By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Early in the second quarter on Jan. 31 at Lentz Eggers Gym, Watauga’s junior varsity men trailed Alexander Central, 17-7. In the blink of an eye the Pioneers went on an 11-0 run, erased the deficit and took an 18-17 lead into halftime.
Behind 18 points by point guard Cade Keller, including a perfect 11-for-11 from the foul line, the Pioneers’ JVs went outscored the Cougars’ JVs 29-17 after halftime to record a convincing, 47-34 win.
With the victory, the Pioneers are 13-6 overall for the 2022-23 season, including 4-2 against Northwestern Conference opponents.
When asked about the second quarter rally and what led to it, Pioneer JV head coach Andrew Wilson said, “Ball movement and defensive intensity. That, and I asked the guys to have fun. We got better movement in finding the open man later in the second quarter and our stepped up defensive pressure disrupted their possessions or made for more challenging shots.”
SCORING SUMMARY
- WAT Cade Keller (18)
- ALX Jay’lon Connor (16)
- WAT Landon Smith (9)
- ALX Garison Millsaps (8)
- WAT Eli Bishop (7)
- ALX Jaheim Redmond (5)
- ALX Lukson Green (5)
- WAT Jackson Love (4)
- WAT Brady Lindenmuth (4)
- WAT Matthew Habich (2)
- WAT Paul Taylor (2)
- WAT Noah Dishman (1)
