Draughn girls, Patton boys complete in-county season sweeps
Draughn’s Taylor Holder (15) pushes the tempo as Patton’s Jaycee Mull (3) and Karson Pinkerton (22) head back downcourt on defense during Monday’s girls game.
The host Patton boys and visiting Draughn girls basketball teams both completed quick season sweeps spanning Christmas break as they were victorious over their in-county counterparts in Monday night action in Morganton.
The Lady Wildcats grabbed a 52-28 nonconference win over Patton in the varsity opener before the Panther boys clawed past the Wildcats by a 74-64 margin.
Both programs had been idle since meeting in Valdese on Dec. 20.
The Draughn girls (6-5) got a game-high 18 points from Jacey Davis, who had scored 21 versus Patton 10 days prior, as the victory moved them above .500 overall for the first time this season.
The Lady Wildcats have now won four of their last five games and five of seven after a 1-3 start, with Davis leading the way as the junior guard has scored 17 or more points in five of those last seven contests.
Draughn led comfortably right away, surging ahead 11-2 after one period and 23-7 by halftime before outscoring Patton (3-9) by five and three points, respectively, in the final two frames.
Mati Kincaid added eight points for Draughn, while Taylor Holder scored seven, Makenzie Powell had five, and three other players posted four apiece. Junior Karson Pinkerton scored a team-high 14 points for Patton, and Melina Bernabe chipped in with five.
In similar fashion to their 11-point road win over Draughn, the Patton boys (4-8) methodically pulled away, this time using a 41-28 edge in the middle two periods to create cushion down the stretch after the teams were tied, 12-12, at the end of one quarter.
Panthers 6-foot-4 junior wing Nathan Waters poured in a game-high 25 points, four off his career-high set earlier this season, as Patton recorded its first win streak under first-year coach Dax Bostian. It was Waters’ third 20-point game of the season.
Patton sophomore slasher Olando Norman scored 17 points for a second straight game against the Wildcats, his fourth consecutive game in double figures during which PHS has won three of four, and junior point guard Laine Barrier added 10 points.
Kayden Lytle scored 19 points to pace Draughn (2-9), and teammates Connor Houston (12), Cayden Lewis (12), and Blair Cooper (10) joined him in double figures.
Patton’s Cohen Christian (4) attempts to block a layup attempt by Draughn’s Connor Houston (0) during the teams’ Monday night meeting in Morganton.
What it means
Davis has found a new gear and is propelling the Lady Wildcats’ recent hot stretch, averaging 17.6 points per game in the team’s last seven games with three 20-plus point efforts in that span to bring her to third place among Burke County players at 14.3 ppg for the season.
But she has plenty of help offensively. Fellow juniors Holder (10.1) and Kenley Berry (10.6) and the sophomore Kincaid (11.2) also each rank among the county’s top seven scorers, all posting double-digit averages.
Where Draughn coach Liz Taylor has expressed concern of late is on the other end of the court, though her team’s strong first-half effort in limiting Patton to seven points was certainly a good start.
Looking ahead, the Lady Wildcats are 1-1 in the Western Highlands 1A/2A Conference, which is led by Mountain Heritage (8-2, 2-0 WHC; No. 6 in 1A West RPI) and Avery County (9-2, 3-0 WHC; No. 10 RPI). Draughn fell by 37 points at Avery, but aside from those two teams at the top, the rest of the Lady ’Cats contests seem winnable.
A potentially pivotal upcoming stretch for Draughn (No. 24 RPI) started late Friday at Mitchell (No. 22 RPI).
For the Patton girls, Pinkerton’s 14 points were the most scored by a player in a single game this season as the team scored 28 for a second straight game. The Lady Panthers had only done so three times previously, all in wins.
Patton (0-1 Mountain Foothills 7 1A/2A Conf.) has an RPI of No. 40, but aside from 1A member Polk County (10-1, 2-0 MF7; No. 4 RPI), its league schedule isn’t incredibly demanding. The 2A squads are led by Hendersonville (6-4, 1-1 MF7; No. 18 RPI) and East Rutherford (2-10, 1-0 MF7; No. 27 RPI), with everyone else outside the playoff picture as is.
The Lady Panthers have a chance to build some confidence in their upcoming stretch of games against East Rutherford, R-S Central, Brevard, and Chase.
On the boys side, Patton has gotten consistent scoring from Waters, who’s up to 16.1 ppg (second in the county), and the emergence of Norman, who’s now at 10.0 ppg (10th in county) has gone a long way.
Patton has also gotten a double-digit outing apiece from Barrier and freshman Kyle Taylor in the last two games, and athletic senior post Cayden Roscoe is averaging 7.5 ppg as a solid third option.
The Panthers (1-0 MF7; No. 30 RPI) have a key game to end next week at home against R-S Central (4-6, 0-1 MF7; No. 29 RPI), who’s one of only two league squads with a higher RPI than Patton in a league that’s a bit down this season. Hendersonville (7-5, 2-0 MF7; No. 13 RPI) is the only conference team with an above-.500 overall record to date.
The Wildcat boys (1-1 WHC; No. 43 RPI) have some work to do, and now’s the time to do it. Starting late Friday at Mitchell (4-3, 0-1 WHC; No. 23 RPI), three of Draughn’s next four opponents were winless in league play, occupying the three bottom spots.
Things will get tougher in the league, with Owen, Avery, and Mountain Heritage all sporting RPIs between Nos. 12 and 14 in their respective classifications.
Lytle is averaging 15.7 ppg (third in county) but needs someone from the trio of Cooper (9.5 ppg), Lewis (8.4 ppg), and Houston (6.6 ppg) to emerge as a second consistent scoring threat.
What’s next
After Draughn restarted WHC 1A/2A action late Friday at Mitchell, it hosts Madison next Tuesday (Jan. 7) and Rosman on Friday (Jan. 10). Patton plays at East Rutherford on Tuesday (Jan. 7) before hosting R-S Central on Friday (Jan. 10).
Paul Schenkel can be reached at 828-445-8595 or paul@thepaper.media.
