By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A day after getting schooled by a talented Apex Friendship team, Watauga used a fourth quarter rally to win the Holiday Classic 3rd place game over Hopewell, 76-71, on Dec. 30.
A see-saw battle that ended the third quarter knotted at 55-55, pulled away in the final stanza.
The win saw key contributions in different aspects of the game from multiple Pioneers. Cade Keller saw high-scoring honors with 25 points, while Jackson Love and Evan Burroughs added 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Love and senior power forward Brady Lindenmuth shared team-high honors in rebounding, with six apiece. Wit Williamson wasn’t far behind, with five rebounds.
Burroughs led the way in sharing the ball with teammates for scoring opportunities, dishing out four assists, while Love and Bowen Mayo also got in the distribution act with three assists each.
Defensively, Watauga’s Mayo, Lindenmuth, Williamson, Keller and Cole Lewis were each able to record a steal.
Now 7-1, Watauga goes on the road for a non-conference matchup at Davie County to open the new year, on Jan. 2.
