By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Down by as many as 13 points in the second half, the No. 7 seeded Watauga Pioneers flipped the script down the stretch and roared back to tie the game at 73-73 by the end of regulation, then prevailed in overtime to defeat the No. 10 seeded Mount Tabor Spartans, 80-77.
For the Pioneer faithful, it was as thrilling a game as a high school basketball contest in the second round of the NCHSAA 4A playoffs can get. Watauga had to overcome a 40-point performance by Virginia Tech football (wide receiver) commit Shamarius Peterkin, a 6-3 point guard who is rumored to also be going to the Hokies to play basketball.
“Really proud of the guys,” said a smiling Watauga head coach Bryson Payne afterward. “They stuck in and played hard all game. There were times when the momentum was going the other way, but we continued to fight. Then we went on a run late.”
Payne admitted to having few answers for the Spartans’ Peterkin — and being thankful when he fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
“The scorebook will tell you. He (Peterkin) was lighting it up,” said Payne. “And a lot them were tough shots. We tried to make it hard on him to get to the rim, but he just kept getting those threes. He is a phenomenal player. Getting him in foul trouble and off the floor eventually was huge for us because they were going to him every possession. With him off the floor, they were looking for somebody else to help (score) and they really didn’t get it.”
Meanwhile, Watauga stayed within shouting distance of the lead with 20 combined points from senior guard/forward Josiah Railey and junior combo guard Cade Keller in the third quarter. Complemented by additional scoring inside from junior forward Jace Blocker, Railey and Keller’s third quarter production helped Watauga establish some semblance of momentum, closing the gap to 58-63 to open the final stanza.
In the fourth quarter, Watauga chipped away at the lead, forcing Mount Tabor turnovers and errant shots on defense and limiting the Spartans to just 10 points while Keller, Jackson Love, and Railey combined for 15 points in the period, allowing the Pioneers to knot things up at 73-73 with 2:01 to play.
When Peterkin fouled out with 36 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the game went into overtime, the advantage clearly shifted to the Pioneers.
With the win, Watauga advances to the third round where they will travel to challenge No. 2 seeded West Forsyth (26-3, 14-1), which edged out Mount Tabor to claim the 4A Central Piedmont Conference championship in the regular season.
SCORING SUMMARY
- MTB – Shamarius Peterkin (40 points)
- WAT – Josiah Railey (27)
- WAT – Cade Keller (25)
- WAT – Jackson Love (16)
- MTB – Will Koonin (15)
- WAT – Maddox Greene (9)
- MTB – Dorian Moore (9)
- MTB – Jayden Smith-Muhfooth (7)
- MTB – Aidan O’Gara (6)
- WAT – Jace Blocker (3)
OTHER ROUND 2 MEN’S GAMES OF LOCAL INTEREST
- 4A WEST – No. 2 West Forsyth 54, No. 18 South Caldwell 47
- 4A WEST – No. 13 Chambers 65, No. 4 McDowell 58
- 3A WEST – No. 11 Ben L. Smith 79, No. 6 A.C. Reynolds 61
