By David Rogers. MONROE, La. — Led by sophomore guard Chaé Harris’s game-high 22 points, Appalachian State women’s basketball proved to be inhospitable visitors on Dec. 30, jumping out to a 25-point lead over ULM by halftime before finally defeating the Warhawks, 69-56.

Three Mountaineers scored in double figures, including Harris, Faith Alston (12 points) and Mariah Frazier (10), but it was App State’s 37-23 edge in rebounding that helped seal the victory. They cleared the offensive boards 13 times, leading to 16 second chance points.

The Mountaineers bedeviled the Warhawks both inside and outside. From beyond the 3-point arc, App State was good on 9-of-25 attempts compared to ULM’s making just 4-of-11.  Inside, the Mountaineers held a 32-24 advantage for points in the paint, somewhat augmented by an 18-6 edge in fast break points.

Forward Rylan Moffitt recorded a game-high nine rebounds.

With the win, App State improves to 7-5 overall, 1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play. The Mountaineers return home to play Texas State on Jan. 4 (6:30 p.m.) and South Alabama on Jan. 6 (2 p.m.)

By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. – A snowy afternoon in Boone didn’t stop the High Country community from making their way to Holmes Convocation Center for App State’s conference opener Dec. 30. Paid attendance of 2,065 fans witnessed the Mountaineers open their 2023-24 conference schedule with a win over ULM, 67-55.

Of the seven Mountaineers to see action, four players recorded double-digit points. Veteran forward Donovan Gregory posted a game-high 17 points, while junior forward Tre’Von Spillers finished one rebound shy of his fifth double-double of the season. Spillers netted 16 to go along with his team-best nine rebounds. Sophomore forward Justin Abson (13 points) and junior guard Terence Harcum (10 points) rounded out App State’s top scorers.

For ULM, senior forward Nika Metskhvarishvili led the way with 16 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Jacob Wilson posted 10 points while individually shooting at a 50 percent clip.

Neither team was able to pull away over the first four minutes as the Warhawks took a 9-7 lead into the first media break. App State came out of the timeout on a tear, negating a Metskhvarishvili three-pointer with three straight makes from beyond the arc enroute to a 14-2 run. The Mountaineers used that run, as well as a 12-4 stretch later in the half to take a 39-32 lead into halftime.

The second half started as well as it could have for App State, scoring the first six points of the period. That success didn’t last long, though, as ULM went on a 15-3 run to take their first lead since the 14:41 mark of the first half. The Mountaineers weren’t fazed by the Warhawks’ new-found scoring success and poured in the next eight consecutive points to take a 57-49 lead. App State never lost the lead again, thanks in large part to their stifling defense. The Mountaineers held ULM to just five more points, none of which came in the final 4:03 to play.

App State head coach Dustin Kerns shared his thoughts on the matchup postgame.
“We found another way to win,” Kerns said. “We did not particularly shoot it great, but we found a way to win.”

Following the conference opener, App State will travel to each of their next four Sun Belt games. Kerns expressed how important the win over ULM was entering a brutal schedule over the next two weeks.

“It’s fun to be back at home,” Kerns said. “This is our first home game since Dec. 5th. Now we gotta go on the road again for four straight, you know, which will be challenging, especially in this league. To get win number one at home, win number one of the Sun Belt is a big deal especially with a couple of key players out.”

The Mountaineers were without guards Xavion Brown (injury) and Jordan Marsh (personal) against the Warhawks. Kerns gave credit to the players who stepped up in Brown’s and Marsh’s absence.

“I thought Donovan Gregory made winning plays, Tre’Von Spillers made some winning plays,” Kerns said. “I also thought everybody contributed. Even though CJ Huntley and Chris Mantis maybe didn’t make a shot, just them being out there, their ability to shoot and stretch the floor.”

As for when Brown and Marsh are expected to return, Kerns shared some updates.
“We will get those guys back,” Kerns said. “Jordan [Marsh] is gonna be back tomorrow, Xavion [Brown] is still day-to-day, but really improving.”

As a team, App State shot 42 percent, compared to ULM’s 37 percent mark. The Mountaineers’ three-point shooting struggled, though, as they made just four of their 27 tries from distance. ULM shot 36% from beyond the arc. App State outscored the Warhawks in the paint, 38-32, but ULM out-rebounded the Mountaineers, 42-40.

With the loss, ULM is on a four-game skid, each of those on the road. The Warhawks fall to 4-7, but will enjoy a four-game homestand starting with a matchup against Marshall Wednesday (Jan. 3). Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.

App State’s victory propels the Mountaineers to 10-3, their first time reaching the 10-win mark before the new year since the 2006-07 season, when they posted 11 wins before January. App State begins their four-game road trip at South Alabama on Jan. 4. Tip-off will be at 8:00p.m. and can also be streamed on ESPN+.

By David Rogers. RALEIGH, N.C. — For Charlotte Torgerson and Kate Sears it was sweet 16 — 16 points, each, en route to a convincing, 50-36 win over Chapel Hill in the game to decide 7th place for the Wonderland bracket of the John Wall Holiday Invitational basketball tournament.

The Pioneers made 7-of-19 shots from behind the 3-point arc, slightly better than their season average to date. Four of those seven from long distance came in the first quarter when Watauga jumped out to a 22-2 lead by the end of the period.

To be fair, the Tigers were without arguably their best player in Laynie Smith, who leads the team in scoring, field goal percentage, blocks, assists, and steals. The 6-4 senior was unavailable due to a volleyball commitment.

As it was, Chapel Hill made it a point to get the ball inside to 6-3 sophomore Eva Smith and she didn’t disappoint, pouring in a game-high 19 points. Unfortunately, that inside strategy was about the only thing working for the Tigers, who made only 1-of-18 3-point attempts (5.6 percent).

By contrast, the Pioneers had three players in double figures, including Sears and Torgerson with 16 apiece along with Julie Matheson (10 points). Sears tied for game-high honors with nine rebounds, Chapel Hill’s Scarlett Gilner and Haara Umenwalin sharing the honor. All nine of Sears’ rebounds were on the defensive end. The Pioneer junior also tallied a game-high six assists.

Chapel Hill used a distinct size advantage to all but dominate in the paint, where they scored a 26-16 advantage and an 11-2 advantage in second chance points with their strong offensive rebounding, but the Tigers just couldn’t keep up with the Pioneers’ up-tempo attack in transition nor Watauga’s bench depth.

With the win, Watauga improves to 9-3 on the young season, Chapel Hill falling to 8-4. The Pioneers close out their early non-conference schedule on Jan. 5 at North Wilkes before hosting South Caldwell in a Northwestern Conference season opener on Jan. 12.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — While the Pioneers’ senior forward Wyatt Kohut was a consistent offensive contributor throughout Watauga’s Round 2 matchup vs. the Black Knights of North Davidson on Dec. 29 — scoring a game-high 27 points in the home team’s 63-56 win — sophomore point guard Cade Keller and senior forward Jackson Pryor saved their best for last and proved difference makers.

In foul trouble early, Pryor spent much of the night on the bench but brought the crowd in Lentz Eggers Gym to its feet with a thunderous dunk in the fourth quarter, helping to energize the Pioneers with his only points of the night.

Keller hit a pivotal 3-pointer and four straight free throws in the final stanza, adding to Watauga’s ability to finally gain separation on the scoreboard at the end.

North Davidson came into the game with a gaudy 8-3 record, including some impressive wins and close losses to other 4A contenders. With a slight size disadvantage vs. Watauga, the Black Knights turned to their long distance specialists and they produced nine 3-pointers to offset Kohout’s scoring barrage (that included five 3-pointers of his own).

North Davidson’s Justin Mabe recorded a team-high 13 points but was joined in double figures by Kamauri Manuel and Ryan Forrest with 10 points each.

With Pryor in foul trouble, Watauga head coach Bryson Payne turned to Brady Lindenmuth to take on a bigger role in the paint — and the 6-4 sophomore forward didn’t disappoint.

“With Pryor in foul trouble early, we really needed Brady to step up tonight,” said Payne. “He brought energy in rebounding underneath and his four points in the second quarter helped keep us in the lead at halftime.”

Payne credited the Black Knights for keeping his Pioneers out of rhythm in the transition game.

“This was a battle from start to finish,” said Payne. “North Davidson is a well coached team and we had hard time getting into our preferred up-tempo, transition style of play. But in the fourth quarter, Josiah Railey, Cade Keller and Jackson Pryor really came with energy, Keller with those big free throws and Pryor with that big dunk. They helped us gain the needed separation.”

Next up for Watauga is the final High Country Holiday Classic game for 2023 on Saturday, Dec. 30, vs. Apex Friendship. Now 7-2 overall, including wins over Pine Lakes Prep and Ashe County in the first two rounds of the tournament, Apex Friendship competes in the strong 4A Southeast Wake Conference.

With the win, Watauga improves to 8-2 with only the Apex Friendship tilt, then two more non-conference games vs. West Wilkes and at North Wilkes before starting Northwestern Conference play vs. 4A rival South Caldwell on Jan. 12.

SCORING SUMMARY

• WAT – Wyatt Kohout, 27 points
• NDV – Justin Mabe, 13 points
• WAT – Josiah Railey, 12 points
• WAT – Cade Keller, 11 points
• NDV – Kamauri Manuel, 10 points
• NDV – Ryan Forrest, 10 points
• NDV – Payton Eccles, 8 points
• NDV – Coen Miller, 7 points
• WAT – Maddox Greene, 5 points
• WAT – Brady Lindenmuth, 4 points
• NDV – Grayson Rush, 3 points
• NDV – Caiden Bean, 3 points
• WAT – Nate Gutschall, 2 points
• WAT – Jackson Pryor, 2 points
• NDV – Drew Hege, 2 points

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — What started out as a nip-and-tuck affair in the first half morphed into a second half Watauga runaway on Dec. 28 at Lentz Eggers Gym. The Pioneers dispatched Johnson County in the first round nightcap of the High Country Holiday Classic, 77-54.

“We got a little separation in the third quarter,” noted Watauga head coach Bryson Payne afterwards. “But in the fourth quarter we finally got into the flow of our transition game, the way we want to play.”

For the Pioneers, it was run, run, run, especially in the second half. While the backcourt tandem of guards Cade Keller and Maddox Greene initiated a lot of the downcourt attacks, Josiah Railey (25 points), Jackson Pryor (15 points) and Keller (16 points) often provided the finishing touches. Highlights included an artful, one-handed dunk by Railey and a thunderous, two-hands hanging on the rim jam by Pryor.

For the most part, Watauga was lethal in the paint with a decided size advantage. Only 12 of the Pioneers’ 77 total points originated from behind the 3-point arc, two by Keller, one from Railey, and one from Jackson Love coming off the bench in the second quarter.

As a team, Watauga converted 15 of 24 (63%) free throws on the night although on the surface that is misleading. Given his other offensive production and game-high 25 points, few will be critical of Railey’s 6-of-13 (46%) performance from the charity stripe that dragged the team average down.

For Johnson County, junior guard Eli Dickens and sophomore guard Darren Chappell opened the game “hot,” accounting for 13 of the Longhorns’ 18 first quarter points and helping the visitors to an 18-17 lead by the end of the first stanza.

In the second quarter, Watauga made some defensive adjustments to limit the Longhorns to just 10 more points before the halftime break, with Railey and Pryor leading the Pioneers to 15 points in the second stanza to take a still tenuous, 32-28 advantage into intermission.

Johnson County’s roster is dominated by sophomores and freshmen this season and the young hoopsters just could not keep up with the more veteran Pioneers’ fast-paced, up-tempo transition game and had few answers for Watauga’s height advantage in the paint with Pryor, Wyatt Kohout, Brady Lindenmuth and even Levi Stone and Paul Taylor coming off the bench in the fourth quarter.

Now 1-8 on the young season, Johnson County looks to improve in the second round of the Holiday Classic when they face Pine Lake Prep (4-4) on Dec. 29, with tipoff scheduled for 2:30 in Lentz Eggers Gym. The Pride lost to Apex Friendship in the first round, 71-60.

Watauga (7-2) will have a strong challenge from North Davidson (8-3) on Dec. 29, with tipoff slated for 7 p.m. The Black Knights defeated Ashe County, 67-63, in the first round.

The Pioneers complete the Holiday Classic on Dec. 30 vs. Apex Friendship (6-2), a 4A contender in the Southeast Wake Conference.

SCORING SUMMARY

• WAT – Josiah Railey, 25 points
• WAT – Cade Keller, 16 points
• WAT – Jackson Pryor, 15 points
• JCO – Eli Dickens, 14 points
• JCO – Darren Chappell, 13 points
• JCO – Landin Lipford, 8 points
• JCO – Jack Csillag, 7 points
• WAT – Wyatt Kohout, 6 points
• JCO – Hunter Paisley, 6 points
• WAT – Brady Lindenmuth, 5 points
• WAT – Maddox Greene, 3 points
• WAT – Jackson Love, 3 points
• JCO – Eli Tester, 3 points
• JCO – Juan Mejia, 3 points
• WAT – Levi Stone, 2 points
• WAT – Paul Taylor, 2 points

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. RALEIGH, N.C. — In the opening rounds of the 51st Annual John Wall Holiday Invitational, Watauga faced last season’s 4A nemesis and a new 4A rival, both losses for the young Pioneers’ varsity women’s basketball team.

Round 1 vs. Charlotte Catholic

Led by a towering, 6-5 center in senior Blanca Thomas and 6-0 senior guard Gracynn Gough, Charlotte Catholic started out with a significant height advantage that would prove troublesome for any hopes Watauga might have had for scoring in the paint. To counter, they needed to hit from long distance — so a “cold” morning shooting performance from behind the 3-point arc did not produce the desired result.  Charlotte Catholic prevailed, 60-48, in the tournament’s opening game.

With Thomas making good on 63 percent of her shots from the field, mostly layups inside the paint, the Pioneers needed to do better than shooting 18.5 percent (5-of-27 attempts) from behind the arc. It didn’t help that Watauga shot only 58 percent from the charity stripe (11-of-19).

Thomas led all scorers with 26 points and completed a double-double with 12 rebounds. Maggie Kemodle (12 points) and Harper McKain (11 points) were also in double figures for the Cougars, who also saw Olivia Fava dish out 6 assists.

Junior guard Kate Sears poured in 19 points, collected 7 rebounds, and recorded 6 assists for the Pioneers, all team-highs. Charlotte Torgerson added 12 points and Julie Matheson 8 points to aid the Pioneer cause.

It was the Thomas-led Cougars that first defeated Watauga in the Cherokee Invitational in late December last season, then proved the Pioneers’ nemesis again in the 4th round of the 2022-23 NCHSAA 4A Women’s Basketball State Playoffs.

Round 2 vs. Rolesville

The Rolesville Rams are no stranger to playing among the elite, North Carolina 4A women’s basketball teams. In the 2022-23 East bracket, like Watauga in the West, Rolesville lost in the 4th round, to the East bracket’s No. 1 seed Hillside.

Against Watauga, Rolesville trailed 20-7 at the end of the first quarter and looked to be outmatched by the hot shooting Pioneers who moved the ball around the court to an open player, seemingly at will.

But the Rams fought back in the second stanza, outscoring Watauga 18-10 to trail by only five points at the break. Rolesville outpointed the Pioneers 15-7 in the third period, taking their first lead at 38-37. In the early part of the fourth, it looked like the Rams would run away with the game, taking a 10-point lead at one point, but Watauga battled back to tie the game at 52-52 with 36 seconds left to play. The Rams went ahead, 55-52, at which point Kate Sears collected a rebound with scarcely five seconds remaining, dribbled down court in a frenzy and launched a desperation 3-pointer that would have tied the game had it gone in.

While Sears posted a game-high 16 points, she was the only Pioneer in double figures and it just wasn’t enough to offset the Rams’ scoring offensive with four players in double figures: Taliya Rowe (14), Caitlyn Jones (13), Laila Lewis (13), and Kayla Bush (12). Sears also had a team-high five assists for Watauga, while the Rams’ Jones recorded a game-high eight assists.

Again with a height disadvantage, Watauga shot a more respectable 28.1 percent from behind the 3-point arc (9-of-32). Rolesville won the day with a 24-18 advantage inside the paint.

Watauga will play again on Saturday, Dec. 30, 10:30 a.m. in the game to determine the Wonderland bracket’s 7th place finisher. As of press time, the opponent had not been determined.

By Zach Smith. HICKORY, N.C. — It isn’t often that a player records a triple-double in basketball and gets overshadowed by a teammate but that was the case Dec. 21 at the Tarleton Center. App State fell to UNC Asheville, 76-63, behind a record-breaking performance by Asheville guard Josh Banks.

Banks led all scorers with 33 points, 30 of those coming via a program record, 10 three-pointers. Forward Drew Pember posted a triple-double in the contest, reaching double-digits in points (11), rebounds (15) and assists (10).

For App State, Donovan Gregory led the way with 18 points while Tre’Von Spillers recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

The game began with both teams trading blows. Asheville opened the first half with a 6-0 run, but the Mountaineers responded with six consecutive points of their own. Both sides then traded shots from beyond the arc before the visitors were able to pull away. The Bulldogs went on to log three more runs of six or more points in the period, including a 10-0 run late in the half that was scored entirely by Banks. After their first run, App State was unable to string together more than four consecutive points. Asheville took a 21-point lead into the break.

Before Thursday’s game, Asheville had a player convert on eight shots from beyond the arc nine different times. Banks drained nine shots from long distance in the first half alone, accounting for 30 of the Bulldogs’ 44 points in the opening frame. 

The second half was an improvement for App State but wasn’t enough to overcome the first-half deficit. The Mountaineers cut the deficit to as little as 12, but Asheville continued to apply pressure and ultimately put the game to bed.

Much of App State’s struggles came where Asheville was best: beyond the arc. While the Bulldogs shot an impressive 58% from deep, the Mountaineers were unable to get shots to fall. App State only cashed in on three of their 24 shots from three-point-range. Uncharacteristically, the Mountaineers also struggled off the glass. Asheville out-rebounded App State, 46-37.

Despite the loss, App State head coach Dustin Kerns expressed confidence entering conference play next week.

“We’ve got great confidence, I mean, we’ve got a really good team,” Kerns said. “We just picked a bad night to play poorly, right, like we didn’t play well.”

Kerns was also sure to give credit to Asheville and how they were able to gameplan for the Mountaineers.

“I don’t want to be one of those coaches that doesn’t give credit to the other team,” Kerns said. “They had something to do with that, right? Like, when you’re on an eight-game winning streak, you have a lot of teams that have to really gameplan for you, do something differently and kind of try to really take you out of your stuff.”

Kerns also shouted out Banks for his impressive performance against App State.

“[Banks] had almost an out of body experience there,” Kerns said. “He had 18 made threes on the season and he made nine in a half.”

Early in the game, junior standout guard Xavion Brown suffered an apparent lower-body injury that sidelined him for the rest of the game. Kerns gave an update on Brown’s status.

“You know, I’m still gathering information on it,” Kerns said. “I think he’s going to get an MRI tomorrow, but I don’t think there’s any conclusive deal.”

Thursday’s game was held in Hickory, NC as a way for App State to promote its new satellite campus. The matchup featured a sold-out crowd, with many of those in attendance dressed in Black and Gold. Kerns spoke on what it meant to have that kind of turnout on an important night for the university.

“Awesome environment, awesome game,” Kerns said. “[It’s] awesome being here in Hickory promoting our Hickory campus.”

As a team, App State shot 36% from the field, while Asheville cashed in on 45% of their attempts. The Mountaineers scored 17 points off the bench and outscored Asheville in the paint, 34-26.

Despite the loss, the Mountaineers finished their non-conference slate with an impressive 9-3 record. App State will look to bounce back against ULM next Saturday (Dec. 30). Tip-off is set for 1:00p.m. at Holmes Convocation Center in Boone. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.

By Zach Smith. BOONE, N.C. — Christmas came early in Boone Thursday afternoon as App State rallied from a 10-point, fourth quarter deficit, defeating Mercer, 81-78.

The Mountaineers were led by a 31-point performance from Faith Alston, marking a new career-best for the senior guard. Guards J’Mani Ingram (17) and Alexis Black (11) also posted double-digit points. Sophomore forward Rylan Moffitt grabbed a team-high eight rebounds while Alston dished out six assists, also a team-best.

While App State only led for just over 90 seconds, the game never got away from the Mountaineers.

The first quarter was a sign of how the rest of the matchup would go. Neither team was able to break away through the first half of the period until Mercer went on a 6-0 run to push their lead to eight. The Mountaineers responded with stifling defense, only allowing two more points from the Bears over the final 3:40.

Mercer opened their lead to a 10-point difference early in the second period but, once again, App State responded with stifling defense. The Mountaineers went on a 8-0 run, thanks in large part to consecutive makes from beyond the arc by Black and Alston. Later in the quarter, both teams traded scoring runs. Mercer’s 6-0 run was effectively canceled out by seven consecutive Mountaineer points. Despite App State’s scoring runs, the Bears took a three-point lead into the break.

After the Break: More Defense — and then some

The second half looked to be a defensive battle through the first minute of the third frame, but that proved deceptive. Mercer scored the first five points out of the locker room but the teams traded scoring runs, again.

Alston went down with an apparent lower-body injury early in the third quarter and immediately left the court under her own power. Alston eventually returned to the game later in the period, scoring five consecutive points. The Mountaineers used Alston’s solo 5-0 run to cut the deficit to three and, following a Mercer jumper and a J’Mani Ingram free-throw, went into the final 10 minutes trailing by four.

The fourth quarter didn’t look good for the home side through the first 2:37 of the frame as Mercer went on a 8-2 run to regain a 10-point lead. Following Mercer’s early run, though, App State focused on defense. The Mountaineers held the Bears scoreless over the next 2:30, scoring seven over that span. With their defense clicking, App State only allowed 14 points over the final 7:23, with half of those points coming from the charity stripe. Alston became a bigger threat as well, scoring 16 points in just over 6:30 and leading the Mountaineer comeback. 

With just under one minute on the clock, Black cashed in on a free-throw to give the Mountaineers their first lead since the 6:33 mark of the first quarter. Following a Mercer made free-throw, Alston drove down the court to cash in on a layup to regain the lead for App State, and the Mountaineers never looked back.

A big focus for App State was junior guard Emily Carver’s injury that kept her on the bench. Head coach Angel Elderkin spoke on the team’s mindset despite being down their second-highest scorer.

“The mantra going into today was ‘woman down, woman up,’” Elderkin said. “Not playing with Emily Carver, we knew that was going to be something that could impact us offensively. But I don’t think people understand what she brings defensively. But with that being said, I thought we had our players step up today in a way that we needed heading into conference play.”

Elderkin also praised Alston’s work ethic and explained her impact on the rest of the team.

“The locker room was special because, you know, [Alston] had 30, we’re all aware of that, she got the game ball,” Elderkin said. “[The team] spoke to being taken out, going to get taped up, and coming back in and what that meant from a leadership standpoint, that she’s the driver of this bus, and how important and impactful that was for her teammates. They saw her giving her all so it just made them want to give more.”

While the scoring was the headline of the game, Alston explained that the focus in the fourth quarter was defense.

“Our whole focus is defense,” Alston said. “Our defense generates offense… We take a big pride in defense and that was really the message in the whole fourth quarter. Don’t even focus on offense, focus on defense, that will get us going.”

Thursday’s game was App State’s final matchup before conference play. Elderkin spoke on the confidence level of the team, especially around the uncertainty of Carver’s recovery timeline.

“I think before we head into conference play, this was a good game because now we played without Emily [Carver] and we’re unsure as to when she will be back,” Elderkin said. “And so, we’ve had to put some different people in some different roles. Obviously, that’s not fun to do after you just go through your non-conference and you think you’ve got a rhythm.”

Elderkin was sure to shout out the players who stepped up to fill that role against Mercer.

“You see players like Alexis Black, J’Mani Ingram, Mackenzie [Drout], Zada [Porter],” Elderkin said. “You see all those players stepping up and that’s what we’re going to need to do because it’s a new season. We come back, 0-0, and we gotta get ready for a tough Sun Belt Conference.”

With the win, App State improves to 6-5. The Mountaineers will travel to Louisiana next Saturday (Dec. 30) to open conference play. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — This year, the Watauga men’s basketball team didn’t mess around, scoring early and often in marching out to a decisive win over visiting Shelby, 73-56, in Lentz Eggers Gym.

BONUS PHOTOS at bottom of article. Click any image for slideshow mode

A year ago, the Pioneers rallied from a 21-point second half deficit to defeat the Golden Lions on Shelby’s home court. Not this time. The Pioneers gained separation by the end of the first quarter, 20-13, then kept the proverbial “pedal to the medal” throughout the early season, non-conference contest.

Watauga’s up-tempo style kept Shelby off-balance and often reeling. With possession, the Pioneers whipped the ball around until they found an open teammate — and often it was senior Wyatt Kohout finding the open shot, both inside as well as from long distance. His game-high 28 points included four 3-pointers to go along with a dizzying array of inside layups, often through traffic.

Watching the Pioneers bring the ball downcourt in transition spurred memories of the Parkway middle school backcourt of four years ago, with guards Cade Keller and Maddox Greene the driving forces in that backcourt. Keller, a sophomore, and Greene, a junior, are still an explosive tandem in getting the ball into space and attacking the basket. On this night, Greene was one of only three Pioneers in double figures, with 13 points. Josiah Railey pushed the action down the lane for 12 points.

The Golden Lions’ Dominique Downs was Shelby’s leading scorer, with 11 points, but they had widespread contributions from Denorris Gist (9 points), Drew Hollifield (8), Santana London (8), and Grady Morgan (9) to keep the visitors within reach.

After the game, assistant coach Andrew Wilson, subbing at the helm for Bryson Payne (who welcomed a new baby into the family earlier in the day), listed three primary reasons for the outcome.

“We kept them off the offensive glass, preventing them from getting second chance points,” Wilson said. “They also had a difficult time in keeping up with our play in transition. And we executed, with few turnovers.”

Now 6-2 on the young season, the Pioneers host three home games on consecutive days beginning with Johnson County (Mountain City, Tenn.) on Dec. 28, North Davidson on Dec. 29, and Apex Friendship on Dec. 30, all three contests scheduled to tipoff at 7 p.m.

KEY PERFORMERS

• WAT – Wyatt Kohout: 28 points
• WAT – Maddox Greene: 13 points
• WAT – Josiah Railey: 12 points
• SHL – Dominique Downs: 11 points
• SHL – Denorris Gist: 9 points
• SHL – Grady Morgan: 9 points
• SHL – Drew Hollifield: 8 points
• SHL – Santana London: 8 points
• WAT – Nate Gutschall: 6 points
• WAT – Cade Keller: 5 points
• WAT – Seth Greene: 4 points
• WAT – Jackson Love: 3 points
• WAT – Brady Lindenmuth: 2 points

BONUS PHOTOS

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Undoubtedly, when former head coach Laura Barry scheduled a home-and-home vs. perennial regional and state power Shelby, she expected the Golden Lions to test the Pioneers much like the 36-39 non-conference loss Watauga experienced during the 2022-23 campaign.

BONUS PHOTOS at bottom. Click any image for slideshow mode.

What a difference a year can make with graduation and transfers. On Dec. 20 in Lentz Eggers Gym, Shelby proved a shadow of its former self in a 66-12 thumping at the hands of a deep — and skilled — Watauga roster.

A 20-3 first quarter was just a warmup for Watauga’s pesky, disruptive defense and up-tempo offensive style. By halftime, the Pioneers led 40-7, then 54-7 at the end of the third stanza.

Beyond the defensive effort, the most impressive thing about the Watauga attack: how they shared the ball and moved it unselfishly around the court, finding the open teammate with a better shot.

Senior Diane McGlamery and sophomore Lainey Shook led the way, taking advantage of the Pioneers’ up-tempo, move-the-ball-in-transition style to score almost at will. McGlamery tallied an even dozen while Shook recorded a “Baker’s Dozen” (13) to lead all scorers.

Given the lopsided score, Watauga head coach Bill Torgerson was able to empty his bench, including a few junior varsity players brought up for the occasion. Torgerson explained that the new “five quarters” rule allows junior varsity players to also see varsity action so long as they don’t play in more than five quarters in any given day or night when combining varsity and junior varsity play. Especially since there was no junior varsity game on Dec. 20, he was able to get some of his younger athletes into the rotation.

“I watched quite a bit of film on Shelby and realized they were having a down year, so this was a good opportunity to get some younger players varsity experience,” he said after the game.

From a skill standpoint, the Pioneers rarely missed a beat vs. Shelby, whatever combination of players was on the floor.

Watauga figures to receive a much better test on Dec. 27 in the John Wall Holiday Invitational in Raleigh. The Pioneers open play at 10:30 a.m. in the first game of the tournament vs. undefeated Charlotte Catholic, which proved the young Pioneers’ nemesis last year. According to MaxPreps, the Cougars are the No. 1 4A team in North Carolina and the No. 2 program in the state behind NCISAA 3A contender Grace Christian (10-0, Sanford, N.C.).

KEY PERFORMERS (additional Watauga stats to be added)

• WAT – Lainey Shook: 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
• WAT – Diane McGlamery: 12 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block
• WAT – Charlotte Torgerson: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
• WAT – Kate Sears: 7 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
• WAT – Julie Matheson: 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
• WAT – Gracie Lawrence: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal
• SHL – Kamuri London: 6 points
• WAT – Blair Haines: 4 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals
• WAT – Izzy Torgerson: 3 points, 3 rebounds
• WAT – Kaitlyn Darner: 2 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals
• WAT – Olivia Foskey: 2 points
• WAT – Abby Healy: 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist
• SHL – Dareon Kee: 2 points
• SHL – Kennedy Spake: 2 points
• SHL – Jemiah Hopper: 2 points

BONUS PHOTOS