at 11-7) at No. 20.

Well, add a loss to Watauga’s record and a win to South Caldwell’s after this barnburner. For both teams, there was no level of certainty as to the eventual outcome, from start to finish.

There was a time in the second half when Watauga senior Kate Sears seemed to put the team on her back and willed them back into the fray. Sears scored 21 of her game-high 50 points in the fourth quarter — then scored 14 more in the two overtime periods. To say she entirely carried the load, however, would not be accurate. There is no way to discount the critical 3-pointers in overtime from other players, two of them by senior guard Julie Matheson and one by junior guard Izzy Torgerson.

When all was said and done, however, it wasn’t quite enough. Watauga simply had few answers for the Spartans’ “youth movement,” led by freshman guards Anderson and backcourt teammate Maggie Wilks.

Besides the final buzzer-beater, Anderson poured in a team-high 36 points while Wilks added another 30. Altogether, the Spartans were deadly from long distance, hitting on 16 shots from beyond the 3-point arc. Wilks recorded a game-high seven 3-pointers, Anderson another five treys.

While a lot of Watauga’s scoring came from Sears driving to the basket, the Pioneers also made some critical shots from long distance, including three from the Virginia Tech-bound senior and three more by Matheson. Others contributing from beyond the arc included Shelby Thompson, Torgerson, Blair Haines and Kaitlyn Darner.

Almost as remarkable was South Caldwell’s shooting from the free throw line: 14-of-17 (82.4 percent). By contrast, as a team the Pioneers were good on just 8-of-16 (50 percent) from the charity stripe.

Up next for the Pioneers is a home date vs. Alexander Central on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Watauga got by the Cougars on Jan. 14 in Taylorsville, 48-44. Although the loss to South Caldwell tarnished their Northwestern Conference record to 5-1, the Pioneers remain in sole possession of first place.

South Caldwell stays at home for their Feb. 4 matchup. At 4-2 in conference, they are tied with their next opponent, Freedom, although the Patriots prevailed when the teams met in Morganton on Jan. 14, 55-49. Riding a 4-game win streak and facing Freedom at home, South Caldwell may rightfully have an elevated measure of confidence in facing the Patriots, which has sandwiched losses to Watauga and Alexander Central between wins over Ashe County and Hibriten since the last time they faced South Caldwell.

SCORING LEADERS

• WAT – Kate Sears (50 points)
• SC – Ava Anderson (36)
• SC – Maggie Wilks (30)
• WAT – Kaitlyn Darner (15)
• WAT – Julie Matheson (11)
• SC – Kristin Barber (11)
• SC – Addison Whitman (9)
• WAT – Blair Haines (5)
• WAT – Shelby Thompson (5)
• SC – Holland Weisner (4)
• WAT – Izzy Torgerson (3)
• SC – Bella Smith (3)
• WAT – Chloe Wilson (2)

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Finishing has not always been an arrow in the Watauga men’s basketball team’s proverbial quiver in the 2024-25 season, but it was on full display Jan. 31 vs. South Caldwell in a convincing, 80-61 win.

A standing-room-only crowd packing Lentz Eggers Gym for this Northwestern Conference 4A rivalry game was still abuzz when the guys took the floor. The visiting Spartan women’s team had just earned a surprise, double overtime victory with a buzzer-beater from well behind the 3-point arc by freshman Ava Anderson. What did the nightcap feature have in store for the Watauga and South Caldwell guys?

South Caldwell’s men had trailed Watauga, 42-39, at halftime of the teams’ Jan. 9 encounter in Hudson, but used a dominating fourth quarter to turn back the Pioneers by a dozen points at game’s end, 76-64. On Jan. 14, Watauga was ahead of Alexander Central in Taylorsville by seven points with just five minutes remaining, only to lose, 68-65.

Since the last meeting with South Caldwell, Watauga had won games against 3A rivals Hibriten, Freedom and Ashe County, thumped 1A school Elkin in a rare midseason non-conference contest, but fell in a non-conference game to 4A adversary, East Forsyth, 65-58, even after leading the Eagles at halftime.

So forgive the skeptics if they had questions about this very talented Watauga men’s team.

Against the Spartans in Lentz Eggers Gym, Watauga looked sharp at the outset, leading 20-14 at the end of the first quarter. Led by the versatile, junior Carter Anderson, who splits his time between forward and shooting guard, South Caldwell battled back to take a tenuous lead at halftime, 35-34.

Defensive adjustments at halftime, though, allowed Watauga to explode to a 60-43 lead at the end of the third quarter, with offensive production in the period coming from Cade Keller (10 of his game-high 29 points), Josiah Railey (6 of his 19 points) and forward Jace Blocker (6 of his 11 points).

In the final period, Watauga kept the proverbial pedal to the medal, led by another 10 points from Keller. The Pioneers outscored the Spartans in the fourth quarter, 20-18, to answer all questions about their ability to “finish.”

Next up for Watauga is another 4A rivalry rematch vs. Alexander Central in Lentz Eggers Gym on Feb. 4. South Caldwell returns home to host Freedom on the same night.

SCORING

• WAT – Cade Keller (29 points)
• WAT – Josiah Railey (19)
• SC – Connor Setzer (18)
• SC – Carter Anderson (12)
• SC – Larson Wilks (12)
• WAT – Jace Blocker (11)
• WAT – Jackson Love (8)
• SC – Caleb Greene (7)
• SC – Tyler Cline (6)
• WAT – Maddox Greene (4)
• WAT – Landon Smith (2)
• SC – Dawson Carr (2)
• SC – Gavin Frasure (2)

By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — Full court pressure by Watauga in the second half disrupted host Ashe County’s offensive possessions, allowing the Pioneers to run away with a convincing, 76-52 win to complete the first round of conference games during the 2024-25 regular season.

BONUS PHOTOS @ Bottom of Article (click any image for Slide Show Mode)

Senior guard/forward Josiah Railey poured in seven points in the first quarter and added eight more in the second half to record a team-high 15 points. Railey’s early effort was critical in keeping the Huskies at bay in the first half, the Pioneers taking a 34-32 lead into intermission.

But Watauga’s defensive adjustments at halftime proved bothersome for Ashe County, creating turnovers and missed shots in quarters three and four. The Huskies’ Cole Treva recorded 17 of his game-high 27 points in the first half. Although the Pioneers limited the 6-4 junior forward to “just” 10 points in the second half, Treva was a force to be reckoned with inside the paint throughout the contest.

Whereas Ashe County’s offensive success was centered around Treva, Watauga’s attack was more balanced. In addition to Railey’s team-high 15, forward Jace Blocker pounded the inside for 14 points while junior guard Cade Keller contributed 13 points, mostly from the outside.

Watauga had what could be called season “breakout” performances in seeing 9 points from point guard Maddox Greene and 7 points (all in the first half) scored by junior forward Brady Lindenmuth. Greene was again fearless in driving down the lane to the basket while Lindenmuth was a genuine force in the paint, bringing much needed energy to the court in coming off the bench for the Pioneers.

Altogether, Watauga (11-6 overall, 3-2 Northwestern Conference) had scoring contributions from 10 rostered players.

Next up for Watauga is a rare road trip to Elkin on Jan. 29, with a 6 p.m. varsity only tipoff. A 1A school competing in the

SCORING

• ASHE – Cole Treva (27 points)
• WAT – Josiah Railey (15)
• WAT – Jace Blocker (14)
• WAT – Cade Keller (13)
• WAT – Maddox Greene (9)
• ASHE – Trent Sheets (9)
• ASHE – Bryce Peters (8)
• WAT – Brady Lindenmuth (7)
• WAT – Jackson Love (7)
• ASHE – Ian Graybeal (6)
• WAT – Landon Smith (4)
• WAT – Kyren Williams (3)
• WAT – JT Cook (2)
• WAT – Paul Taylor (2)
• ASHE – Corbin Carpenter (2)

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — After Ashe County won the opening tipoff, the Jan. 24 game against Watauga was a proverbial nail biter — at least for the first quarter. The visiting Pioneers dominated the final three periods en route to an 86-48 win over the host Huskies.

Four Watauga players finished in double figures, scoring, led by Kate Sears (31 points), Blair Haines (16), Izzy Torgerson (15) and Kaitlyn Darner (11).

For the third time this season, the Pioneer offense put more than 80 points on the board in the 48-minute affair. The Jan. 22 victory over Freedom — during which senior guard Sears recorded career highs in points scored (43), rebounds (21) and assists (15) — matched the an earlier 83-point effort by Watauga at East Lincoln on Dec. 14, so the 86-point effort at Ashe County sets a new Pioneer standard for the 2024-25 regular season campaign.

As Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson pointed out to reporters after the game, the squad’s 18 made three-point shots against the Huskies is at or near a program record and “up there” in the state record book for women’s high school basketball. The 3-pointers came from five different players. Sears accounted for seven of them, Haines for four, Torgerson for five, Darner for one and Julie Matheson for one.

While Watauga all but shut down almost all of the Huskies on this night, the lone exception was senior point guard/shooting guard Abby Sheets, whose 31 points matched Sears for game-high scoring honors. As a team, Ashe County had a credible night from long distance, hitting five 3-pointers, three by Sheets and one each by Kinzley Blevins and Abby Eller.

Next up for Watauga (12-4 overall, 5-0 Northwestern Conference) is a non-conference home encounter vs. Daniel Boone High School (9-9) of Gray, Tenn., on Jan. 29. This date will feature only the women’s teams at home, with the junior varsity starting at 4:30 p.m. and the varsity to follow.

SCORING

• WAT – Kate Sears (31 points)
• ASHE – Abby Sheets (31)
• WAT – Blair Haines (16)
• WAT – Izzy Torgerson (15)
• WAT – Kaitlyn Darner (11)
• ASHE – Taryn Kilby (7)
• WAT – Julie Matheson (5)
• WAT – Presli Wood (4)
• ASHE – Kinzley Blevins (3)
• ASHE – Abby Eller (3)
• WAT – Chloe Wilson (2)
• ASHE – Addi Williams (2)
• ASHE – Ava Mahala (2)

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — No event was closer on Jan. 22 than the Women’s 100 Yard Butterfly during the 3A/4A Northwestern Conference Swimming Championships. South Caldwell’s Peyton Felts edged out Watauga’s Athena Elliott by a mere 1/100th of a second to capture the Butterfly title, recording a 1:00.60 vs. Elliott’s 1:00.61.

Another thriller was in the Women’s 500-Yard Freestyle. Just three seconds separated the event’s top two finishers, with Watauga’s Addie Wilson completing the day’s longest race in 5:34.90, vs. runner-up Hannah Wasson of South Caldwell, in 5:37.93.

In the Men’s 100-Yard Backstroke, No. 1 Nate Carswell (Freedom) edged out No. 2 Max Clark (South Caldwell), 1:00.22 vs. 1:00.92, so just over half a second separating the two.

Among the relays, one of the most thrilling races of the night came at the evening’s end with the Men’s 400-Yard Relay. Watauga’s relay team of Stacy Eggers, Lanson Gilbert, Silas Powell and Michael Makdad touched the finish pad just ahead of South Caldwell’s Owen Griffith, Harriss Inman, Max Clark and Nathan Hall, 3:38.63 vs 3:39.07.

There were a few decisive or “blowout” performances, too, beginning with Watauga’s Maggie Cheves in the Women’s 200-Yard Freestyle. The Pioneer senior’s 2:01.84 was almost 11 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. Similarly, in the Men’s 200-Yard Freestyle, Hibriten’s Nathan Mull recorded 1:59.97, almost a 10 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.

In the Men’s 200 Individual Medley, Watauga’s Michael Makdad swam to a 2:11.80, almost 10 seconds before the next Northwestern Conference swimmer recorded a finish.

At 57.05, Watauga’s Lola Herring was a full two seconds ahead of No. 2 Ama Higgs of Hibriten in the Women’s 100-Yard Freestyle. Out of the 30 swimmers in the event, the Pioneers had six athletes in the top 11, with Chessy Martin (No. 3), Amelia Bennett (No. 8), Kaitlyn Meyer (No. 9), Grace Lesesne (No. 10) and Zoe Critcher (No. 11). Only the top 3 from each school are actually scorers, but the Watauga performances reflect the women’s team’s roster depth.

In the Men’s 100-Yard Freestyle, South Caldwell’s Owen Griffith outswam 19 other Northwestern Conference competitors, finishing in 47.93, almost 7 seconds ahead of Hibriten athlete JP Andrews’ No. 2 time of 54.88. Watauga junior Silas Powell was No. 3, less than a second behind Andrews at 55.65.

Michael Makdad (Watauga) was a clear winner in the Men’s 100-Yard Breaststroke, finishing five seconds ahead of his nearest competitor, Mason Hubbard of South Caldwell, 1:07.74 vs. 1:12.73.

Among the top freshman swimmers competing in the Northwestern Conference regular season finale was Watauga’s Lanson Gilbert in the Men’s 500-Yard Freestyle, his 5:25.54 top time more than 10 seconds ahead of Freedom’s No. 2 finisher, Nicholas Chiota.

Watauga head coach David Gragg offered a candid assessment after the meet, suggesting it lived up to expectations.

TOP WATAUGA WOMEN PERFORMERS

• Maggie Cheves: 200-Yard Freestyle (No. 1), 200 Yard Freestyle Relay (No. 1), 100-Yard Backstroke (No. 1), 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (No. 1)
• Lola Herring: 200-Yard Medley Relay (No. 1), 100-Yard Freestyle (No. 1), 100-Yard Backstroke (No. 2), 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (No. 1)
• Athena Elliott: 200-Yard Medley Relay (No. 1), 50-Yard Freestyle (No. 1), 100-Yard Butterfly (No. 2), 200-Yard Freestyle Relay (No. 1)
• MK Riddle: 200-Yard Medley Relay (No. 1), 200-Yard Individual Medley (No. 4), 100-Yard Breaststroke (No. 4)
• Addie Wilson: 200-Yard Individual Medley (No. 1), 500-Yard Freestyle (No. 1), 200-Yard Freestyle Relay (No. 1), 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (No. 1)
• Tessa Buchanan: 200-Yard Medley Relay (No. 1), 100-Yard Butterfly (No. 3), 200-Yard Freestyle Relay (No. 1), 100-Yard Breaststroke (No. 2)
• Chessy Martin: 100-Yard Freestyle (No. 3), 500-Yard Freestyle (No. 3), 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (No. 1)

TOP WATAUGA MEN PERFORMERS

• Michael Makdad: 200-Yard Medley Relay (No. 3), 200-Yard Individual Medley (No. 1), 100-Yard Breaststroke (No. 1), 400-Yard Freestyle Relay
• Silas Powell: 200-Yard Medley Relay (No. 3), 50-Yard Freestyle (No. 4), 100-Yard Freestyle (No. 3), 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (No. 1)
• Stacy Eggers: 200-Yard Freestyle (No. 2), 500-Yard Freestyle (No. 5), 200-Yard Freestyle Relay (No. 3), 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (No. 1)
• Lanson Gilbert: 200-Yard Medley Relay (No. 3), 100-Yard Butterfly (No. 1), 500-Yard Freestyle (No. 1), 400-Yard Freestye Relay (No. 1)

WOMEN’S TEAM SCORES

1. Watauga (385)
2. South Caldwell (245)
3. Hibriten (238)
4. Alexander Central (139)
5. Freedom (78)
6. Ashe County (28)

MEN’S TEAM SCORES

1. South Caldwell (272)
2. Watauga (248)
3. Hibriten (217)
4. Freedom (198)
5. Alexander Central (164.5)
6. Ashe County (3.5)

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — This time, the Pioneers circled their wagons and finished.

After two losses on the road where the Watauga men’s basketball team led in the fourth quarter but ended up falling to South Caldwell and Alexander Central, against Freedom at Lentz Eggers Gym they got it done.

Junior guard Cade Keller poured in a game-high 24 points and junior forward Jace Blocker added another 21 to lead the Pioneers past the Patriots.

Senior guard Maddox Greene only had four points on the night, scoring, but proved to be a critical playmaker with 9 rebounds, 8 assists and a pair of steals. Teammate Josiah Railey, a combination guard/forward, added 16 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks to record the broadest individual stat line.

“It felt good for us to be on the other side of those late games,” said Watauga head coach Bryson Payne after the game. “We played really good. We feel we are better than our record. We played some really tough games early but that is part of it. You are playing teams that are good and they know how to win, too. Those close ones that we lost, previously, they shot well at the end and we didn’t.”

Payne added that the Pioneers did a better job of managing the clock against Freedom, and making their shots.

A lot of Freedom’s success (13-3 overall, now 3-1 in conference play) in the Patriots’ previous games has been due to the play of senior guard Amore Connelly. On this night, the Watauga defense limited Connelly to 17 points.

“Amore is a good player and we wanted to make everything he did difficult. Our guys accepted that challenge. He hit some really tough shots, some high level shots, but I am proud of the way our guys battled, stuck to the game plan and stayed consistent,” said Payne.

Watauga point guard Maddox Greene stressed afterward that his team stayed in the moment.

“We were more patient in this game,” Greene said. “At Alexander, we took some bad shots that we didn’t need to take. We shot ourselves out of that game when we didn’t need to. This game we were more patient, only taking the good ones and we stayed ahead, kept the lead.”

Next up for the Pioneers is a trip to West Jefferson on Jan. 24, to face High Country rival Ashe County in the last of the first round of regular season in-conference games.

SCORING

• WAT – Cade Keller (24)
• WAT – Jace Blocker (21)
• FRE – Amore Connelly (17)
• FRE – King Johnson (17)
• WAT – Josiah Railey (16)
• FRE – Braxton King (13)
• FRE – Kaden Davis (10)
• WAT – Jackson Love (8)
• FRE – Kobe Johnson (5)
• WAT – Maddox Greene (4)
• FRE – Elijah Davidson (3)
• WAT – Eli Bishop (2)
• WAT – Brady Lindenmuth (2)
• FRE – Dairyon Feaster-Hicks (2)
• FRE – Keandre Davis (2)
• FRE – Jonah Griggs (1)

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — With career highs recorded by Kate Sears (43 points) and Blair Haines (23 points) complimented by a punishing team defense, the Watauga varsity women ran away from Freedom on Jan. 22, 83-63, in front of a packed house at Lentz Eggers Gym.

Wednesday night’s contest had been rescheduled from Tuesday (Jan. 21) because of extreme cold, ice and snow making travel more dangerous, but the changes had no ill effects on Sears and Haines, whose impact was immediate. The duo combined for 22 points in just the first quarter and added 15 more in the second period en route to a 14-point Pioneer lead at intermission, 48-34. Senior guard Julie Matheson contributed six points before halftime to aid the cause, finishing the game with 10 points.

Freedom had four players in double figures, scoring, including a tie for team-high at 15 points by sisters Cynica and Peyton Caldwell. Junior guard Ava Cooke and senior guard Haven Gladden added 12 and 11, respectively.

The breadth of the Patriots’ scoring could not overcome the one-two punch of Sears and Haines, however. The Pioneers’ senior and sophomore guards combined for 12 made shots from behind the 3-point arc to account for nearly half (43.4 percent) of the team’s total offensive production on the night.

Watauga’s recent surge in offensive productivity may also be partially explained by the quiet emergence of senior newcomer, forward Chloe Wilson. The softball athlete is in her first year of playing basketball so the tall, 6-0 athlete has had a lot to learn not only about the game but also about the team’s offensive and defensive systems. Over the last few games her development has been obvious with increased playing time.

As an imposing presence in the paint, Wilson can draw a crowd of defenders, often leaving other teammates like Sears, Haines and Matheson open, with better looks at the basket from the outside.

Defensively, the athletic Wilson is already having a major impact, too. Against Freedom, she had what Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson described afterwards as “… a couple of monster blocks.”

“Kate’s rebounding numbers are huge this year. To do all that Kate does, having Chloe come in and knock some people down, take a charge or swats shots away to get the crowd and her teammates excited, those are almost a form of ‘breaks’ for Kate. When Chloe comes in, she is a fan and team favorite. Tonight, she made two athletic blocks that are unlike what anybody else can make.”

Of Haines’ performance, Torgerson credited her hard work.

“Blair is always staying after practice and getting extra shooting in,” said Torgerson. “She has been shooting well in the recent games and she picked up right where she left off. That was important for us because we weren’t defending very well as we opened this game but we were scoring well (with Sears and Haines).”

Torgerson noted that Freedom has almost everyone back from the year ago team that took Watauga to overtime, in Morganton, in January 2024.

“They came into tonight 3-0. Freedom is a really strong defensive team and they are long. There is no one out there who is slow. And then you have Peyton Caldwell, who is a really good offensive player. She is a shooter. She gets to the basket great and gets to the free throw line a lot. Holding her to 15 points is pretty good,” said Torgerson.

Now in his second year as the Watauga head coach, Torgerson was especially complimentary of Sears’ leadership on the court, as well as her production on both ends.

“With a big lead, we were a bit flat late in the third quarter and early in the fourth. That’s a bit natural with a big lead. You are bound to have a little run where you miss some shots. So two things that Kate does really well, urging her teammates to pick up the energy and get stops, but she also goes to the rim and gets some layups. She wasn’t happy with her free throw shooting tonight, but she picked us up in the second half and really put them away.”

Next up for the Pioneers is a Jan. 24 tilt at Ashe County to complete the first round of regular season conference games. Currently at 4-0, with the defeat of Freedom the Pioneers have sole possession of first place in the Northwestern Conference standings.

SCORING

• WAT – Kate Sears (43)
• WAT – Blair Haines (23)
• FRE – Peyton Caldwell (15)
• FRE – Cynica Caldwell (15)
• FRE – Ava Cooke (12)
• FRE – Haven Gladden (11)
• WAT – Julie Matheson (10)
• FRE – Kaitlyn Hagmann (7)
• WAT – Izzy Torgerson (3)
• WAT – Shelby Thompson (2)
• WAT – Kaitlyn Darner (2)