By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com

Watauga’s girls’ basketball team got off to a rough start by losing its first game. Two games later, the Pioneers have put together a winning record.

Watauga began this week with a 59-54 victory at Avery and followed one day later with a resounding 67-53 victory over Wilkes Central at Lentz-Eggers Gym.

The Pioneers (2-1) won’t play again until Tuesday when they travel to Ashe County. They’ll go into West Jefferson knowing they can score from the inside and from the perimeter.

Post player Christina Rees got her 16 points against Wilkes Central by hitting baskets from both areas. The sophomore nailed a 3-point basket and hit six others from the field. Katherine Mayhew added 11 points and Nicole Tesh scored 10, most from inside the paint.

Point guard Chandler Butler scored eight points from her point guard position, including a 3-pointer and three points from the foul line.

A different group of Pioneers led the scoring charge at Avery.

Rebekah Pineda scored 13 points, while Sarah Caldwell used two 3-pointers to score 10 points. Mayhew added eight points in a balanced scoring attack.

Kim Gragg led the Vikings with 15 points, while Hayley Pyatte finished with 12. Samantha Shook added 10 points and Laura Lacey scored eight.

Victory was achieved two different ways. The Pioneers needed a fourth-quarter rally to beat Avery, while they only briefly trailed Wilkes Central.

Avery led 45-40 when Watauga opened the fourth quarter with a 10-2 run, capped by a jump shot from Ryann Jones. Avery got three foul shots on two different possessions to tie the game 50-50, but Watauga outscored the Vikings 9-4 during the final 2:51 on a run sparked by a Rebekah Pineda steal and an Emily Pineda basket. After a Rebekah Pineda basket, Watauga got two foul shots from Caldwell and one each from Butler and Ashlyn Baird to finish off the Vikings. Watauga also committed just one of its 20 turnovers in the fourth quarter.

“We talked last week about being happy about moral victories as long as we weren’t satisfied,” Pioneers coach Klay Anderson said. “We worked hard all weekend long and it paid off.”

No fourth-quarter heroics were needed to beat the Eagles, who were playing their first game of the season.

Wilkes Central held a 6-5 lead before the Pioneers closed out the first quarter with a 8-1 run. Watauga surged to a 22-7 lead on an 8-0 run capped by a Rees stickback, but the Eagles surprised the Pioneers by closing to 26-20 by halftime.

That’s as close as the Eagles would get. Watauga opened the second half with a sizzling 14-0 run, capped by a 3-point basket and a layup by Rees. Both plays were set up by steals by Katelyn Creed, who finished with seven points of her own.

Wilkes Central, who had just eight players in uniform, got 13 points from Alisha Whittington and seven each from Ashley Dyer and Laura Beth Prevette.

Watauga girls 59, Avery 54
Watauga
Butler 2 1-2 5, Caldwell 3 2-2 10, Baird 2 1-2 5, R. Pineda 5 3-4 13, Creed 0 0-0 0, Tesh 1 0-2 2, Jones 2 2-3 6, E. Pineda 1 2-5 4, Mayhew 4 0-0 8, Miller 2 2-2 6, Rees 0 0-0 0. Total 22 13-22 59.
Avery
Singleton 1 0-0 2, Jennings 1 0-0 2, Peters 1 1-2 3, Shook 3 3-4 10, Buchanan 0 0-0 0, Ellis 0 0-5 0, Vance 1 0-0 2, Lacey 2 4-6 8, Gragg 7 1-3 15, Pyatte 5 2-2 12. Totals 21 11-22 54.
Watauga 16 1410 19 — 59
Avery 18 15 12 9 — 54
3-point goals—Watauga 2 (Caldwell 2), Avery 1 (Shook). Rebounds—Watauga 30 (E. Pineda 4), Avery 28 (Gragg 7). Turnovers—Watauga 20, Avery 23. Total fouls—Watauga 17, Avery 17. Fouled out—None. Technical fouls—None.

Watauga girls 67, Wilkes Central 53
Wilkes Central (0-1)
Jennings 0 0-2 2, Whittington 5 1-3 13, Koon 0 2-4 2, Weston 0 3-6 3, Dyer 0 7-12 7, Freeman 0 0-1 0, Prevette 2 3-4 7, Thomas 0 1-3 1. Totals 7 17-35 33.
Watauga (2-1)
Butler 2 3-4 8, R. Pineda 1 3-4 5, Creed 3 1-2 7, Tesh 5 0-1 10, Jones 1 0-2 2, E. Pineda 1 1-2 3, Mayhew 3 5-8 11, Miller 2 1-2 5, Rees 7 1-2 16. Totals 25 15-27 67.
Wilkes Central 7 13 9 4 — 53
Watauga 15 11 22 19 — 67
3-point goals—Wilkes Central 2 (Whittington 2), Watauga 2 (Butler, Rees). Wilkes Cental 36 (Prevette, Dyer 6). Watauga 44 (E. Pineda 10). Turnovers—Wilkes Central 27, Watauga 13. Total fouls—Wilkes Central 24, Watauga 26. Fouled out—Weston, Prevette. Technical fouls—None.