It was the requiem for the Central Conference basketball tournament.
It was likely the final time that rivals from Alamance, Orange and Person Counties would converge inside one gymnasium for local basketball supremacy.
When the Central Conference started in 2021-2022, the Western Alamance women’s basketball team was knocking on the door of being the queens of the conference. Before 2023 was over, they kicked the door in when they ended Northwood’s dynasty in the 3rd round of the state playoffs.
On Saturday, they likely ended their run in the league as the undisputed champions as a threat to win the 3A State Championship.
Allie Sykes scored 28 points as Western Alamance claimed its second consecutive Central Conference championship with a wire-to-wire 76-38 win over Orange at Panther Gymnasium in Hillsborough. It was the Warriors (22-4) 26th consecutive win against a conference opponent. The latest Warrior win came on the same floor where they last lost a conference game. The Lady Panthers upset Western 45-42 on January 3, 2024.
Since then, the Lady Warriors have won five straight over Orange. The level of domination was nothing unusual for Western Alamance and neither was the way they went about it. The Lady Warriors forced 18 turnovers in the first half. They out rebounded Orange 45-31, grabbing 22 offensive rebounds. Sykes shot 8-of-15 from 3-point range.
Seniors Tina Bowers and Cayden White each added ten points for the Warriors. Bowers also contained Orange’s leading scorer Evelyn George, who was held to four points, just one above her season-low.
Orange (17-9) tried to slow the game down, which worked to an extent early. Senior center Marshea Byrd scored on a lay-in off an entry pass from Addie Atkins to even the game at 4-4 midway through the first quarter. Then the Warriors started forcing turnovers off its full court press. Sykes’ first 3-pointer put the Warriors ahead for good. Western closed out the first quarter with a 10-5 run, capped by a shot from downtown by Ziomara Moser.
Central Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Final: Person 67, Eastern Alamance 65:
With big stakes on the line, Person overcame the loss of leading scorer Lance Clarke to defeat the Eagles and claim one of the top-ten seeds in the 3A State Tournament.
Clarke led the Rockets with 21 points, but fouled out with 1:56 remaining in regulation. The Rockets also lost starting forward DaeJon Hodge in a game that was truly last man standing by sundown.
Eastern Alamance lost sophomore shooting guard Hunter Eichman with a lower-body injury in the second quarter and didn’t return.
Eastern Alamance’s leading scorer, Ja’vier Tinnin, fouled out in the waning minutes, as well.
Eagles freshman Mason Murphy sank two free throws to tie the game at 53-53 with 5:48 remaining in regulation. Clarke dropped off a pass to Quante Bowman, who sank a 3-poiner from the wing. It vaulted the Rockets ahead for good.
The Eagles went 4:27 without a field goal in the fourth quarter. Person guard Tyler Wilson found Clarke in transition for a lay-in, which sent the Rockets off and running in their full-throttle transition game. After a miss by Tinnin, Wilson found Clarke again for a bucket to give the Rockets at 60-54 lead.
Person overcame a slow start as the Eagles came out of the gates with an 18-6 lead. Eichman hit two 3-pointers early, followed by another from Ryan Tate.
Person reserve Kyan Lunsford started a Person rally with the final three-pointer of the first quarter, reducing the Eagle lead to 21-11.
In the second quarter, Eastern Alamance led 27-19. Then Person went on a 14-4 run, capped by a lay-in by Lunsford off a pass from Wilson, giving the Rockets its first lead of the game at 33-31.
Person (25-2) truly had plenty to lose. The Rockets have been ranked among the top-five teams in the East Region RPI all season. If they had lost, the best seed they could have received for next week’s 3A State Tournament would have been a #11 seed. Most likely, the Rockets will receive the #4 seed in the East Region.
Eastern Alamance finishes the regular season with a share of the Central Conference regular season title and a 16-9 overall record.