By David Rogers. MORGANTON, N.C. — It is hard to beat just about any team three times in the same season, especially when the defeated squad in the first two meetings has all their wits about them and is in good health on the third go ’round. Certainly that was the case on Feb. 17 when Watauga defeated regular season nemesis, Hibriten, 48-43, to earn the championship title of the Northwestern Conference post-season tournament, hosted at Freedom High School.
It was not an easy outing. After jumping out to a 16-5 lead at the end of the first quarter, Watauga saw its early advantage all but slip away by halftime. The Panthers “won” the second period, 15-5, to almost close the early gap. Hibriten trailed Watauga by only a single point going into intermission, 21-20.
With some halftime adjustments and regathering their composure during the break, Watauga was able to take a 32-26 lead going into the final stanza, but Hibriten would not go quietly into the night. Senior guard Katie Story poured in a game-high 24 points in the losing effort to keep the Panthers close throughout the contest. With the Pioneers leading by just five with under a minute remaining in the game, Hibriten was forced to go into “foul mode” in hopes of Pioneer misses at the charity stripe and a chance to get the ball back for some scores.
It’s hard to say which of the Pioneers had more ice in their veins in that final minute as they sidled up to the free throw line. Most of the opportunities fell to junior guard Charlotte Torgerson as her teammates passed her the ball and she waited patiently for one or more Panthers to foul and send her to the line. Without a doubt, Torgerson did her part, successful on 7-of-9 free throws on the night, with most of them coming in the final minute.
But that final minute also saw senior guard Laurel Kiker go to the line and she was a perfect 2-for-2 during that stretch, 3-for-4 for the night. On the defensive end, senior forward Brooke Scheffler came down with a rebound only to be struck in the face. In obvious pain from the unintentional hit, she took a minute, then shook off her obvious discomfort to calmly sink one of two free throws in the final minute. Sophomore point guard Kate Sears was much closer back to her normally productive self on the night and made 2-of-3 free throws in that last minute stretch. She finished the game with a team-high 21 points, just slightly over her season average of 20.4, according to MaxPreps.
All in all, while Hibriten scored some points in that final minute, they were not enough to offset the free throws made by the Pioneers during that stretch.
“I am so happy for our team,” said Watauga head coach Laura Barry afterwards. “We talked about earning this and what it would take. Not that it would take a perfect game, but that it would take effort and focus on doing our job. I am just so proud of the team for doing that.”
In reviewing the win, Barry started with the beginning: the previous night in the semifinals and the effort that got them to the final.
“I could go right down the line, but Julie (Matheson) last night was amazing and then (Kaitlyn) Darner tonight coming in and making plays, getting steals for a breakout,” said Barry. “And then the steadiness of our starters. Caroline Farthing defensively and on the glass (rebounding). Then you have Brooke Scheffler’s improvement this year as a senior just shines for us. And the backcourt guards, Kate (Sears) and Charlotte (Torgerson). They just do so much for us. I am rambling, but going down the line I am so proud of them.”
Given the 48-45 loss to Hibriten on Jan. 12 and the 64-50 defeat on Feb. 3 when a large portion of her roster was sick with the flu, including Sears and Torgerson, the Pioneers felt they had something to prove.
“This was a game where every possession mattered,” said Barry. “I think we locked into believing that and then played like that.”
Barry said she felt the first half was a bit more physical than the second half, when the officials were blowing their whistles more frequently.
“It went both ways and I don’t think they overblew their whistles,” Barry noted. “It keeps great players on the floor. Players like Kate Sears and Katy Story, who we have a ton of respect for, you want those kids to be on the floor, playing. I prefer no foul trouble, for sure.”
Not surprisingly, the Watauga players were ecstatic about finally getting the win over Hibriten after the two challenging losses.
“It feels fantastic,” said Torgerson. “They are a very worthy opponent and they prove that over and over again. Playing them again for a third time, that’s tough on both teams. Coach Barry said we have to want this more. We have to play just as hard, if not harder. We faced some adversity in the first two games. Like I said, they are a very worthy opponent but tonight we showed them the best Watauga team.”
Hibriten’s senior point guard, Story, represented a real challenge for the Watauga defense.
“We played an extended 2-3 zone, really stressing getting out on the shooters. All three of their guards can shoot the ball well,” said Torgerson. “We stressed getting out, putting our hands in front of their faces and making their shots very, very difficult.”
Scheffler echoed Torgerson’s thoughts on getting past Hibriten.
“It is such a great feeling. Finally putting it to them the third time,” said a beaming Scheffler, quickly acknowledging, “It is hard to beat a team three times. We knew that going in. We just had to accept that they are a tough team and we had to do it.
“This gives us a lot of confidence going into the state playoffs, getting a win like this. Hibriten is a fast-paced team, strong under the basket, rebounders… Knowing that we can beat a team like that where we normally don’t have a great matchup, it really helps us in the long run,” Scheffler added.
Sears said afterwards, “Last night we didn’t play our best game at all. Playing a team where we lost twice in the regular season where we didn’t feel we were at our best both times, tonight we felt like we had something to prove. We came out strong. Right from the beginning, we were knocking down stuff and playing with a ton of intensity on defense. We were able to keep that lead throughout the game, even though they went on runs.
“In the second quarter, I think they started adjusting to how hot we came out in the first quarter. They started hitting shots, which we knew they could do. We just had to handle the runs that we knew would happen. We handled it ok in the second quarter, then went in at halftime and regrouped. In the second half, we started knocking stuff down again,” said Sears.
Sears, Farthing and Scheffler were all named to the all-tournament team, with Sears being named Most Valuable Player. She shared the regular season MVP with Hibriten’s Story, named co-MVPs.
The All-Tournament team in its entirety included, Morgan Phipps (Ashe County), Meredith Wike (Alexander Central), Zoey Walker (Hibriten), Brooke Scheffler (Watauga), Caroline Farthing (Watauga), Katie Story (Hibriten), and Kate Sears (Watauga).
Now the teams we will await the seeding for the state playoffs, Watauga in the 4A division and Hibriten in the 3A division.
SELECTED TOP PEFORMERS
- HIB Katie Story: 24 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
- WAT Kate Sears: 21 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists
- WAT Caroline Farthing: 8 rebounds, 2 steals
- WAT Charlotte Torgerson: 12 points, 2 assists, 2 steals
- HIB Zoey Walker: 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
- WAT Brooke Scheffler: 7 points, 5 rebounds
