Last Updated on November 8, 2026 7:59 pm
Boone native Kate Sears scored 8 points in 24 minutes Sunday night as Virginia Tech beat James Madison, 59-43, at Cassell Coliseum to improve to 3-0.
The former Watauga High School star shot 3-of-6 from the field, including 1-of-3 from three-point range, and made her only free throw. She added 2 rebounds and an assist.
Virginia Tech led 44-30 after three quarters and outscored the Dukes 15-13 in the fourth. A crowd of 5,189 attended.
Who is Kate Sears?
Sears is a Boone native who finished her Watauga High School career with 2,613 points, 11th on the NCHSAA all-time list. As a senior she averaged 27.2 points, 13.1 rebounds and 9.3 assists. She was the 2024-25 North Carolina Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year and the Charlotte Observer Ms. Basketball. She picked Virginia Tech and head coach Megan Duffy from more than 40 offers.
Sears had foot surgery before last season and missed all of 2025-26. She made her college debut November 2 in an 85-39 win over North Carolina Central and hit her first collegiate three-pointer November 4 in a 101-53 win over Delaware.
Next up: Virginia Tech visits VCU on Thursday, November 12, at 6 p.m.
