This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior point guard Kai Wade. The Panthers opened the season with a win over Voyager Academy on November 15. Wade set a career-high with 31 points in a 75-64 Orange victory. After Coleman Cloer and Mason Robinson each left Orange after their sophomore seasons last June, a greater scoring load fell on Wade’s shoulders. He has responded by being the team’s leading scorer, averaging 14.7 points per game after 13 games. Wade led Orange with 18 points in Orange’s 60-50 win over Williams on Friday night. It was the Panthers third straight win over Williams at Spike Gymnasium. Wade has been a winner in basketball dating back to his days at Gravelly Hill Middle School, where he was a starter on the Grizzlies 2020 Orange Person Athletic Conference championship team. He formed a bond with teammates Freddy Sneed, Xandrell Pennix, Cloer and Robinson from the time he started as a freshman at Orange. Last year, he was the starter for Orange’s 2024 Central Conference Tournament championship team, the first time since 2016 that the Panthers won a postseason conference tournament. Wade also helped the Panthers to the 2024 Central Conference regular season title, the first time since 2017 that the Panthers won a regular season crown. Wade will continue his junior season at Cedar Ridge on Tuesday night.
Orange Panther of the Week: Kai Wade
This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior point guard Kai Wade. The Panthers opened the season with a win over Voyager Academy on November 15. Wade set a career-high with 31 points in a 75-64 Orange victory.