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Alston’s 36 points – including six made free throws in last 16 seconds – fuels App State past Georgia State, 73-68

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Alston’s 36 points – including six made free throws in last 16 seconds – fuels App State past Georgia State, 73-68

By Katherine Jamtgaard. PENSACOLA, Fla. – The App State women’s basketball team advances to Friday’s quarterfinal round of the Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship after knocking off No. 8 seeded Georgia State, 73-68, in the second round on March 60.

Senior Faith Alston led the charge against the Panthers, netting a career-high 36 points, which is the most points a Mountaineer has scored in a postseason win in program history. Her total also ties her with Maryah Sydnor for eighth-place in the all-time list for single-game scoring leaders. Alston accounted for four of the Mountaineers’ eight treys and pulled down three rebounds and dished out two assists.

Emily Carver driving to the basket vs. Georgia State on March 6. Photo courtesy of Sun Belt Sports.

“First and foremost I would like to give credit to Georgia State and the way that they competed and showed up today,” said head coach Angel Elderkin. “This is March and March games are gritty. Since we exited here in March we always talk about how tough teams win in March, so we built a plan this season for that and I’m just so proud of our players for executing that plan. The game wasn’t pretty in spurts, but we won. And that’s what you want to do in the tournament, you want to survive and advance. I’m really proud of our group and the effort we gave answering runs, going on runs ourselves and maintaining our composure.

The game wasn’t pretty in spurts, but we won.

“For us today it’s iBackAPP and so, people ask, ‘why do you back App?’ I back App for Mariah Frazier, who is a graduate student in our program, and gives everything she has, and Faith Alston, who is a senior in our program and gives everything that she has. For the fans that were in the stands, we had special parents, we had Dr. Sheri Everts, our Chancellor in the stands, and then we had people watching. You’ve got to back App, because these of players… I’ve asked them to finish empty. Tomorrow was not promised. Tomorrow needed to be earned, and they did just that today for App State and for each other.”

Chae Harris drives past Georgia State’s Mikyla Tolivert on March 6 in Sun Belt Conference Tournament play. Photo courtesy of Sun Belt Sports.

Fifth-year senior Taylor Lewis and sophomore Rylan Moffitt pulled down seven rebounds apiece, while sophomore Alexis Black netted 12 points. App State and Georgia State tied eight times and swapped the lead five times. The Mountaineers recorded 18 second-chance points compared to Georgia State’s nine as well as 12 fastbreak points compared to Georgia State’s six.

Tomorrow was not promised. Tomorrow had to be earned — and they did it.

Tensions ran high in the fourth quarter as Georgia State went on a 10-0 run to lead by three midway through the period. The Mountaineers and Panthers tied seven times in the last seven minutes of play, swapping the lead four times. Carver’s free throw gave the Mountaineers a 67-66 edge with 0:43 left on the clock. In the last 16 seconds of the game, Alston was sent to the line three times, sealing the win 73-68 with six total made free throws.

App State head coach Angel Elderkin is all smiles after the Mountaineers defeated Georgia State to advance to the Sun Belt Conference tournament quarterfinals on March 6. Photo courtesy of Sun Belt Conference.

Despite an early Georgia State lead, Alston went on a six-point run of her own in the first period to give the Mountaineers an edge. In the second quarter, Lewis combined with Alston for nine of the Mountaineers’ 17 points in the period. App State boasted a 12-point lead (27-15), building off a 9-0 scoring run that featured jumpers from Moffitt and Alston, as well as a trey from Black. A late trey from sophomore Chaé Harris brought App State to a 32-21 lead, but Georgia State chipped away at the deficit with a 7-0 run of its own. The Mountaineers led 32-28 at the half.

Late in the third quarter, Georgia State closed the gap to a mere two points, but free throws and a trey from Alston pushed App State back ahead, 52-45. A pair of freebies from Black with 0:57 left, extended the Mountaineers’ lead to 54-48. Alston led the Black and Gold through the fourth quarter, netting 13 of the Mountaineers’ 19 points.

UP NEXT

he Mountaineers will advance to the quarterfinal and challenge No. 1 seed Marshall at 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 a.m. ET) on Friday. The winner of Friday’s game will advance to Saturday’s semifinal. The SBC Women’s Basketball Championship is slated for March 5-11 at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla. All 14 teams will make an appearance and all games leading up to the championship game will be available to stream on ESPN+. The championship game on March 11 will be broadcasted on ESPNU. Full Championship Schedule & Results Tuesday, March 5Game 1 – (12) Georgia Southern 72, (13) Texas State 70Game 2 – (11) Coastal Carolina 79, (14) South Alabama 60 Wednesday, March 6Game 3 – (9) App State 73, (8) Georgia State 68Game 4 – (5) ULM vs. (12) Georgia Southern – 2:00 p.m. CT (3:00 p.m. ET)Game 5 – (6) Southern Miss vs. (11) Coastal Carolina – 5:00 p.m. CT (6:00 p.m. ET)Game 6 – (7) Louisiana vs. (10) Arkansas State – 7:30 p.m. CT (8:30 p.m. ET) Friday, March 8Game 7 – (1) Marshall vs. (9) App State – 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET)Game 8 – (4) Old Dominion vs. Winner Game 4 – 2:00 p.m. CT (3:00 p.m. ET)Game 9 – (3) James Madison vs. Winner Game 5 – 5:00 p.m. CT (6:00 p.m. ET)Game 10 – (2) Troy vs. Winner Game 6 – 7:30 p.m. CT (8:30 p.m. ET) Sunday, March 10Game 11 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 – 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET)Game 12 – Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 – 2:00 p.m. CT (3:00 p.m. ET) Monday, March 11Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 1:00 p.m. CT (2:00 p.m. ET)

UPDATED: Watauga WBB overcomes hesitant start to defeat Mallard Creek going away, 62-44, advancing to Rd. 4 vs. Myers Park

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UPDATED: Watauga WBB overcomes hesitant start to defeat Mallard Creek going away, 62-44, advancing to Rd. 4 vs. Myers Park

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Watauga defeated Mallard Creek, 62-44, on March 5, but how they did it was something worth witnessing.

For the first three minutes of the first quarter against Mallard Creek in Round 3 of the NC State Playoffs, many of the home fans in Lentz Eggers Gym may have been worried, or at least were wearing puzzled looks on their faces. The Watauga starters were getting good looks after breaking the Mavericks’ press, but couldn’t seem to buy a bucket. Some three minutes in and the No. 1 seeded Pioneers trailed No. 8 Mallard Creek, 10-0.

Enter Watauga freshman, Blair Haines. Per the Pioneers’ usual brisk passing inside, outside, and around the perimeter, suddenly Haines had an open look from behind the arc and she calmly banked it in. Junior point guard Kate Sears may have had a couple of points before Haines but when the diminutive freshman hit nothing but net off the glass from downtown King Street, it seemed a trigger to change the Pioneer fortunes.

Laney Shook spots an inside opportunity to go to the basket. Photographic image by David Rogers

Watauga completed the comeback to take the lead, 14-10 ant the end of the first quarter, Sears pouring in 11 of the points, including three 3-pointers. With Sears driving the lane to add 8 more points in the second period and sophomore forward Laney Shook adding four of her own, the Pioneers had a 26-21 lead going into halftime, thanks largely to a disruptive defensive effort that forced the Mavericks to take off balance shots (that missed the mark).

What would the second half bring? In a word, the Pioneers found a rhythm. They got four, 3-point daggers in the second half from Julie Matheson. They got a couple more from senior guard Charlotte Torgerson and, of course, they got 11 more second half points from Sears, including two from long distance.

At the end of Q3, the Pioneers led, 40-36, but it was the final stanza that Watauga soared. Aided by Maverick turnovers, the Pioneers capitalized, limiting Mallard Creek to just eight points in the final stanza while scoring 22 of their own.

After commending his team for their resiliency in coming back from that 10-point opening deficit, Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson drew some comparisons.

Sears slips by a Mallard Creek block attempt to score in Round 3. Photographic image by David Rogers

“The game felt like the North Meck (Round 2) game in some ways because Kate did the bulk of our scoring in the first half as the defense was covering the other players,” said Torgerson. “And then when the defense adjusted to key in on Kate, the rest of the players had some opportunities. Julie Matheson really delivered with four, second-half threes and Charlotte Torgerson scored nine in the second half.”

But the Pioneers’ head coach knows that winning basketball is seldom just about offense.

“We knew we were going to have to do the best job of the year as far as our transition defense,” the first year Watauga head coach said. “Mallard Creek’s Lilly Booker and Ellie Stone are really dangerous running the floor and looking for each other. Our players really executed that (defensive) part of what we needed to do.”

Torgerson did not overlook Blair Haines’ early contributions.

“I think that was probably the most freshman Blair Haines has played and I thought she gave us some really important minutes,” said Torgerson. “She pressured the ball, she made some good decisions, and she hit a big first quarter three when we were really having a hard time scoring.”

The near capacity crowd in Lentz Eggers Gym for this third round game provided an electric atmosphere that also did not go unnoticed by the coach.

“The crowd was fantastic again. I think it’s a big advantage for us when they show out like that. I think they were a big part of the second half run we were able to make,” he said.

The Pioneers will now host No.4 seeded Myers Park on Friday, March 8, 6 p.m. In the lower half of the 4A West bracket, No. 2. Lake Norman faces No. 3 Charlotte Catholic.

In the 4A East, No. Rolesville advanced and will face No. 6 Chapel Hill in the lower bracket while No. 1 seeded Hoggard takes on No. 5 Richmond in the upper bracket.

WATAUGA SCORING

  • Kate Sears – 30
  • Julie Matheson – 12
  • Charlotte Torgerson – 9
  • Laney Shook – 6
  • Blair Haines – 3
  • Kaitlyn Darner – 2

POWER SURGE: Pioneers take two at Millers Creek tourney, 12-1 and 10-8 to advance to final

David
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POWER SURGE: Pioneers take two at Millers Creek tourney, 12-1 and 10-8 to advance to final

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Leave it to a couple of Watauga pitchers to help themselves out in the slugging department, in two different games on March 4 at West Wilkes, for the Classic at the Creek baseball tournament.

In an oddity of scheduling, the winner of the tournament’s Game 1 between St. Stephens and Watauga was rewarded with having to play a second, Game 2, immediately afterwards  against tournament host, West Wilkes. The Blackhawks apparently gave themselves a bye into the second round, because it was reported that the winner of Game 2 on March 4 advances to the championship game on Thursday, March7.

Luke Rothrock picked up the save for Watauga’s 12-1 win over St. Stephens. Photographic image by David Rogers

The Pioneers were undeterred by the challenge. In Game 1, sophomore Everett Gryder was on the mound for Watauga and looked to be engaged in an old fashioned pitcher’s duel with the score tied at 0-0 at the end of the third inning. But in the top of the 4th,  Pioneer first baseman JT Cook ran out a pop up that was mishandled by the Saints’ third baseman. Sophomore centerfielder Jake Blanton followed with a line-drive single to left. With David Pastusic at the plate, Cook and Blanton both advanced on a wild pitch before Pastusic rapped a line drive out to the St. Stephens third baseman. With one out and runners on second and third, Jake Henderson drew a walk that loaded the bases.

And that’s where the real drama begins. Gryder came to the plate and didn’t waste any time securing a spot in the record books as the winning pitcher of this game. On the second pitched ball, he drilled a moonshot over the left field fence for a grand slam home run and a 4-0 Watauga lead.

J T Cook rounds the bases after one of his two HRs against St. Stephens in the Classic at the Creek baseball tournament hosted by West Wilkes. Photographic image by David Rogers

But the Pioneers weren’t done in the power department against the Saints. They slugged three more home runs — back to back dingers by Cook and another by Pastusic — plus a couple of doubles off the bats of catcher Cooper Critcher and shortstop Maddox Greene. And just to round out the team performance with speed on basepaths, Evan Burroughs stole a pair of bases, while Jake Henderson swiped another.

TOP PERFORMERS IN GAME 1

  • Everett Gryder: Winning pitcher, grand slam HR, 1-3, 4 RBIs
  • J T Cook: 2-4, 3 runs scored, 4 RBIs, 2 HRs
  • David Pastusic: 1-4, 1 run scored, 1 RBI
  • Evan Burroughs: 1-2, 1 run scored, 2 BB, 2 SB
  • Maddox Greene: 2-3, 1 run scored, 2 RBIs, 1 BB, 2B
  • Cooper Critcher: 1-1, 1 run scored, 1 RBI, 2B, BB

GAME 2

Without a lot of depth in their pitching staff, including a couple of early season sore arms, the Pioneers scrambled for help on the mound for Game 2. By the end of the second inning, the Blackhawks sported a 6-1 lead and at the end of the third frame, Watauga had only closed the gap a little bit, 6-2, with Maddox Greene and J T Cook advancing home on wild pitches.

In the top half of the 4th, Dillon Zaragoza ripped a double to left field, then later benefited from two wild pitches, advancing to third base, then taking home two pitches later. That tightened the deficit, but the Pioneers were still looking at the wrong end of a 6-3 score.

The Blackhawks’ Harrison Holbrook launched his second home run of the game in the bottom of the 4th, a 2-run dinger that expanded the West Wilkes lead to 8-3.

But in the top half of the 5th inning, David Pastusic rapped a bases load single that plated both Cook and Cooper Critcher, then Jake Blanton scored on a bases loaded walk to Jameson Hodges. That was all the Watauga offense for the inning but they found themselves back within reach, down 8-6.

Photographic image by David Rogers

With Zaragoza now on the mound, the sophomore was able to wiggle out of the bottom of the 5th inning without allowing a run, surviving a Watauga fielding error and walking a batter that put a West Wilkes runner in scoring position to no avail.

The top of the 6th inning proved to be the Blackhawks’ undoing as the Pioneers became “doubles crazy” — and Zaragoza rapped the double down the left field line that put Watauga tenuously in the lead, 9-8. Ahead of him, Cook and Blanton had hit consecutive doubles to tighten the score to 8-7 and Jake Henderson had scored an RBI when he hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Blanton, to tie the game at 8-8.

Photographic image by David Rogers

Now with a 9-8 lead and Zaragoza poised to become the winning pitcher of record, Watauga inserted the fourth Pioneer pitcher of the night, Evan Burroughs. The young sophomore gave up a walk and a sacrifice bunt that moved a Blackhawk runner into scoring position in second, but the next batter grounded out to Maddox Greene at shortstop for the final out of the inning.

The top of the 7th inning saw Burroughs helping the cause, offensively, with a line drive single to left to lead off, then stealing second base. Greene followed with a long fly ball to the right fielder but the fleet Burroughs was able to tag up and advance to third with just one out. That proved timely because the Pioneers were able to score and insurance run with Critcher lofting yet another sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Burroughs.

Burroughs made short work of the Blackhawks in their last at-bats, fanning three consecutive batters to secure the win for the Pioneers.

Top Performers for Watauga against West Wilkes

  • Dillon Zaragoza: winning pitcher, 2 doubles
  • Evan Burroughs: save, 1-5, 1 run scored, stolen base
  • J T Cook: 1-3, 3 runs scored, 2 BB, 2B
  • Jake Blanton: 1-1, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 2 BB
  • David Pastusic: 2-4, 1 run scored, 2 RBIs, 2 stolen bases

The Pioneers are now scheduled to play Mt. Airy in the tournament championship game on March 7, 4:30 p.m., on the West Wilkes field.

Rubber match win for App State takes weekend series at Southern Ilinois, 8-1; Chirico shines on mound

David
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Rubber match win for App State takes weekend series at Southern Ilinois, 8-1; Chirico shines on mound

By Matt Present. CARBONDALE, Ill. – App State grabbed the lead before Dante Chirico even took the mound, and the right-hander didn’t allow a hit through his first five innings of work, as App State topped Southern Illinois 8-1 on March 3 to win the weekend series.

Chirico (win, 2-0) hit a batter in the first inning and allowed a walk in the fourth, but did not allow a runner past second base until the sixth inning. After losing the no-hitter on back-to-back singles to begin the sixth, the Chapin, S.C. native was able to limit the damage to just an RBI groundout, finishing out the frame for a quality start. Chirico fanned four and allowed just four baserunners in the outing, in a career-high six innings of work.

App State (9-2) starting pitching was outstanding in the series. Chirico, Jackson Steensma and Bradley Wilson combined to work 17 innings, allowing just four earned runs (2.12 ERA) on seven hits, while striking out 14.

Eight Mountaineers batted in the 4-run fifth inning.

Banks Tolley opened the scoring for the Mountaineers with a home run to straight away center field three batters into the ballgame. The homer was Tolley’s second of the week and fourth of the season.

App State then backed Chirico’s effort with a four-run fifth inning to create some separation. With one out, Alex Aguila and Joseph Zamora tallied back-to-back singles, and CJ Boyd walked to load the bases. Austin St. Laurent then hit a ball that was mishandled by the Salukis’ first baseman allowing two runs to score on the play. After Boyd came into score on a wild pitch, Drew Holderbach plated St. Laurent with an RBI groundout, as eight Mountaineers batted in the frame.

App State put the game away with three runs in the top of the 9th.

App State’s bullpen was strong as well. Grey LaSpaluto worked 0.2 scoreless innings, giving way to Max Tramontana, who escaped trouble in the seventh and went on to work a scoreless eighth inning. Zach Lewis fanned two batters in a scoreless ninth and has not allowed a run in six outings this season.

The Mountaineers put the game away with a three-run top of the ninth. Aguila again set the table with a leadoff double, and Zamora was hit by a pitch to put two aboard. St. Laurent brought in the first run of the inning on a single through the left side, and Tolley capped a three-hit game with an RBI double to left one batter later.

Banks Tolley hit a double and a home run — and stole a base.

After a walk to Holderbach, Adam Quintero was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home another run and push the lead to 8-1. Quintero finished with a three-hit effort, as the Mountaineers tallied 12 hits as a team.

App State will return to action on Tuesday as the Mountaineers visit No. 12 Duke in Durham. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at Jack Coombs Field.

Houston notches milestone but Mountaineers fall to Youngstown State and St. Joseph’s, 5-2 and 3-2

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Houston notches milestone but Mountaineers fall to Youngstown State and St. Joseph’s, 5-2 and 3-2

By Jacob Plecker. GREENVILLE, N.C. – In the seventh inning of game 1 against Youngstown State, Kayt Houston’s one-out single notched her 200th career hit, making her just the fourth Mountaineer in program history to join the 200-hit club.

Despite Houston’s milestone, the App State Mountaineers (9-9) dropped a pair of close contests on Saturday at the Purple-Gold Invitational in Greenville, N.C., the home of East Carolina University. The Mountaineers jumped out to early leads in both games, but one big inning in each game helped both Youngstown State and Saint Joseph’s pick up wins, 5-2 and 3-2, respectively.

The Mountaineers saw traffic on the basepaths throughout each game but couldn’t get the timely hits with runners on when they needed them. App State had a runner reach in six of the seven innings in game 1 and all seven innings in game 2, tallying 15 hits in the two games.

The trio of Sejal Neas, Kaylie Northrop and Jenna Samuel pitched well on Saturday, allowing just four earned runs and striking out 15 batters throughout the day. The pitchers made each hitter work as the pitching staff allowed just two walks across the two games.

Olivia Cook had a good day at the plate as she recorded two hits, one in each game, and drove home a run. Houston picked up three hits on the day and an RBI in game 2.

Mountaineers explode for six runs in the 7th, cruising to 9-1 win over the Salukis

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Mountaineers explode for six runs in the 7th, cruising to 9-1 win over the Salukis

By Matt Present. CARBONDALE, Ill. – App State sent ten men to the plate in the seventh inning, scoring six times, helping the Mountaineers pull away for a 9-1 win over Southern Illinois on March 2, evening the weekend series at a game apiece with another to play on March 3.

Leading 2-1 after six completed innings, App State (8-2) had six consecutive batters reach base in that seventh frame. Banks Tolley began the rally with a one-out single and after Drew Holderbach walked, Adam Quintero came through with an RBI single just inside the third base bag. From there the floodgates opened. Dillon Moquin followed with a double to the wall in right to push the lead to 4-1. Moquin finished with two hits in his Mountaineer debut.

jACKSON sTEENSMA PROVIDED THE mOUNTAINEERS A STRONG START, WORKING FIVE INNNGS.

The App State bats kept the pressure on. After an intentional walk to Tommy Walker to load the bases, Alex Aguila made the Salukis pay with a two-run single up the middle to push the advantage to 6-1. Joseph Zamora followed with an RBI groundout to score Walker, and then the lineup turned over for CJ Boyd, who reached on an error that allowed Aguila to come in to score and make it 8-1. The Mountaineers added an insurance run in the 8th inning when Holderbach singled to score St. Laurent.

On the mound, Jackson Steensma (win, 2-0) provided the Mountaineers a strong start. Steensma worked five innings, allowing just an unearned run while matching a season-high with five strikeouts. Steensma allowed just two hits and walked three in the ballgame, lowering his ERA to 3.00 on the season. Steensma worked out of a bases loaded jam in the second, and went on to face just one batter over the minimum in his final three innings of work.

Collin Welch (save, 1) was impressive in back of Steensma. The righty took over in the sixth and tossed the final four innings, striking out four without allowing a run or a hit. Welch danced around a pair of walks and faced just two over the minimum in the outing. Welch and Steensma combined to two-hit the Salukis in the ballgame.

After falling behind 1-0 on an unearned run in the second inning, App State tied the score and took the lead in the fifth. Aguila walked to lead off the inning and Zamora reached on an error one batter later that allowed Aguila to come all the way around from first to score. Later in the inning, St. Laurent lifted a sac fly to center field to put the Black and Gold ahead.

Holderbach tacked on a run in the eighth inning with an RBI single to plate St. Laurent, who led off the frame with an infield hit.

The teams will reconvene for the rubber game of the series on Sunday, with first pitch from Carbondale set for 1 p.m. ET.

Click for BOX SCORE

Independence ends Watauga MBB playoff run in Round 2, 76-51

David
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Independence ends Watauga MBB playoff run in Round 2, 76-51

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — For a while, No. 8 seeded Watauga kept within striking distance of No. 9 Independence (Charlotte), but the athletic visitors with a size advantage proved too much for the Pioneers on this night, knocking the High Country’s favorite sons out of the 4A state playoffs with a 76-51 Patriots win.

A packed house at Lentz Eggers Gym held out hope for a late rally until the third quarter. After halftime, Independence proved very skilled in getting hands on ball-only to disrupt Watauga drives to the basket and not draw very many fouls. On the other end, they used their height advantage inside the paint to score layups and deadly shooting from the perimeter including five 3-pointers.

The Patriots were led in scoring by cat-like guard Yancey Thomason’s game-high 20 points, along with 17 points from Kaleb Jaspers and 15 from freshman forward Lusemo Macharia. A 6-6 senior forward, Tosh Alberga added 8 points and sophomore forward Jaxson Neely contributed seven points.

Few of the Pioneers could get adequate penetration to the rim or hit from the outside with Independence’s suffocating defense — with the possible exception of 6-5 senior forward Jackson Pryor (16 points) and junior point guard Maddox Greene (13). Josiah Railey added nine points and sophomore guard Cade Keller, eight. Senior forward Wyatt Kohout was frequently frustrated in driving the lane. All of his five points on the night came from the charity stripe.

The loss brings to an end of a remarkable Pioneer season, recording a 22-6 overall record, 9-1 in conference play. Their performance included both a regular season Northwestern Conference championship as well as a conference tournament title.

 

 

Watauga erases big Q3 deficit to surprise North Meck, 73-68

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Watauga erases big Q3 deficit to surprise North Meck, 73-68

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Call them the High Country’s basketball miracle workers. Trailing North Mecklenburg by as many as 13 points early in the third quarter, host Watauga closed the gap with five 3-pointers by players not named Kate Sears, who added one long distance herself in that pivotal stanza — and a game-high total of 37 points in the Pioneers’ thrilling, 73-68 win in the second round of the North Carolina 4A playoffs.

BONUS PHOTOS at bottom of article

With the win, No. 1 seeded Watauga advances in the playoffs to host No. 8 Mallard Creek on Tuesday, March 5, at 6 p.m. in Lentz Eggers Gym.

Laney Shook (23) scores 4th quarter points vs. North Meck in Round 2 of state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogers

By no means should anyone understate the role and impact of Sears in this game. Her 37 points was slightly more than half of the Pioneers’ winning point total. The junior point guard was relentless in driving down the lane to the rim and/or drawing Viking fouls in the process.

And yet, the turning point in the contest came in that third quarter when not Sears, but her supporting cast finally began to bury the 3-pointers they couldn’t so much get in the first half. Torgerson was good for two made shots from behind the arc in the third period and added another in the fourth quarter. Kaitlyn Darner, Laney Shook and Julie Matheson also had “treys” that contributed to the Pioneers 21-point third stanza. It shrank the 13-point deficit in the early part of the Q3 to just three points at the start of the fourth quarter (55-52).

Energized by a capacity crowd more than 75 percent filled with Pioneer supporters and the Watauga hoopsters played inspired basketball at both ends of the court in the final period, outscoring North Mecklenburg 21-11. They swatted away Viking passes and disrupted possessions with pesky defense, rebounded the basketball, and created turnover after turnover to ice the victory.

An enthusiastic student section cheered on Watauga WBB vs. North Meck in Round 2 of state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogerspi

Sears’ 37 was not the only Pioneer in double figures. Shook had 14 and Torgerson tallied 13. The Vikings were led by senior point guard Boston Bates (25 points), freshman forward Lenise Joseph (21) and freshman guard Morgan Knox (10).

It was clear even before the opening tipoff that North Meck was likely to control the paint with a distinct height advantage and high level of athleticism. If Watauga was to win, a major portion of their points would have to come from the perimeter. Nine 3-pointers, including two by Sears among her 37 total points, played a major role in achieving the winning margin.

This is the finish of the vast majority of Kate Sears free throws. Photographic image by David Rogers

Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson aptly offered his analysis to reporters after the game.

“Obviously, Kate carried us at the beginning of the game and scored all of our points,” said the Pioneers’ first year head coach, but with two basketball-playing daughters in high school he is a veteran observer. “Kate has been through what I would call the ‘travel wars.’ I am referring to the summer basketball she plays. So, she is fearless and not intimidated by anyone.

“With Kate’s big first quarter, she started drawing more defenders and that’s when our other players had some opportunities that they were able to take advantage of,” Torgerson added. “Laney Shook was the first of them by scoring seven points in the second quarter. Laney was also doing a pretty good job on North Meck’s No. 30, Lenise Joseph, who really hurt us in the first three quarters.”

Reflecting on his message to the team at halftime, Torgerson encouraged his charges to get back to the basics of Pioneer women’s basketball and what was instrumental to their success in 2023-24.

“Down by eight at the half, we talked about poise on offense and our transition defense,” said Torgerson. “We were rattled (in the first half) by North Meck’s defense, not executing our offense, and taking really tough shots. Those shots turned into easy baskets for North Meck. And then, we also just talked about making sure we had players back on our shot attempts and that we were finding their ‘bigs’ running the floor.

“Kate also did a great job defending and helping on their bigs,” Torgerson added. “I think she led us with 12 rebounds.”

Torgerson was also quick to praise the support of the fans for Pioneer basketball.

“It was an incredible atmosphere. The crowd was as loud as I’ve ever heard it,” he said. “I felt like the players showed a lot of grit and perseverance as they fought for that win and created an opportunity to get to play again next week.”

Watauga’s head coach knows that what lies ahead will be yet another challenge for his Pioneers.

“We’ll play Mallard Creek next week. They beat North Meck three times this year,” he pointed out. “So, it will be a huge challenge for us. They put an incredible amount of pressure on the ball and the passing lanes. We’re just really excited to get to come to practice on Saturday and have the chance to prepare for another game.”

BONUS PHOTOS

This is the finish of the vast majority of Kate Sears free throws. Photographic image by David Rogers
Laney Shook (23) scores 4th quarter points vs. North Meck in Round 2 of state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogers
kate sears
Watauga’s Kate Sears poured in 37 points vs. North Meck in Round 2 of the 2023-24 state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogers

An enthusiastic student section cheered on Watauga WBB vs. North Meck in Round 2 of state playoffs. Photographic image by David Rogers

Mountaineers tag Salukis for five runs early, but fall 7-5

David
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Mountaineers tag Salukis for five runs early, but fall 7-5

By Matt Present. CARBONDALE, Ill. — App State got out to a 5-0 lead on the road but was unable to hold on down the stretch, as the Mountaineers dropped the series opener to Southern Illinois 7-5 on Friday.

Bradley Wilson delivered a quality start for the Mountaineers, allowing three runs over six innings, while striking out five. He didn’t allow a run in five of his six innings of work. Wilson retired 12 in a row at one point in his outing, and despite allowing a three-run home run in the fifth inning, bounced back to work a three up, three down sixth to complete his night.

App State (7-2) jumped in front in the third inning on a solo home run from Austin St. Laurent, his third of the season.

The Mountaineers followed with a four-run fifth, sending 11 men to the plate in the frame. CJ Boyd extended his hitting streak to seven in a row with a leadoff single through the left side, and St. Laurent followed with a single to center to put runners at the corners. After a walk to Braxton Church, Drew Holderbach laced a two-run double, giving the Mountaineers a 3-0 lead.

One batter later, Adam Quintero ripped an RBI single to plate Church and Holderbach and make it 5-0. Quintero joined St. Laurent with two hits in the ballgame.

After cutting into the lead with the three-run homer in the bottom half of the frame, the Salukis added a pair of runs in the seventh and in the eighth to tie and take the lead.

App State was limited to just two hits after the four-run fifth inning.

The Mountaineers and Salukis will play the middle game of the weekend series on Saturday, with first pitch slated for 3 p.m. ET.

UPDATE: App State picks up record-breaking win over Arkansas State, 80-57, to claim SBC regular season title

Zach Smith
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UPDATE: App State picks up record-breaking win over Arkansas State, 80-57, to claim SBC regular season title

By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. — With over 7,000 fans in attendance, App State looked to make history when they faced Arkansas State on March 1. The Mountaineers secured their program-record 26th win over the Red Wolves, 80-57.

Tre’Von Spillers recorded his tenth double-double of the season, netting 15 points and matching that total with 15 rebounds. Seniors Donovan Gregory and CJ Huntley scored 15 and 12, respectively, in their final game at the Holmes Center. Gregory added on a game-best four assists.

C J Huntley puts an exclamation point on the Mountaineers’ historic win to clinch the Sun Belt regular season championship. Photo by Flaco Rafael for High Country Sports.

Arkansas State was led by a 14-point performance from Taryn Todd, while Izaiyah Nelson grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.

For the second game in a row, the Mountaineers imposed their will early. App State opened the game with 11 of the contest’s first 13 points, quickly jumping out to a nine-point lead. Arkansas State brought the game back to within three points later in the first half, but App State responded with a 10-0 run. The Mountaineers went into the locker room with a 14-point advantage at the half.

The atmosphere was was electric on March 1, with over 7,000 in attendance including a packed student section watching Terence Harcum (23) size up a ‘three’ in the first half. Photo by Flaco Rafael for High Country Sports.

With just 20 minutes separating App State from program immortality, energy in the Holmes Center was at fever pitch. Although the Red Wolves tried to mount a comeback, the Mountaineers put any hopes the visitors had to bed. With a comfortable 23-point lead, App State called a timeout with just under a minute on the clock. Gregory and Huntley each walked off the court and head coach Dustin Kerns gave the nod to fellow senior Bryant Greene. With each of the 7,074 fans on their feet, Greene walked onto the floor for the final time as a Mountaineer. 

App State’s victory marked their program-record 26th win of the 2023-24 season. The Mountaineers also secured sole possession of a regular season title for the first time in nearly 50 years, while capping an unblemished record on home court. Kerns spoke on the significance of his team’s historic victory, postgame.

“Just an awesome night for App State University and our athletic program, and certainly our basketball program,” Kerns said. “Setting the program mark for wins with 26, [most in] program history, is a big deal. First Sun Belt regular season championship, first regular season championship since 1978, that’s a long time.”

Dustin Kerns celebrates App State’s first outright conference title in nearly half a century March 1 by cutting down the net. Photo by Joel Franquiz, courtesy of App State Athletics.

Fresh off his team’s 26th win, Kerns was asked to compare this season to other significant campaigns in App State’s history.

“I don’t want to discount those other great teams,” Kerns said. “They’ve been here, you know, there’s different conferences or different schedules. Certainly by the numbers, we’ve had the most wins in program history. So I think we’ve joined the conversation, but there’ve been some really good teams that have come through here and we’re excited to be celebrating with all of them.”

“This has been very surreal”

Bryant Greene played in his final regular season game as a Mountaineer in App State’s victory over Arkansas State. Greene compared the atmosphere in the Holmes Center this season to his freshman year.

Photo by Rafael Flaco for High Country Sports

“This has been very surreal,” Greene said. “I think for all of us, especially for me and Don [Gregory] getting here freshman year, coming to games and seeing like 400 people in the gym and now, getting to senior night in our fifth year and there’s 6,000 people and we’re playing for a regular season title. It’s just very surreal and a very amazing experience.”

App State also set a program record in attendance over the course of the 2023-24 season. Fans at the Holmes Center never saw a loss at home. Gregory explained what it means to the players to have that support from the fans.

“I think it’s just a direct correlation, how good we played at home,” Gregory said. “Just having those fans, having that support, it just makes you want to go out there and play even harder. I think everybody coming to the games is a big part of the reason why we went undefeated at home.”

FILE PHOTO. CJ Huntley slams home two of his 13 points in App State’s Feb. 10 win over Toledo. Photographic image by Flaco Rafael for High Country Sports.

CJ Huntley echoed that appreciation for the fanbase.

“This just feels crazy, really,” Huntley said. “Just all the students and fans and everything like that, just their support for us. It just means the world to me, so I appreciate it.”

App State shot at a 49 percent clip to secure their historic win, besting Arkansas State’s 35 percent mark. The Mountaineers out-rebounded the Red Wolves, 48-38, and improved on their nation-best blocks per game with seven swatted shots. App State never trailed Arkansas State.

Photo by Flaco Rafael for High Country Sports

The Red Wolves are locked in the No. 4 seed for the upcoming Sun Belt tournament, securing the last double-bye. Arkansas State’s quarterfinals matchup is set for March 9 at 2 p.m. Central Time, with the opponent to be announced following the March 7 second round games. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+.

App State clinched the Sun Belt regular season title with their win over the Red Wolves. The Mountaineers return to action March 9 at 11:30 a.m. Central Time, with their opponent to be determined. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

Photo by Flaco Rafael for High Country Sports
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