Month: December 2024

CREEDMOOR: There are some things in this world you can’t explain.

Like how a team can lose three consecutive games separated by 727 days inside a random gymnasium, 28 miles from hits home, each time because of game-winning shots at the buzzer.

The Orange men’s basketball team got a sour reminder of why the South Granville Holiday Invitational is viewed as Black Christmas around Panther circles on Friday night in the opening round of the Navy Bracket tournament at Viking Gymnasium. East Wake’s Jamal Tayborn drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Warriors, who came into the game 1-6, past Orange 57-54.

Orange junior Kai Wade, who has started in each of the Panthers’ painful losses at South Granville, had tied the game on a layup with :7.6 seconds remaining. In desperation, the Warriors, out of timeouts, found Byers along the left sideline to drain a 21-footer just as (or, as some Orange coaches felt, after) the buzzer sounded.

Orange (8-3) didn’t have star forward Freddy Sneed, who was sick. His absence made the night as pleasurable as a root canal for Orange, whose largest lead was four points. The Panthers’ usual spark defensively to create points off steals was lacking. On top of that, a rangy, tall Warriors team forced Orange into a season-high 20 turnovers.

In 2022, Orange reached the semifinals of the South Granville Holiday Invitational and led South Granville 64-58 with 1:33 remaining. The Vikings used its press to storm back and win at the buzzer off a layup by K.J. Green to beat Orange 67-65. The following day in the third place game, Sanderson’s Tommy Lyon sank a one-handed runner as time expired to beat Orange 55-54, ruining a late Panther comeback, led by 29 points from freshman Coleman Cloer.

Orange freshman Xandrell Pennix led Orange with 20 points.

East Wake’s Donovan Majette led the Warriors with 20 points, including 17 in the first half. The Warriors made its living behind the arc in the first half, scoring six consecutive field goals  to keep it close at halftime. Orange senior Michael Clark scored 12 points in the first half. Pennix scored the final six points of the first half to push the Panthers to a 36-32 halftime lead.

Orange led going into the fourth quarter by four points, but the Warriors got three field goals from Jacob Byers, who finished with ten points, including a stickback basket that gave East Wake a 50-44 lead, the largest of the game by either side.

The Panthers will face Wakfield in the consolation round on Monday morning at 11. East Wake will face Jordan in the semifinals.

Women’s basketball: Southeast Alamance 74, Orange 72 (2OT): 

In possibly its most inspired performance of the year, the Orange women took the 2nd-seed in the Southeast Alamance Holiday Hoopla Tournament to the edge of elimination on Friday night in Haw River. The Stallions (7-1) defeated Orange behind Clara LaChapelle with 20 points.

Orange received a career-high 18 points from senior Shannon Murphy off 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. Lady Panthers point guard Maura McMurtry shot 6-of-7 from 3-point range and led all scorers with 21 points. Senior forward Evelyn George finished with her sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. She also finished with five blocks.

Shaniya Paylor added 19 points for Southeast Alamance, who advanced to the tournament championship game with a win over Eastern Alamance on Saturday.

The Orange women will face Northeast Guilford in the 7th pace game on Monday morning at 9:30.

Men’s Basketball: Apex 81, Cedar Ridge 55: 

A good start for the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team wasn’t enough against a deep Apex squad in the opening round of the Southeast Alamance Holiday Hoopla men’s tournament on Friday night. The Red Wolves scored the opening four points, but the Cougars went on a 15-2 run to take control of the game.

The Red Wolves were without center Jack Kelsey. Reserve Rowan Wise, in his first varsity game for Cedar Ridge, scored nine points.

The Cougars put three players, all reserves, in double-figures. Zaelyn White came off the bench to score 16 points while Stephen Beatty added 15. Jacob Lubker scored 14 points.

Braeden Wilbourn led Cedar Ridge with 17 points. The Red Wolves will face Carrboro in the 7th place game on Monday morning. The Red Wolves opened the season with a victory over the Jaguars.

MEBANE–Saturdays in the winter can be generic for high school wrestlers.

Almost every weekend, they’re at a tournament inside a gym with bleachers. Aside from the school colors, the surroundings look almost the same each week.

The Eagle Invitational in Mebane offers a respite. It’s held at the Mebane Arts Center, where wrestlers walk past paintings and portraits on their way into the center to compete. Fans watch from portable seating that’s set up and removed by organizers from Eastern Alamance High School before and after the tournament. There also isn’t the usual hardwood gym floor under the mats.

It was the first time in years that Cedar Ridge competed in the Eagle Invitational. On the Saturday before Christmas, three Red Wolves won individual championships as Cedar Ridge won the team championship, their second tournament title of the year.

Freshman Juan Jaramillo won his first tournament championship while his older brother Favio Jaramillo captured his first individual title at 113 pounds as the Red Wolves won the team championship with 215 points. Cedar Ridge, despite losing seven starters from last year, has won two tournaments this year. They opened the 2024-25 campaign by taking the Atkins Invitational in Winston-Salem on November 16.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Alejandro Briones won the championship at 150 pounds, his first individual championship of the season. Briones scored technical falls in both of his matches. He defeated Northwood’s Cole Shambley 21-6 in a bout that last three minutes. In the final, Briones defeated top-seeded Sincere Savage 19-4. Briones came away from the Eagle Invitational 30-4 with 15 pins on the season.

Orange claimed two individual champions. At 138 pounds, senior Braden Crawford won the Eagle Invitational for the third time. Crawford scored three pins on his way to the championship. In the final, he pinned East Chapel Hill’s Cole Shuster in 2:42. He opened with a quarterfinal victory over Chase Johnson of Bartlett Yancey in 1:36. Crawford, a senior Co-Captain, is 16-4 with 12 pins this season.

Graylon Collins of Cedar Ridge finished 3rd at 138 pounds. Collins defeated Ali Alissa of Northwest Guilford 16-5 in the consolation final.

Orange’s Jayden Medley earned his first championship of the year at 215 pounds. Medley, seeded seconds, pinned four straight opponents to improve to 17-7 on the year. Medley defeated top-seeded Stephen Silhan of Chatham Center in 4:22 in the final. Medley scored three takedowns before he gained a reversal in the final period leading up to the finish. In the semifinals, Medley pinned Kennedy Woods of Southeast Alamance in 29 seconds.

Juan Jaramillo captured the 106 pound title for Cedar Ridge when he pinned Roland Owen of East Chapel Hill in the final. Jaramillo, who walked away from the Eagle Invitational with a 22-8 record, pinned Junior McKay of Overhills in the semifinal. Juan defeated Max Molinar of Orange in 1:18 to open the event.

Favio Jaramillo won the 113 pound championship by beating Alex Raymundo of Randleman in the final. In a tight match, Jaramillo trailed 3-2 in the second period before he got Raymundo on the bottom and scored the pin. Favio earned technical fall wins over Wyatt Collins of Northwood and Devin Rathburn of Chatham Central leading up to the final.

In the women’s tournament, Cedar Ridge freshman Thalia Paterno earned her third championship of the season by winning the 100 pound championship. In a round robin tournament, Paterno wasn’t working by the hour. She pinned all three of her opponents in less than 30 seconds. In the final match, Paterno pinned Kyra Mattis of Overhills in 28 seconds. She opened with a victory over Kaleigh Poteat of Southern Alamance in 15 seconds. In the sandwich match, Paterno pinned Kailey Cabrera of Bartlett Yancey in 15 seconds.

Cedar Ridge senior Pierce Prescod, just days after securing his 100th career pinfall win, finished 2nd at 126 pounds. Prescod dominated Hezekyan Matson of Randleman 24-2 in the semifinals. Brandon Mann of South Granville defeated Prescod 18-14 in a wild final where the lead changed twice in the opening three minutes.

The Red Wolves were buoyed to the team championship by several competitors who had their best tournament showings. Mikey O’Melia finished 2nd at 150 pounds, pinning second-seeded Shane Shuster of East Chapel Hill in the semifinals. Caden Rancer of Northern Guilford took the championship.

Cedar Ridge senior Ryan Rakouskas came in third at 157 pounds. Anthony Bradley of Overhills, the eventual champion, upset Rakouskas via pinfall in the quarterfinals. Rakouskas actually competed against his own teammate, Isaiah Craig, in the consolation final. Rakouskas won a 17-0 technical fall.

At 215 pounds, Cedar Ridge’s Oscar Najera finished third. He scored a 9-1 major decision over Aric Lipscomb of Bartlett Yancey in the consolation final.

Cedar Ridge senior Jordin Blue finished third at 165 pounds. Blue, who finished the tournament with an overall record of 21-8, defeated Angel Berlanga of Bartlett Yancey via pinfall in 3:15 in the consolation final.

Orange freshman Jordan Barbee reached the finals for the first time in a high school tournament at 190 pounds. Barbee pinned Jadyn Bryant of Northwest Guilford in 3:47. Jack Harty of Northern Guilford won the 190 pound title by pinfall in 2:16.

Orange’s Lucas Carrasco finished third at 120 pounds. Carrasco, a freshman, defeated Jaxton Strickland of Randleman 7-3 in the consolation final.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior centerback Dallas Johnson. Last fall, Johnson was a valuable presence as Orange completed its most successful season in the 37-year history of the program. Orange won 16 games, a school record, and finished second behind only eventual 3A State Champion Western Alamance. The Panthers defeated Swansboro 1-0 to win the first home state playoff match in team history on November 9. Earlier this month, Johnson was named to the 3A All-State team by the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association as a defensive player. He is just the third Orange player to ever earn All-State honors. This season, Johnson helped the Panthers to eight clean sheet victories as the Panthers finished 16-6. He scored his only goal of the season in a 5-1 win over Person on October 16. Johnson keyed an Orange defense that was stingy all season in front of sophomore goalkeeper Hector Garrido, who was in his first year playing organized soccer. Though Orange’s season ended in early November at Southern Nash, Johnson hasn’t stopped competing. He recently started indoor track & field season under Orange coach Brian Schneidewind. He competed in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters and finished 3rd in the opening polar bear meet of the season at Southeast Alamance High in Haw River on December 18.

Orange Panther of the Week: Dallas Johnson

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior centerback Dallas Johnson. Last fall, Johnson was a valuable presence as Orange completed its most successful season in the 37-year history of the program. Orange won 16 games, a school record, and finished second behind only eventual 3A State Champion Western Alamance.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is freshman wrestling Thalia Paterno. Last week, Paterno won her third individual championship of the season when she captured the 100-pound title at the Eagle Invitational in Mebane. After wrestling at Stanback Middle School for three years, Paterno started her high school career by winning the Red Wolf Invitational on November 23 at Cedar Ridge High School. She pinned Elyse Wilscam of Orange in 1:03 in the final. In the quarterfinals, Paterno pinned the tournament’s top-seed, Eva Serrano of Panther Creek, in 25 seconds to reach the next round. On December 7, she became the first Hillsborough-based wrestler to win a female championship at the Jim King/Orange Invitational at Orange High School. Paterno pinned all three of her opponents in a round-robin tournament in less than 40 seconds. In the Eagle Invitational, Paterno won all three of her matches in less than 30 seconds. She pinned Kaleigh Poteat of Southern Alamance in just 15 seconds to earn the championship. Paterno decided to start wrestling in sixth grade because Stanback didn’t offer an ultimate frisbee team. Paterno is 19-3 after finishing fourth in the 100-pound division at the Tiger Holiday Classic on Saturday at Chapel Hill High School. She follows in the footsteps of several former Cedar Ridge wrestlers like Kady Watkins and Zooey Moreno who helped established the sport for women locally.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Thalia Paterno

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is freshman wrestling Thalia Paterno. Last week, Paterno won her third individual championship of the season when she captured the 100-pound title at the Eagle Invitational in Mebane.

Hillsborough Sports | Hillsborough Sports’s live audio

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Hillsborough Sports | Hillsborough Sports’s live audio

Hillsborough Sports is on Mixlr. Mixlr is a simple way to share live audio online. Broadcast using any source and invite others to listen and chat in real-time.

Hillsborough Sports | Hillsborough Sports’s live audio

Hillsborough Sports is on Mixlr. Mixlr is a simple way to share live audio online. Broadcast using any source and invite others to listen and chat in real-time.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior basketball guard Braeden Wilbourn. Last month, Wikbourn led the Red Wolves with 16 points as the Red Wolves defeated Seaforth in Pittsboro. It ended the Red Wolves 16-game road losing streak. The following week, Wilbourn scored 18 points to lead the Red Wolves past Durham School of the Arts 80-66 at Sykes Gymnasium. Wilbourn has been a constant presence in the starting lineup for Cedar Ridge head coach Mike Jones over the past three years. Already this season, the Red Wolves have surpassed its win total from last year. Wilbourn is a constant presence in Cedar Ridge sporting events and not just because he is a Red Wolf fan. He is also a documentary film maker. Throughout last season, Wilbourn followed the Cedar Ridge baseball team around the area to document its season. Wilbourn created a documentary about coach Bryson Massey’s team, which was released online earlier this year. Wilbourn has worked with the documentary film studies at Duke University and has had his photography featured prominently online. Wilbourn will continue his film career as he continues his education, but his focus isn’t limited solely to sports. He wants to create films based on a varsity of subjects. He has also received an offer to continue his basketball career at Warren Wilson College.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Braeden Wilbourn

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior basketball guard Braeden Wilbourn. Last month, Wikbourn led the Red Wolves with 16 points as the Red Wolves defeated Seaforth in Pittsboro. It ended the Red Wolves 16-game road losing streak.

Just in time for the holidays, the Orange men’s basketball team was like the Grinch in an empty house on Christmas Eve before his babyface turn.

Doing lots of stealing.

In fact, Orange forced 27 turnovers against Western Alamance on Friday night, jump starting a 12-0 run to open the second half as the Panthers rolled past the Warriors 73-48 in Hillsborough. It was Orange’s sixth straight victory over Western Alamance.

Senior Xandrell Pennix was the leading scorer for the Panthers with 16 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, as Orange evened its Central Conference record at 1-1. Michael Clark drained all three of his 3-point attempts and finished with 15 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the field. Orange improved to 7-2 going into Christmas week.

Western Alamance, who started the season 4-0, played without guard James Newton, who was in Spartanburg, South Carolina suiting up for North Carolina in the Shrine Bowl. The Warriors (4-2, 0-1) were led by Camden Oliveira, who scored 16 points and five rebounds.

After the Warriors scored the opening five points, including a 3-pointer from Hamilton Plunkett, Orange responded with a 14-3 run and didn’t trail again. Clark and Pennix drained consecutive 3-pointers while Freddie Sneed scored off a steal and lay-in after he picked the pocket of Plunkett at midcourt.

The Panthers made their living off a half-court trap. In the second quarter, Orange forced three consecutive turnovers that led to points, including a 10-second violation. Oliveira kept the Warriors within striking distance, scoring 14 of his 16 points in the first half. The Panthers led 37-17 at halftime after Kai Wade sank two free throws, followed by a 3-pointer from sophomore Ethan Ellis.

Wade, a junior point guard, has scored in double figures in all nine of Orange’s games.

The Panthers quickly made it a rout in the second half. After Wade stripped the ball away from Oliveira, Clark drained back-to-back shots from downtown. Then Clark stole the ball from guard Jayden Jones, leading to a lay-in from Sneed assisted by Pennix. Pennix added to the Warriors woes with a 3-pointer to extend the Orange lead to 50-27. Warriors coach Ryan Suttles responded by pulling his entire starting five and let his reserves finish out the quarter. It was a move that proved to be beneficial for backup Western guard Drew Cohn, who scored eleven points in six minutes.

Orange will make a trip to Northeast Guilford to face the Ivanhoe Knights from Australia on Monday night. Next Friday, the Panthers will open play in the South Granville Holiday Invitational. They will open the eight-team tournament against East Wake.

Women’s basketball: Western Alamance 64, Orange 35: 

The Western Alamance women’s basketball team is the defending Central Conference champions. On Friday night, they looked the part in a dominant performance over Orange in the Warriors opening league game.

Senior Allie Sykes led the Warriors with 15 points as the Warriors improved to 6-1. They avenged its only conference loss from last year against the Lady Panthers.

After Orange’s Marshea Byrd tied the game at 2-2 with a lay-in, the Warriors kept the Lady Panthers scoreless for the final 6:07 of the first quarter. As usual, the Warriors outside game was fierce, sinking ten 3-pointers. Though Sykes was the only Warrior in double-figures, nine different Western Alamance players scored.

Orange senior Evelyn George led the Panthers with 18 points, but only three Orange players scored in the first half as the Warriors led 35-11 at halftime. George has scored in double figures in all eight of Orange’s games this year. Addie Atkins added six points for Orange, but the Lady Panthers were hampered by the Warriors perimeter defense. Orange sank just one 3-pointer.

Orange will head to Haw River for the holidays. They will open the Southeast Alamance Holiday Hoops Invitational on Friday with a first round game against Southeast Alamance. The athletic director at Southeast Alamance is former Orange women’s basketball coach B.J. Condron.