By David Rogers. CHEROKEE, N.C. — Although they held a tenuous lead at intermission, Watauga’s Pioneers couldn’t close out its third and final game against Atlanta power Westminster on Dec. 22, falling to the Wildcats, 49-43. Play came in the third round of the Cherokee Invitational, hosted by event manager Insider Exposure at Harrah’s Cherokee Convention Center.
Watauga led 23-22 at halftime but Westminster clamped down on the Pioneers in the third quarter, defensively, limiting the High Country’s finest to just 7 points while pouring in 15 of their own. NCAA D1 prospect Courtney Ogden, an athletic shooting guard/small forward senior, accounted for 11 of those third quarter Wildcat points and finished the day with a game-high 20 points for her afternoon’s work.
Watauga made a closing run in the final stanza with a pair of 3-pointers from junior Charlotte Torgerson and one from long distance by senior Caroline Farthing, but it just wasn’t enough to overcome the third quarter deficit.
After the game, Watauga head coach Laura Barry said that while she was disappointed in the losses, there is a silver lining.
“The Cherokee Invitational organizers brought some really good teams here so this was really good competition for us,” said Barry of the non-conference action. “It of course highlighted some of our strengths as a team, but also exposed some areas where we need more work. We will address those and come away from this tournament much stronger as we enter conference play.”
SELECTED SCORING
- WST Courtney Ogden (20)
- WAT Kate Sears (16)
- WST Ashley Adams (10)
- WAT Charlotte Torgerson (8)
- WST Ryan McFadden (8)
- WAT Brooke Scheffler (7)
- WAT Caroline Farthing (6)
BONUS PHOTOS
