Basketball Recap: Freedom Comes Up Short

Freedom suffered their closest loss since December 3, 2024 on Wednesday. They fell just short of the Watauga Pioneers by a score of 72-69. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Friday (68), the Patriots still had to take the loss.

Watauga's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Josiah Railey, who went 7-for-13 to rack up 18 points and six rebounds. Railey is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Cade Keller, who posted 20 points.

Freedom's defeat dropped their record down to 16-6. As for Watauga, the win was the seventh in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 16-6.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Freedom will challenge Alexander Central at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Freedom knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past four matchups -- so hopefully Alexander Central likes a good challenge. As for Watauga, they will take on Ashe County at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Watauga's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points every time they've taken the court this season.