Month: September 2022

From the department of “stuff we’re ridiculously late in posing,” the Orange men’s basketball team won the Black Session of the Orange Summer Heat summer basketball tournament in June. And how they did it was dramatic. The Panthers fought back from a seven point deficit to defeat Chapel Hill 51-48 to take the title Malachi Poole scored the game-winning basket for Orange. He finished with ten points. Sophomore Xandell Pinnix, who played regularly as a freshman, led the Panthers with 16 points. Kai Wade, who just finished up his eighth grade year by the time the tournament started, had 13 points for Orange. Issac Seymour and Isaiah Seymour also factored in heavily for Orange over the course of the three-day tournament. The championship gives Orange some renewed enthusiasm for a new season that will start in November with plenty of new faces to replace departed graduates Jerec Thompson, J.J. Thompson, Joshua Jackson and Hunter Burch. 

Photo by Sherry Lloyd

There’s an old line by Oscar Wilde that claimed “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

For Orange volleyball, they had four chances to take the opening set from crosstown rival and defending 3A State Champion Cedar Ridge on Tuesday night at Orange High Gymnasium. Those are precious points against a team riding a 28-game conference winning streak.

When Orange used all four of them up without securing the set, Cedar Ridge made them pay as only they can.

Cedar Ridge junior Addie Reid, who scored the opening point of the 1st set with a kill, notched the final point of the set with a block that secured the opening frame 30-28. The Red Wolves (8-1, 3-0 in the Central Carolina Conference) would go on to defeat Orange 3-0 on scores of 30-28, 25-9 and 25-23. Cedar Ridge, gunning for its third consecutive regular season championship, now sit atop the CCC alone at 3-0.

Orange (7-5, 2-1) had five kills from junior Ella Wimsatt. Allie Wilkerson and her younger sister Ava each had four kills. Allie Wilkerson announced over the weekend she will play volleyball at Averett University.

Cedar Ridge, whose last conference loss was on October 15, 2019 to East Chapel Hill, has beaten their crosstown rival five straight times.

Orange led the majority of the first set, pushing its lead to 6-2 early after an ace from Wimsatt. After Allie Wilkerson buried an attack off an assist from Caitlin Carden, Orange had a 24-23 lead. Cedar Ridge’s Cameron Lloyd, who finished with 15 kills, canceled the Lady Panthers’ first set point off a feed from fellow senior Julie Altieri, who finished with 41 assists.

As the opening set went into overtime, Orange had another chance leading 26-25 after a serve by the Red Wolves went long. Red Wolves freshman Claire Hargett scored a kill to extend the set. Lloyd had consecutive kills in overtime, including one that ruined the Lady Panthers’ third set point. The second one gave Cedar Ridge its first set point, which was turned back courtesy of a block by Wimsatt. After a side out for Orange, Altieri dunked the ball over the net following a dig by Graylinn Serge, leading to Reid’s set-clinching block.

Cedar Ridge immediately took control of the second set with nine straight points. Altieri notched a block for the first tally, then served the subsequent eight points which contained two kills each from Lloyd and Reid. Senior libero Grace Young had back-to-back aces that pushed the Red Wolves lead to 15-4, leading to an Orange timeout.

There were eight lead changes and 15 ties in the third set. Orange appeared set to end Cedar Ridge’s 23-set winning streak after junior Josie Crawford landed an ace to put the Lady Panthers ahead 19-16. Then the Red Wolves racked up seven straight points, starting with a kill from Lloyd. Cameron Lanier, who finished with eleven kills, hit three consecutive aces to give the Red Wolves a 21-19 lead. Reid’s kill off an assist from Altieri sent the traveling Cedar Ridge student section into delirium and gave the Red Wolves a 23-19 lead.

Orange fought back off a block from Wimsatt and two Red Wolves returns that didn’t clear the net. After an error by Orange, the Red Wolves secured two match points. Orange crept back after a kill by Wimsatt off an assist from Katie Silcott, but Cedar Ridge clinched the match after an Orange attack bounced off the tape.

Cedar Ridge has not lost a set since dropping its season-opener to J.H. Rose on August 17 in Greenville. They have now won eight in a row and will travel to Mebane on Thursday to face Eastern Alamance.

Orange heads up Highway 57 to face Person on Thursday night.

There’s working overtime. And then there’s what Shannon Sollars of the Orange women’s tennis team did on Tuesday night. Sollars and Cedar Ridge’s Cameron Mayhew engaged in a four-hour match at #2 singles that remarkably didn’t extend into a third set. With the lights on at Orange High Tennis Center, Sollars finally ended the struggle by winning a second-set tiebreaker 9-7 to take the match. Sollars won the opening set 7-5. If that wasn’t enough Shannon teamed with her younger sister Erin to win the only doubles match 6-4 as the Lady Panthers defeated Cedar Ridge 5-2. It was Orange’s sixth straight win over the Red Wolves in women’s tennis. Shannon Sollars is now 4-2 in singles matches this year for Orange and has won eight overall matches. Erin Sollars is 5-3 in singles play this season. With the win, Orange improves to 5-2 overall and is in sole possession of second place in the Central Carolina Conference. Last season, the Lady Panthers won a match in the 3A State Dual Team Playoffs. They will continue its hunt to a second straight trip to the postseason when they travel to Roxboro and face Person on Thursday. 

Keshawn Thompson: Now a graduate student, Thompson started at linebacker for the Campbell Fighting Camels in its 29-10 win over The Citadel at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek on Thursday night. Thompson, who led Campbell in tackles last season, had four tackles against the Bulldogs. Campbell travels to William & Mary on Saturday.

Payton Wilson: Wilson’s bad luck with injuries reared its ugly head in N.C. State’s season opener at East Carolina in Greenville on Saturday. In the first half, Wilson left the game with an upper-body injury. He returned to the sidelines without pads in the second half as the Wolfpack preserved a 21-20 win. N.C. State, which is now ranked #18 in the country by the Associated Press, will host Charleston Southern on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium. Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said that Wilson may return to play against the Buccaneers.

Braxton Mergenthal: A former Cedar Ridge defesnive lineman, Mergenthal played his first game for Division III Hampton-Sydney on Saturday. Wabash defeated Hampton-Sydney 52-48 in the Gentlemen’s Classic at Little Giant Stadium in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Mergenthal entered the game on special teams.

Lottie Scully: The former Orange High outside hitter made her debut for the Binghamton volleyball team last week. In her first college match, Scully played all five sets as the Bearcats defeated Maryland-Eastern Shore 3-2 on scores of 25-13, 22-25, 20-25, 25-22 and 15-7 to open the Bearcat Classic at West Gym in Binghamton, NY. Scully finished with 22 assists and ten digs. On Saturday, Boston College swept Binghamton 3-0 on scores of 25-20, 25-18 and 25-17. Scully played three sets and registered eleven assists, one ace and six digs. Binghamton won its final match of the event by beating Siena College 3-0 on scores of 25-16, 25-20 and 25-21. Scully registered her first college kill, along with 13 assists, two aces and seven digs. Over Labor Day weekend, Binghamton won the Central Connecticut State Tournament in New Britain, CN. The Bearcats didn’t drop a set over three days. They opened with a 3-0 victory over Central Connecticut State (25-21, 25-22 and 25-23). Scully finished with two kills, 28 assists, two aces and five digs. Binghamton rolled past Columbia 3-0 last Saturday (25-23, 27-25 and 25-20). Scully had five kills, 19 assists, two aces and ten digs. In the final match, the Bearcats swept Saint Peter’s University (25-13, 25-12 and 25-13). Scully finished with one kill, 25 assists and eleven digs. Binghamton is 5-1 and will start play in the Georgetown Invitational in Washington, D.C. on Friday. The Bearcats will start against George Washington.

Avery Miller: On Saturday, the Pitt Community College volleyball team lost its Region X opener to Bryant & Stratton College 3-0 in Virginia. Miller started for the Bulldogs and finished with three kills, one ace and eight digs. Later on Saturday, PCC defeated the College of Southern Maryland 3-2 (25-17, 25-20, 25-27, 19-25, 16-14). Miller played one set. Pitt CC is 4-1 overall.

Kayla Hodges: The Virginia Commonwealth University women’s soccer team earned its first win of the season leading into Labor Day weekend. Last Thursday, the Rams defeated William & Mary 1-0 at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, VA. Hodges made for first start for VCU and played all 90 minutes. On Sunday, VCU played to a scoreless tie with East Carolina. Hodges came off the bench to play 16 minutes. VCU is 1-1-4 and will host Pitt on Thursday.

Emerson Talley: The Division II Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team lost to #18 Florida Tech 2-1 in the Bears’ home opener at Moretz Sports Complex in Hickory on Friday night. Talley came off the bench and played 31 minutes for L-R. The Bears will travel to Harrogate, Tennessee to face Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday night.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior centerback Darius Corbett. Last Saturday, Corbett score the game-winning goal as Orange defeated Knightdale 1-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Corbett has been a member of the men’s soccer team for three seasons at Orange. In addition, he’s played on the varsity men’s basketball team for three seasons. Despite anchoring Orange’s backline, Corbett has been aggressive offensively. He scored Orange’s first goal of the season against Northern Durham on August 17. He grew to love soccer playing with the Orange Parks and Recreation Department. On television, he grew to love watching games with Liverpool in England’s Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. Corbett has also been a key role player for men’s basketball coach Derryl Britt and will be one of the key Panther seniors this fall when he returns to the hardwood. Next Wednesday, the Orange men’s soccer team will start Central Carolina Conference play with a home game against Western Alamance, the defending 3A State Champions.