NEWTON — Watauga's boys' basketball team has taking a lead for the first three quarters down pretty good. Now they have to work on the fourth quarter.

Watauga won its second-straight game in three days with a 51-44 victory at Fred T. Foard Friday by building a big lead by the third quarter, and then hanging on in the fourth. The Pioneers led 38-24 at the end of the third quarter, but was outscored by Foard 20-13 in the fourth.

Foard pulled to 47-42 on a run capped by a three-point play Jordan Turner. Watauga Jake Pifer, who finished with a season-low eight points, scored three of them following the Tigers' run.

Pifer made the second of two foul shots, and then scored on a breakaway dunk off a Watauga press that put the Pioneers in front 50-42 with less than a minute left in the game. Foard scored just one time following Turner's basket, a stickback by Brandon Kirk with 30.6 left.

Tyler Sturgill led Watauga in scoring with 14 points. Ben Margolis made three 3-point shots and scored 10 points, while point guard Ethan Poulos added eight.

Watauga could have made things much easier on itself by making more foul shots. The Pioneers were just 14-of-31 from the foul line after making 12-of-14 down the stretch in a 54-52 win over Hibriten on Wednesday after blowing a 12-point lead.

Watauga built its lead in the second quarter by outscoring Foard 14-2. Foard got a basket from Brice Falgot with 7:04 left in the quarter, but did not score on its final 11 possessions of the quarter.

That basket put the Tigers in front 11-10. Watauga scored the next 13 points and held a 23-11 halftime lead.

Falgot led the Tigers with 16 points. Turner added 12.

Watauga hosts Hickory Tuesday night at Lentz-Eggers Gym.

 

Watauga boys 51, Foard 44

Watauga

Pifer 3 2-5 8, Poulos 3 2-3 8, Proffitt 1 1-5 3, Margolis 3 1-4 10, Howser 1 3-4 5, Chasteen 0 3-6 3, Sturgill 6 2-4 14, Koppenhaver 0 0-0 0, Mackey 0 0-0 0, Steury 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 14-31 51.

Foard

Matthews 1 0-3 2, Simms 1 0-0 2, Turner 4 4-5 12, Dickens 1 6-8 8, Falgot 5 4-9 16, Kirk 2 0-1 4, Tomberlin 0 0-0 0, Hilton 0 0-0 0, Bliss 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 14-26 44.

Watauga          9 14 15 13 — 51

Foard   9 2 13 20 — 44

3-point goals—WHS 3 (Margolis 3); Foard (Falgot 2). Total fouls—WHS 22, Foard 22. Fouled out—None. Technical fouls—None.