David Rogers. MORGANTON, N.C. — Among Kate Sears’ game-high 25 points scored on Feb. 7 against rival Freedom was her 1,000th career point — and she is not yet finished with her sophomore season. It is a remarkable achievement, especially when you consider she spends a lot of her court time distributing the ball to teammates, looking for a better, open shot.
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Watauga ended up winning convincingly, 59-46, but Sears’ 16 second half points helped Watauga gain separation from the Patriots, after the Morganton side was trailing by only four points at intermission, 24-20.
Watauga’s other dynamic point and shooting guard, junior Charlotte Torgerson, had a big second quarter en route to a 20-point game by the end, leading the Pioneers in scoring in the first half, with 11.
Almost all of Freedom’s offensive production came in Payton Caldwell’s work inside the paint, recording 20 points on the night. Patriot guard Sydnie Demiter also finished in double figures, with 10.
“Credit freedom,” said Watauga head coach Laura Barry after the game. “They came out really, really tough and bothered us. The kind of made the game ugly for us, offensively. I had told our kids that the Freedom we remembered for the game played in Boone a couple of weeks ago would not be the same Freedom we saw today. And that held true.”
Despite the tougher matchup, Watauga prevailed.
“I am proud of our kids for making some big shots. Charlotte Torgerson was really good for us, especially from the 3-point line. Brooke Scheffler had some big second half plays. Kate Sears made some big shots for us when we needed to separate. This was a huge win on the road for us, that we needed after this past week,” said Barry, acknowledging the challenging Feb. 3 loss to Hibriten.
While a few of the Watauga players were quite ill in the game at Hibriten, they were almost back to their normal selves against Freedom.
“We are healthier, but I don’t think our wind is back,” said Barry. “I thought we looked tired at times tonight. I think it is just the kids getting over the colds or flu, whatever it was that we had. And yet, this was much better than Friday. But really, this is a gut check. These are the last games of the regular season and we are staring at the upcoming post-season.”
With the win, the Pioneer women are 17-6 overall and 7-2 in Northwestern Conference play, their only two losses to Hibriten. They will take those regular season records into a Senior Night tilt vs. Ashe County on Feb. 10.
“It will be a good game,” said Barry. “They know us and we know them. It is going to be about a lot of heart and a lot of fight, as well as a good many in-game adjustments. However they start and we start… I think both teams will figure it out. The top players on both teams are going to be ready to play.’
SCORING SUMMARY
- WAT Kate Sears (25)
- FRE Payton Caldwell (22)
- WAT Charlotte Torgerson (20)
- FRE Sydnie Demiter (10)
- WAT Brooke Scheffler (6)
- WAT Laurel Kiker (6)
- FRE Ava Whisnant (6)
- FRE Haven Gladden (5)
- FRE Statler McGee (3)
- WAT Kaitlyn Darner (2)
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