By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Double- and triple-teaming Watauga’s Kate Sears proved an exercise in futility for the visiting Hibriten women’s basketball team on Feb. 9. Sears defied the blanket coverage and still poured in a game-high 27 points in the 77-55 “Senior Night” win.
And yet, the real difference in this game could just as easily been the performances of the Pioneers left open because of the Panthers’ defensive focus on Sears.
Much of the Pioneers’ damage was from behind the 3-point arc. As a team, Watauga recorded 11 three-pointers (33 points) and only two of them by Sears.
Sears’ backcourt buddy, Charlotte Torgerson, benefited the most with the attention given Sears. The senior guard tallied 19 points on the night, including five from beyond the arc (15 points). Others stepping up included Julie Matheson (7 points, 2 treys), Blair Haines (7 points, 2 treys) and Laney Shook (6 points, 1 trey).
Kaitlyn Darner (6 points) didn’t score any 3-pointers but picked up a trio of layups, often cleaning up errant shots underneath.
Coming off a loss to Alexander Central, the Northwestern Conference’s first place Pioneers needed to get back on track. But, said head coach Bill Torgerson, Hibriten was also trying to record a win after suffering recent losses so could be equally “hungry.”
“Hibriten is a dangerous team,” said Torgerson. “They are really talented and are coming off a couple of losses. We faced the same situation at Alexander Central and we got pushed around a little bit and they seemed more hungry than us. Now that we were coming off a loss, I thought we brought an extra competitive edge that showed in the win.”
As many in the packed Lentz Eggers Gym felt, Torgerson marveled at Sears’ tenacity.
“Kate Sears really took over in that third quarter,” Torgerson observed. “They pretty much had three players on her and she just drove right through the defense and scored anyway. The third (quarter) was a 10-point quarter for her.”
What his other varsity players contributed was not lost on Torgerson, now in his first year as the Pioneers’ head coach.
“We had a bunch of players step up in different moments,” said Torgerson. “When Hibriten was trapping Kate, Julie Matheson hit back-to-back threes and Charlotte Torgerson had five (3-pointers) in the game. So, when those kids step up and hit big shots, it makes opponents have to think harder about doubling Kate.
With the Pioneers now 18-4 overall and 7-1 in Northwestern Conference play, Torgerson was mindful of each remaining game’s importance.
“It was a huge win as far as the goal of winning the conference goes. We had a one-game lead and with Ashe winning tonight, the win tonight allows us to hold on to the lead. Winning the regular season conference title is also important to seeding when it comes to the state playoffs,” noted Torgerson.
Torgerson saved his highest praise for the four seniors on the team.
Watauga has two remaining conference games for the 2023-24 season, on Feb. 13 vs. Freedom and on Feb. 16, at archrival Ashe County.
“I just really admire the character of these four seniors,” said Torgerson. “They are hard workers, really coachable, and set the tone with their enthusiastic attitudes every time we come together as a group. When you get to coach a team with seniors like this, it makes your job a lot easier. They’ve set a great example for our underclassmen and I am so thankful and appreciative for all they have poured into the program. All four of them are an inspiration to me.”
SCORING SUMMARY
- WAT – Kate Sears, 27
- WAT – Charlotte Torgerson, 19
- HIB – Parker Boggs, 14
- HIB – Emma Poarch, 12
- HIB – Aamori Patterson, 12
- HIB – Jada Browm, 9
- WAT – Julie Matheson, 7
- WAT – Blair Haines, 7
- WAT – Laney Shook, 6
- WAT – Kaitlyn Darner, 6
- WAT – Gracie Lawrence, 4
- HIB – Karlee Starnes, 3
- HIB – Addy Healy, 3
