Two dominant guards in Ava Anderson and Kate Sears are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The South Caldwell Spartans will head out to challenge the Watauga Pioneers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with South Caldwell sitting on nine straight victories and Watauga on five.
South Caldwell will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Freedom, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. South Caldwell walked away with a 64-54 win over Freedom on Tuesday.
Ava Anderson
| 02/18/25 vs Freedom | 18 |
| 02/14/25 vs Hibriten | 24 |
| 02/10/25 @ Ashe County | 23 |
| 02/07/25 @ Alexander Central | 24 |
| 02/04/25 vs Freedom | 42 |
| + 3 more games |
South Caldwell's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Anderson, who posted 18 points. The contest was Anderson's eighth in a row with at least 18 points. Maggie Wilks was another key player, putting up 15 points.
Meanwhile, Watauga got the win against Alexander Central on Tuesday by a conclusive 75-52. The Pioneers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten games by 20 points or more this season.
South Caldwell better keep an eye on Sears. She was instrumental in Watauga's win, shooting 4-for-7 from downtown and dropping a triple-double with 32 points, 14 boards, and 11 assists. Sears is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 15 or more in each of the last 11 games she's played. Another player making a difference was Julie Matheson, who went 7-for-12 on her way to 18 points.
Watauga was working as a unit and finished the game with 24 assists. They racked up 13 more assists than Alexander Central's also-impressive total of 11.
South Caldwell pushed their record up to 18-7 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.0 points over those games. As for Watauga, their record is now 18-5.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as South Caldwell and Watauga are some of the highest-scoring teams around. South Caldwell hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 59 points per game. However, it's not like Watauga struggles in that department as they've been averaging 56.7 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can put up more.
South Caldwell skirted past Watauga 93-91 in their previous matchup back in January. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Sears, who dropped a triple-double with 50 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will South Caldwell still be able to contain Sears? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
