A NIGHT TO REMEMBER: Stilwell breaks multiple program scoring records as EB girls rally past Freedom

East Burke senior Braelyn Stilwell has provided a lot of memorable moments during her time as a prep athlete, but what she did during Tuesday’s girls basketball game at Freedom likely tops them all.

Forced to the bench with two fouls late in the opening quarter, the dynamic point guard returned to the court with a vengeance in the second half, scoring 37 of her career-high 42 points after halftime as she rallied the Lady Cavaliers from a 14-point deficit to a 62-55 victory over the Lady Patriots.

Additionally, with her 41st point of the night — which came on the first of two successful free throw attempts with 12.9 seconds remaining — Stilwell broke a pair of program records. Not only did she surpass Michelle (Watson) Haas for the most single-game points by an EB girls player (40 was the previous record set in 1988), but she also became the Lady Cavs’ career leader in points as she ran her total to 1,786, two more than the 1,784 scored by Christa (Hull) Huber from 1984-87.

“It’s kind of crazy,” said Stilwell of becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer. “I’m still kind of shocked right now. Last year I saw that I was close, and it was in my mindset to make it happen this year, but it happening this early on in the season and with this kind of game is just amazing to me.

“I’m so thankful. I couldn’t do it without my teammates. They just believe in me, and it makes me feel bigger. It’s amazing.”

Following layups from Kara Brinkley and Stilwell that gave EB (9-0) an early 4-0 lead, the Lady Pats (5-5) got on the board thanks to a layup from Peyton Caldwell. Macy McNeil then knocked down a 3-pointer for the Lady Cavs, but Caldwell quickly answered with one of her own before a foul shot from Stilwell and two free throws from McNeil made it 10-5 in favor of the visitors.

After Freedom’s Kaitlyn Hagmann nailed a 3 to cut the deficit to a single basket, Stilwell countered with a driving layup. However, the Lady Pats ended the first quarter on an 8-0 run — Caldwell sandwiched a pair of treys, the second of which came at the buzzer, around two free throws from Hagmann — as they carried a 16-12 advantage into the second period.

The lead ballooned to as many as 17 points in the second quarter, during which Peyton Caldwell and Cynica Caldwell did all of the scoring for Freedom. And while McNeil knocked down a 3 late in the frame, EB still trailed 34-20 at the half.

Stilwell immediately scored on a driving layup after returning to the contest to begin the third quarter, and she also added another layup as well as a three-point play following a steal by Addison Sisk to make it 34-27 at the 5:12 mark. But Peyton Caldwell responded with back-to-back 3s to restore order for Freedom, which ultimately entered the final period with a 44-31 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Stilwell really turned it on, scoring point after point as she seemingly willed the Lady Cavs back into the game. EB eventually tied things at 48-all after her fourth 3 of the period, and Stilwell scored 22 consecutive points for the Lady Cavs to start the quarter.

Freedom was able to regain the advantage on a free throw from Cynica Caldwell with 3:35 to play, but Stilwell responded with a three-point play seconds later to give EB its first lead since the opening quarter. Peyton Caldwell then hit a floater before a driving layup from Stilwell and a 3 from Hagmann knotted the score at 53 apiece.

From there, Brinkley registered a three-point play to put EB back in front before Stilwell came up with a steal and the subsequent layup to extend the lead to 58-53. Freedom’s Haven Gladden answered with two free throws with 29.4 seconds left, but Stilwell went 4 of 4 at the foul line down the stretch as she helped the Lady Cavs put the finishing touches on their 51st regular-season win in a row dating back to the 2022-23 season.

“I’m so proud of my team,” said Stilwell. “The things that we’re doing, it’s really making history. I’m so thankful for this team and just so glad to be able to be a part of it.”

In addition to Stilwell’s historic night — a 42-point effort that included 28 fourth-quarter points, tying the North Carolina High School Athletic Association record set by Bunker Hill’s Keeta Robinson in 1992 — EB also received nine points from Brinkley and eight from McNeil. Meanwhile, the Lady Pats were led by 31 points from Peyton Caldwell, 12 from Hagmann, and 10 from Cynica Caldwell.

EB head coach Crystal Bartlett called Stilwell’s performance “unbelievable,” pointing out that when times get tough, “she puts it on her back and goes after it.”

“She’s a competitor, that’s what it comes down to,” added Bartlett. “Braelyn is a competitor who has a high basketball IQ, is loved by her teammates, and is just a great player. She’s got all the tools.”

In its previous game on Friday, Dec. 13, EB earned a 74-69 road victory over Maiden in both teams’ Catawba Valley 2A Conference opener, getting 34 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and six steals from Stilwell to go with 16 points, seven boards, and two blocks from Brinkley, nine points from Addi Brittain, and six points and four rebounds from Sisk. The Lady Cavs were up 18-17 after the first quarter, 38-33 at the half, and 52-50 through three periods before escaping with a five-point win.

As for Freedom, it suffered a 51-45 loss at the hands of North Buncombe on Dec. 13 in Weaverville, falling behind 16-4 after the opening quarter before trailing 25-19 at halftime and 35-33 entering the final frame. Peyton Caldwell led all scorers with 24 points, while Cynica Caldwell had eight and Hagmann scored seven.

Freedom boys defeat Black Hawks, Cavs

The Freedom boys continued their strong start to the season with victories over North Buncombe and East Burke on Dec. 13 and Tuesday, respectively, outlasting the host Black Hawks by a 97-95 score in overtime before knocking off the Cavaliers by a 64-47 final in Morganton.

The Patriots (8-1) led 26-23 after the first quarter and 46-42 at the half against North Buncombe before carrying a 68-59 advantage into the fourth period. However, the Black Hawks outscored Freedom 28-19 in the fourth to force the extra period, during which the Pats were able to pull out a victory.

Amore Connelly was Freedom’s leading scorer with 25 points, while Kobe Johnson had 23 and King Johnson finished with 17. KeAndre Davis was also in double figures for the Pats with 12 points.

In the win over EB (5-4), the Pats fell behind a couple of times early before grabbing the lead and never looking back. Freedom was up 19-10 at the end of the first quarter, 32-16 at halftime, and 55-31 through three periods on its way to a 17-point triumph.

Connelly scored all of his team-high 15 points in the third quarter on a layup, three jumpers, another layup, a 3-pointer, and a one-handed dunk, while Braxton King finished with 14 points, Kobe Johnson had 11, Kaden Davis scored eight, and King Johnson tallied six.

On the other side, the Cavs were led by 18 points from Barger Shook — who also threw down a one-handed dunk in the second half — to go with nine from Owen Hartmann and seven from Jay Dixon. They also received 14 points from Hartmann, 13 apiece from Cannon Morrison and Dautry Ragle, 11 from Luke Demiter, and seven from Dixon in a 75-65 road loss to Maiden to open CVAC play on Dec. 13.

Lady Wildcats rout Owen in league opener

The Draughn girls earned a convincing win over Owen in both teams’ Western Highlands 1A/2A Conference opener on Tuesday in Valdese, scoring 47 points in the opening half and besting the Warlassies in all four quarters en route to a 71-19 victory.

Four players reached double figures in scoring for the Lady Wildcats (4-4, 1-0 WHC), who won for the third time in four games. Jacey Davis was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points, while Kenley Berry finished with 17 and Taylor Holder and Mati Kincaid added 11 apiece.

Makenzie Powell chipped in eight points for Draughn, which has now won five straight league openers dating back to its time in the Northwestern Foothills 2A Athletic Conference.

In Tuesday’s late game, the Owen boys cruised to an 83-55 win over Draughn (1-7, 0-1 WHC), which was led by 13 points from Kayden Lytle, nine from Cayden Lewis, and six each from Blair Cooper, Henry Cooper, and Gavin Johnson. The Wildcats fell behind 22-13 after the first quarter before being outscored 20-12 in the second and 25-14 in the third, while both teams scored 16 points in the fourth.

Lady Panthers earn nonconference win

The Patton girls equaled their win total from a year ago with a 31-16 nonconference triumph over West Caldwell on Thursday, Dec. 12, in Morganton.

Trailing 4-3 after the opening quarter, the Lady Panthers (3-7) rallied for a 17-7 halftime lead before being outscored 5-4 in the third period. However, Patton bested West Caldwell by a 10-4 margin in the fourth quarter to account for the final score.

Patton’s Mia Chapman led all scorers with nine points, with Karson Pinkerton scoring seven and Leah Clark finishing with five. Meanwhile, West Caldwell was paced by six points from Zoe McElyea, the younger sister of former Draughn multi-sport athlete Blake McElyea.

In the boys game, West Caldwell topped Patton (2-8) by a 72-63 final. The game was tied at 10-all at the end of the first quarter and at 43 apiece through three frames before the Warriors outscored the Panthers 29-20 in the fourth period.

Despite the loss, Patton got 14 points from Cayden Roscoe and 13 apiece from Olando Norman and Nathan Waters. Louie Skelly added eight points, while Cohen Christian scored six.