Hargrave scores 35

to lead Cougars

to win over WHS
By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com

It’s hard to trail Alexander Central by 12 points going into the fourth quarter, especially with the Cougars’ Ryan Hargrave on the court, and expect to win. Watauga nearly did it, but fell short in a 73-68 loss Friday at Lentz-Eggers Gym.

The talented 6-foot-6 Hargrave led all scorers with 35 points, scoring 20 in the first half. He hit 12-of-17 from the line and made three 3-point shots. Hargrave also grabbed nine rebounds.

Fellow post player Justin Mayberry added 11 points, giving the Cougars two options close to the basket.

“We talked about it at halftime and told the guys at halftime that basically when you’ve got a player like Hargrave and you can compliment him with a guy like Mayberry, their strength is to play a halfcourt basketball game,” Pioneers coach Rob Sanders said. “They want to be able to pound it down to them, and if you can’t get it in there, they’ll run them off the screen and have them shoot from the outside.”

Hargrave, a junior, scored the Cougars’ first eight points of the game on two 3-pointers and an old-fashioned 2-point jump shot. But Hargrave was just warming up. He capped the first quarter with a three-point play, which helped the Cougars (14-3, 3-2 NWC) take a 15-11 lead.

Watauga, which led 2-0 but would not lead again, fell behind 31-21 by halftime and 51-39 by the end of the third quarter. Despite the 12-point deficit, Alexander Central coach Ed Wills had a feeling the Pioneers (7-10, 2-4) would make a run at the Cougars in the fourth quarter.

“They just don’t quit,” Wills said. “They played very aggressive, and they kept playing and they made some shots. Rob does a great job getting kids to play hard.”

Alexander Central took its largest lead, 54-41, early in the fourth quarter. But Watauga eventually crept back to within 64-63 following a pair of 3-pointers by Zach Greene and Chad Eppley, the second coming with 1:07 left in the game. It was 67-65 after a Greene stickback with 28 seconds left, but the Cougars hit their final six free throws to ice the game.

Sanders said using a full-court press and trying to run the ball more helped the Pioneers get back into the game.

“We felt we had to do something to change the tempo of the game,” Sanders said. “If we don’t, then they beat us by 20 or 30 points. We decided we’re going to go fullcourt and trap the basketball and run the basketball.”

Despite the increased tempo, there were few turnovers. Watauga gave the ball away just eight times, while the Cougars coughed it up 10 times.

Greene led the Pioneers with 21 points. Eppley scored 10 points, and Will Watson scored nine. Jeff Newell and Ian Dale each added seven.

Jonathan Docker added 10 points for the Cougars.

Watauga has Tuesday off and won’t play again until Friday, when it hosts South Caldwell.

Alexander Central 73, Watauga 68
Alexander Central (12-4, 3-2)
Ferguson 0 1-3 1, Hargrave 10 12-17 35, Dockery 4 2-2 10, Raucher 2 00 5, Ford 1 2-4 4, Mayberry 5 1-2 11, Fortner 3 0-0 6. Totals 25 18-28 73.
Watauga (7-10, 2-4)
Steury 0 1-2 1, Watson 4 1-2 9, Greene 8 2-2 21, Isaacs 2 0-0 6, Chiarolanzio 1 1-2 3, Newell 3 1-2 7, Eppley 3 2-2 10, Herndon 1 2-4 4, Dale 3 1-2 7. Moyer 0 0-0 0, Fancher 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 11-18 68.
Alexander Central 15 16 20 22 — 73
Watauga 11 10 18 29 — 68
3-point goals—Alexander 5 (Hargrave 3, Raucher, Ford), Watauga 7 (Greene, Isaacs 2, Eppley 2). Rebounds—Alexander 27 (Hargrave 9), Watauga 22 (Greene, Eppley 5). Turnovers— Alexander 10, Watauga 8. Total fouls—Alexander 10, Watauga 8. Fouled out—None. Technical fouls—Fortner.