Women’s basketball: Orange 34, Southern Alamance 31 In a new world within the Central Conference with Northwood now in the 2A ranks, Orange relied on one of its leaders for a last-minute rally against Southern Alamance.
Junior Evelyn George put Orange ahead after two free throws with :15 remaining to lead the Lady Panthers past the Patriots 34-31 in Hillsborugh on Thursday night. Southern Alamance led 31-28 with 1:48 remaining, but Orange scored the final six points in a game that was statistically incredible.
Orange sophomore Maura McMurtry scored 16 points to lead all scorers. George finished with 14 points, eight steals and four rebounds. Morgan Isley paced Southern Alamance with 14 points.
Things looked good for the Patriots when Isley scored on a transition lay-in off a pass from Madison Brouillard with 1:46 remaining to increase Southern Alamance’s lead to 31-28. Following an Orange timeout, McMurtry took a pass from George and drained a strightaway three-pointer to tie the game. The Patriots missed two free throws on its subsequent possession. As George got the rebound under her own basket, she was fouled.
After George converted the free throws that proved to be the margin of victory, she stole the Patriots inbounds pass and added an insurance point from the line with seven seconds remaining.
The game had ten lead changes. Neither team led by more than five points.
The Lady Panthers won despite making just one two-point field goal the entire game. George scored on a stickback basket with 7:36 remaining in the second quarter. Orange shot 1-for-15 from 2-point range and just 19% from the field. Yet they finished 7-of-26 from 3-point range and 11-of-20 from the foul line, which was the game’s biggest difference.
The Patriots shot 5-of-17 from the stripe, 2-of-10 in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Panthers, under new head coach Lemont Jones, are 5-2 and have won four of its last five. They will play Northwest Guilford for its holiday tournament starting December 28.
Wrestling: Orange 42, Person 30:
The Orange wrestling team scored six pins to defeat Person in Hillsborough on Wednesday night for its second Central Conference win of the season.
After dropping the opening 150-pound match, Orange scored four straight victories, including three pins. At 157 pounds, Andrew Pavalonis scored a 11-7 decision over Addison Carey for his second victory of the season. Then Conner Harward pinned Mason Grace at 165 pounds.
Orange’s Andre Hill defeated Davis Garrett to improve to 15-1 on the year. It was Hill’s 12th pin this year. He has individual tournament wins at the Jim King/Orange Invitational and at the Joe Via Memorial at South Stokes High School in Walnut Cove
Jayden Medley, in his first year as a starter, pinned Malakai Newman to put Orange ahead 21-6. Person’s Gavin Jones and all-conference selection Trevquan Gary each scored pins for Person at 215 and 285, respectively, narrowing Orange’s lead to 21-18.
That’s as close as Person would get. At 106 pounds, Chris Winstead improved to 12-5 by pinning Ryan Wilson in 4:16. Winstead has scored pins in six of his last nine matches going into the Eagle Invitational in Mebane.
Logan Scarantino held off Aydon Dymes of Person 12-10 at 113 pounds, putting Orange ahead 30-18. After Person’s Tavern Moss earned an 11-6 decision over Adrain Sierra, Orange junior Braeden Crawford pinned Gavin Campbell at 126 pounds. Crawford, who won his first JKO Invitational title earlier this month, improved to 14-1 with his eighth pin of the year.
Jamee Farmer kept Person’s faint hopes alive with a pin over Jackson Runkle at 138 pounds. But Orange’s Jared Hutchins ensured the Panthers win its a pin over Emanuel Garcia. Hutchins improved to 14-3 with eleven pins this season.
In dual matches, Orange is 3-6, 2-2 in the Central Conference. They will return to action with its traditional pre-Christmas Trip to the Tiger Holiday Classic at Chapel Hill High School on Friday. The tournament will conclude on Saturday.