Forsyth Day rolls past Pioneers
By Steve Behr

sports@wataugademocrat.com

Watauga’s boys’ basketball team faced several obstacles in its season-opener against Forsyth Country Day Tuesday night.

For starters, Country Day went into the game unbeaten in five games, while Watauga was still playing scrimmages over the weekend. The extra experience paid off in Forsyth’s 86-66 victory at Lentz-Eggers Gym. The Furies (6-0) claimed a 21-8 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.

Meanwhile, the Pioneers (0-1) committed six turnovers in the first quarter and 10 by halftime. The Furies led 39-19 with 1:48 left in the first half and though the Pioneers closed to 43-26 by halftime, they never made a serious run at Forsyth the rest of the game.

“I think it was blatantly obvious that this was their sixth game of the year and it was our first game of the year,” Pioneers coach Rob Sanders said. “They seemed much more fluid on both ends of the floor. They were all on the same page and I think they came out and really put it to us early. It shook our heads and shook our confidence.”

Watauga was missing 6-foot-5 center Alan Herndon, who was injured in practice. It left the rest of the Pioneers, who have no other player taller than 6-4, trying to guard the likes of 6-5 Lasare Amossou-Tossou, 6-5, Nick Sink, 6-6 Stewart Cooper and 6-9 Jared Nelms.

Sink finished with 20 points, but he was not the Furies’ leading scorer. That honor went to guard Colby Lewis, who hit four 3-point shots and all five of his free throws to score 21 points. Keegan Pace added 13 points and three of the Furies’ nine 3-point buckets.

“I felt like that we tired them out a little bit,” Forsyth Day coach Rusty LaRue said. “I think we were a little deeper than they were. When they had to go to their bench, it really showed. Our seventh, eighth and ninth players played really well tonight.”

Watauga got 20 points from guard Zach Greene before he fouled out with 2:25 left in the game. Chad Eppley, who hit three 3-pointers and all four of his foul shots, added 17 points for the Pioneers.

Forsyth Day also hurt the Pioneers from the foul line, hitting 17-of-25 attempts. Watauga settled for 8-of-10 shooting from the line.

But that was not the driving factor for Forsyth Day, who hurt the Pioneers with its outside shooting and pressure defense.

“We let their pressure, when they were jumping us and trapping us on the on-ball screens get to us a little bit,” Sanders said. “The way they came out, they got inside some of our guys’ heads. A lot of times, shots that our kids normally take in practice, they didn’t normally take, or else they’d go up to take them and then change their minds and try to pass it in the air, which is never a good idea.”

Notes: Watauga has a week to get ready for its next game, which is Nov. 27 at Avery. It’s the first of three games for the Pioneers, who host Wilkes Central the next day and play at West Caldwell on Nov. 30.

...Forsyth Country Day’s Tyler Lewis is in the eighth grade. Private schools can use players who are not in high school. He scored six points Tuesday night. ...LaRue is the former Wake Forest standout, who also played with the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. He also played quarterback while at Wake Forest.

Forsyth Day 86, Watauga 66
Forsyth Country Day (6-0)
Munnelly 0 1-2 1, Pace 5 0-0 13, Amossou-Tossou 3 0-0 7, C. Lewis 6 5-5 21, T. Lewis 2 2-2 6, Beckstead 0 0-0 0, Cooper 2 0-1 4, Sink 8 2-2 20, Gallisdorfer 2 4-7 9, Malinix 1 0-0 2, Hockstra 0 0-0 0, Nelson 0 1-2 1, Nelms 1 2-4 4. Totals 30 17-25 86.
Watauga (0-1)
Fancher 2 0-0 5, Watson 1 0-0 2, Greene 8 2-3 20, Moyer 2 0-0 6, Isaacs 3 1-2 7, Newell 2 0-0 4, Eppley 5 4-4 17, Dale 2 1-1 5, Copenhagen 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 8-10 66.
Forsyth Day 21 22 29 14 — 86
Watauga 8 18 17 23 — 66
3-point goals—Forsyth Day 9 (C. Lewis 4, Pace 3, Amossou-Tossou 1, Gallisdorfer 1), Watauga 8 (Eppley 3, Greene 2, Moyer 2, Fancher 1). Rebounds—Forsyth Day 29 (Sink 6), Watauga 21 (Greene 4). Turnovers—Forsyth Day 12, Watauga 17. Total fouls—Forsyth Day 18, Watauga 16. Fouled out—Greene. Technical fouls—C. Lewis.