Alexander Central and Watauga are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2021, but not for long. Having just played yesterday, the Alexander Central Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Watauga Pioneers at 6:30 p.m. on February 21st. Hopefully Alexander Central focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 on Tuesday.
It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Alexander Central ultimately got the result they hoped for. They came out on top against Freedom by a score of 53-46. Given Alexander Central's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 35th, while Freedom is ranked 138th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Alexander Central found their leader in underclassman Meredith Wike, who scored 18 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. Wike has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last three times she's played. Kirstyn Herman was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Watauga fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against Ashe County on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Huskies by a score of 62-59. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
The losing side was boosted by Kate Sears, who scored 25 points along with eight assists and six rebounds. That was a full 42.4% of Watauga's points, marking the 12th time in a row she's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Kaitlyn Darner, who scored nine points along with eight rebounds and four steals.
Even though they lost, Watauga smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Alexander Central's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-5. Even more impressive is the teams they beat to make that streak: Freedom, they, and Watauga. As for Watauga, their defeat dropped their record down to 19-5.
Wednesday's matchup is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Alexander Central have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Watauga struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.9 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Alexander Central took their victory against Watauga in their previous matchup on February 6th by a conclusive 64-43. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Sears, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 11 rebounds. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Alexander Central still be able to contain Sears? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
