Slow start

upends Watauga girls
By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com

MORGANTON — The one thing Watauga’s girls’ basketball team wanted to avoid Tuesday night was a slow start to Freedom.

The Patriots had other ideas. Freedom scored the first 14 points of its 58-44 victory over visiting Watauga.

The Patriots eventually worked their way to a 20-5 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 33-14 halftime lead.

The first quarter was the one that doomed the Pioneers. Freedom hit 9-of-14 shots from the field and forced nine Watauga turnovers. Watauga was limited to two baskets, the first being a Rebekah Pineda layup with 2:39 left in the period. Sarah Miller converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 42.3 seconds to complete the Pioneers’ scoring in the first.

From there, Freedom never let the Pioneers get closer than 12 points, which actually took place in the second quarter. Trailing 22-7, Wataug got two foul shots from Emily Pineda and another from Ryann Jones to close to within 22-10.

But Freedom turned its halftime lead into a 46-24 third-quarter advantage, their largest of the game. The Patriots’ defense hounded Watauga into committing 26 turnovers, compared to just 12 made by Freedom.

Ali Ford, Freedom’s outstanding point guard, led the Patriots with 21 points. Ford hit nine shots from the field and was 2-of-2 from the foul line.

Watauga got 10 points from Emily Pineda and 10 from Chandler Butler, who hit two of the Pioneers’ three 3-point baskets. Miller and Rebekah Pineda each added five points.

Freedom 58, Watauga 44
Watauga
Butler 4 0-0 10, Caldwell 1 0-0 2, Baird 1 0-0 3, R. Pineda 2 1-3 5, Creed 0 0-0 0, Tesh 2 0-0 4, Jones 1 1-2 3, Mayhew 1 0-0 2, Miller 2 1-1 5, E. Pineda 2 6-6 10, Rees 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 9-12 44.
Freedom
Roberts 1 0-0 2, Mull 2 0-0 6, Ford 9 2-2 21, Conley 2 0-0 4, McDaniel 0 1-2 1, Walker 3 0-0 6, Chapman 3 1-2 7, Surratt 3 1-3 7, Connelly 2 0-2 4, Caldwell 0 0-0 0, Brown 0 0-0, Pearson 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 5-11 58.
Watauga 5 9 10 20 — 44
Freedom 20 13 13 12 — 58
3-point goals—Watauga 3 (Butler 2, Baird), Freedom 3 (Mull 2, Ford). Turnovers—WHS 26, FHS 12. Total fouls—WHS 10, FHS 10. Fouled out—None. Technical fouls—None.