By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Torrid, second half scoring by two Pioneers broke open a critical Northwestern Conference women’s basketball game on Feb. 13, propelling Watauga to a decisive, 72-52 win over visiting Freedom at Lentz Eggers Gym.
At halftime, Watauga held a tenuous, 25-23 lead over the Patriots, thanks largely to a big first quarter by point guard Kate Sears and forward Laney Shook. While Freedom trailed 16-6 after the first quarter ended, the Patriots battled back, outscoring the Pioneers 17-9 in the second frame to pull within just two points at intermission. Freedom’s Peyton Caldwell accounted for 10 of the visitors’ 17 points in the second period rally.
Watauga gained a degree of separation in the third quarter, with Sears putting the Pioneers on her back, scoring every which way both inside and outside. Three made shots from outside the arc along with 5-for-5 shooting from the free throw line and a short jumper for good measure added up to 16 Q3 points of Sears’ game-high 33 points on the night.
Kate Sears had a big third quarter, Julie matheson in the fourth.
While the Pioneers didn’t exactly stop Freedom’s Caldwell, Watauga’s pressing, defensive scheme limited most of the other Patriots. Freshman forward Cheryllana Cunningham added five points to Caldwell’s seven points in the third frame to help Freedom stay within striking distance, Watauga holding a 46-39 lead as the two longtime NWC rivals readied for the decisive fourth quarter.
Just as Sears had the hot hand in the third quarter for the Pioneers, junior guard Julie Matheson scorched the rim for four 3-pointers in the final stanza, accounting for 12 of her 14 points on the night. When combined with five more points from Sears and four more from Shook on the offensive end during period, the Patriots saw their deficit widening by game’s end.
Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson told High Country Sports after the game that his charges had worked hard in preparing for Freedom.
“We knew we were in for a battle,” Torgerson said. “We squeaked out a win about a month ago at their place, in overtime. The Freedom coaching staff always has their kids prepared and they always have some surprises for us that we have never seen.”
Torgerson added, “A big difference in the second half was that big third quarter Kate had scoring. She really helped us stretch the lead out a bit. Then Julie Matheson caught fire in the fourth quarter in hitting four 3-pointers. It reminds me of the Hibriten game when they were really coming after Kate and Julie knocked down a couple of big shots. She did it again tonight.”
Strategically, Torgerson was quick to point out the impact of broad scoring up and down his roster.
“Laney Shook played a really steady game. Her 12 points gave us another player in double figures and that makes defenses have to think about more than just stopping Kate.”
With the win, Watauga is 19-4 overall on the season, 8-1 in conference play and No. 1 in Northwestern Conference standings — but not by much. Ashe County is just behind at 7-2 and Watauga ends their regular season campaign at the Huskies home court in West Jefferson on Friday, Feb. 16.
“Tonight’s win sets up a big game on Friday, against Ashe County,” said Torgerson. “They are a talented and skilled team. They have rebounding, athleticism, and really good team speed. After the game tonight, we talked about having to come in at tomorrow’s practice with energy and focus up. We have a couple of days practice coming up to prepare.”
SCORING SUMMARY
- WAT – Kate Sears (33 points)
- FDM – Peyton Caldwell (29)
- WAT – Julie Matheson (14)
- WAT – Laney Shook (12)
- FDM – Ava Whitaker (7)
- FDM – Sydnie Demiter (7)
- WAT – Charlotte Torgerson (6)
- FDM – Cheryllana Cunningham (5)
- WAT – Kaitlyn Darner (4)
- FDM – Ava Cooke (4)
- WAT – Diane McGlamery (1)
NWC Standings
- Watauga (8-1 in conference)
- Ashe County (7-2)
- Hibriten (5-4)
- Alexander Central (4-5)
- Freedom (3-6)
- South Caldwell (0-9)
