By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Getting a late start on the men’s basketball season because of the football team’s 6A state championship campaign and periodic adverse weather conditions throughout December, January and early February that cancelled school and practices, Watauga High School’s varsity has struggled to “gel” — but have shown flashes of what they can be. With a dominant, 93-57 revenge win over Alexander Central on Feb. 9, the Pioneers made a statement: “We have arrived.”
Head coach Bryson Payne’s up-tempo offense and disciplined defensive schemes were on full display against the Cougars, in front of a nearly full house in Lentz Eggers Gym. The Pioneers jumped out in front early and kept building on the lead, rarely letting the proverbial pedal off the metal. In the second half, ACHS made a run that would cut Watauga’s 20-point advantage in half, to 10, but that didn’t last long — and the lead kept expanding even when the Pioneers’ most rarely used bench players took the floor. If there was a statement moment, it might well have been when 6-4 junior forward Mason Tate finished off a fast break with a resounding dunk that left him hanging by his knuckles on the rim — as the Pioneer bench filled with the starters exploded in celebration for their young brother.
Senior guard and playmaker Cade Keller did his usual damage to the stat sheet with 21 points, continuing to extend the school’s career scoring record he broke on Feb. 7 in a 72-59 road win at South Caldwell, but also added 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal in the Monday night effort.
Sequence: Mason Tate’s Slam Dunk
On this night, though, credit for the dominant team performance has to go to the entire Pioneer roster. Senior guard Jackson love made 3-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc and drove fiercely to the basket for more to record a game-high 23 points. He was 6-of-6 from the charity stripe, pulled down 6 rebounds, recorded 5 assists, and poached 3 steals.
Senior Bowen Mayo who, like Keller, Brady Lindenmuth, Evan Burroughs, Love and Kyle Williams was late to join the team because of their football state championship involvement, shot 50 percent from the field, including 2-of-4 3-point attempts. For good measure, he added 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
The lone starting forward in the 4-guard starting lineup was senior Brady Lindenmuth and he promptly corralled a game-high 9 rebounds, 6 of which were on the offensive end to give the Pioneers valuable second chances for points.
Burroughs had a relatively quiet night in the scoring column (9 points), but was seemingly everywhere on defense, utilizing his quick hands and speed to the ball. The scorekeepers only credited him with one steal, but his relentless pressure had the desired effect of disrupting several Cougar possessions.
The Feb. 9 tilt vs. Alexander Central may wel
prove to be the breakout performance of freshman Jaden McInnis, who came off the bench to score 10 points and collect 5 rebounds, as well as record a blocked shot.
With all of the recent rescheduling due to the postponed games because of ice and snow, the Pioneers’ basketball schedule has become condensed. They will return to action on Feb. 10 at McDowell, in Marion, N.C., and follow-up with a rematch against Freedom in Lentz Eggers Gym on Feb. 11.
Now 12-7 overall, 3-4 in conference, after the slow start to the season Watauga is fighting for every seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Pioneers are currently tied with McDowell and South Caldwell for No. 3 in the standings, behind No. 1 Freedom (7-0 in Northwestern Conference play) and No. 2 Alexander Central (4-3). With wins in their remaining three games against McDowell, Freedom and St. Stephens, the best they can possibly do in the conference tournament seedings is likely No. 2 (Freedom is 7-0 at this point, but as they start to gel, the Pioneers are showing they can play with anyone in the Northwestern Conference. Doing well (i.e., No. 1 or No. 2) in the conference tournament title could be critical in getting an invitation to play in the 6A state playoffs.
SELECTED TEAM STATS
- Field Goals – WAT 31-67 (46.3%), ACHS 20-60 (33.3%)
- 3-Pointers – WAT 14-35 (40.0%), ACHS 6-24 (25.0%)
- Free Throws – WAT 17-25 (68.0%), ACHS 11-15 (73.2%)
- Points in the Paint – WAT 34, ACHS 22
- Points off Turnovers – WAT 19, ACHS 16
- 2nd Chance Points – WAT 18, ACHS 8
- Fast Break Points – WAT 6, ACHS 0
- Bench Points – WAT 29, ACHS 14
SELECTED KEY PERFORMERS
- WAT – Jackson Love: 23 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals
- WAT – Cade Keller: 21 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal
- WAT – Jaden McInnis: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 blocked shot
- WAT – Bowen Mayo: 8 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds
- WAT – Evan Burroughs: 9 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
- WAT – Brady Lindenmuth: 3 points, 9 rebounds
- WAT – Mason Tate: 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
- WAT – Blake Bance: 6 points, 6 points
- WAT – Cole Lewis: 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
- WAT – Kyle Williams: 3 points, 2 rebounds
- ACHS – Jaheim Redmond: 17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
- ACHS – Kade Flowers: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 blocked shot, 1 steal
- ACHS – Jahmir Miller: 8 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound, 2 steals
- ACHS – Luke Collins: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assist6s
Game stats credited to Jonathan Watts
