34.6 F
Boone
Friday, February 14, 2025
HomeHigh SchoolSears, Haines lead Watauga past Freedom, 83-63

Sears, Haines lead Watauga past Freedom, 83-63

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.

Watauga’s Kate Sears claimed the Pioneers’ first points of the night on Jan. 22, from long distance, en route to a convincing 83-63 win over Freedom at Lentz Eggers Gym. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sport

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).”

Blair Haines (21) demonstrated that she is also not afraid to drive the lane on Jan. 22, vs. Freedom, here laying up two of her career high 23 points on the night. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports

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)
RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular

Recent Comments