Watauga scoring outburst and defense demonizes the Demons, 67-37

December 28, 2022

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Watauga's Brooke Scheffler was key in defending R J Reynolds 6-3 center Raniyah Hocutt, but also found her way to the basket on Dec. 28 in the teams' High Country Holiday Classic meeting. Photographic image by David Rogers

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — When two basketball teams with decisively winning records meet in Round 1 of an early tournament, you might expect a nail biter of a contest. The Dec. 28 matchup between the Watauga women’s team and R.J. Reynolds in Round 1 of the High Country Holiday Classic was anything but. Watauga leveraged a 25-5 first quarter run to dominate the visiting Demons, en route to a more than convincing, 67-37 victory.

Charlotte Torgerson opened Watauga’s Dec. 28 game vs. R J Reynolds with this shot from behind the 3-point arc. Photographic image by David Rogers

The Pioneer win sets up a much anticipated High Country rivalry game for the tournament title on Dec. 29, between Watauga and Ashe County. Tipoff for the women’s championship game is set for 4:30 p.m. in Lentz Eggers Gym.

Against Reynolds, Watauga’s Julie Matheson, Charlotte Torgerson and Caroline Farthing combined for five 3-pointers in just the first quarter to propel the Pioneers to a commanding lead. Then they doubled up the Demons, 20-10, in the second period, with six Pioneers getting in on the scoring action. Sophomore point guard Kate Sears led the way with 6 points in the second quarter, but the Pioneers also got contributions from Matheson (2 points), Brooke Scheffler (3), Laurel Kiker (2), Kaitlyn Darner (2), and Torgerson (5) to complete the pre-intermission scoring.

Maximum effort is clearly defined on the face of Caroline Farthing as she gets by R J Reynolds’ Raniyah Hocutt for two points in the teams’ Dec. 28 meeting. Photographic image by David Rogers

In short, the Demons were demonized by the hot-handed Watauga scoring outburst, as well as the Pioneers’ pressing, disruptive defense. Scheffler drew the challenging assignment of guarding Reynolds’ 6-3 center Raniyah Hocutt, limiting the senior to just 16 points (team high) as the Demons tried to take advantage by feeding her inside.

Overall, only four Demons made it into the scoring column, led by Hocutt and Thompson, while Watauga got offensive production from eight Pioneers.

Watauga ‘super soph’ Kate Sears drives down the lane on Dec. 28 against R J Reynolds in the first round of the High Country Holiday Classic hosted by the Pioneers in Lentz Eggers Gym. Photographic image by David Rogers

The Dec. 29 championship matchup between the Watauga women and Ashe County promises to intensify the regional rivalry. The Pioneers bring an 8-4 record into the contest, while the Huskies will be trying to build on their early season, 8-2 record. The tournament tilt matches two of the favored contenders for the Northwestern Conference title, with league play set to start shortly after New Year’s Day.

SCORING SUMMARY