Jeff Hamlin

In an Instagram post on Sunday morning, Orange guard Connor Crabtree confirmed his high school career is over.

Crabtree tore a ligament in his right ankle while going for a defensive rebound late in the first quarter in the Panthers’ win over Triton in the 3rd round of the state 3A playoffs. After being helped off the floor by training staff and head coach Greg Motley, Crabtree emerged from the trainer’s room on crutches and watched the rest of the game resting his right leg against a chair at the end of the bench.

The old saying that a star shines brightest before it fades was never more appropriate on Saturday night. Crabtree spearheaded a run in the game’s first six minutes that included a tomahawk dunk and a follow-up stuff off a intentionally-missed layup by Mitch Portman, who created a steal. Orange roared out to a 28-2 lead.

Triton looked overwhelmed immediately. It was the type of start for a potential state champion—provided they had their star player.

“They were so focused at shootaround this morning,” said Motley. “We felt like they were going to come out and be ready to go.”

Any hopes that Crabtree’s injury would be minor were dashed simply by looking at the body language of the entire Orange team at halftime. The Panthers led 40-17. Their first trip to the Round of 8 in the 3A State Tournament was ensured. Yet Motley glared at the floor, not even looking up as his players warmed up in front of him. He didn’t panic, but the disappointment was obvious. Likewise, the Orange players had long faces. It took the prodding of Crabtree’s classmate, Logan Vosburg, to keep their heads in the game to avoid blowing a 28-point lead.

“If I had panicked, then they would have panicked,” said Motley. “I tried to keep my mind on the game and just focus on the game. Connor is one captain, Logan is the other. If one guy goes down, then the other has to carry the load.”

Orange (23-6) won 67-47, but it was the epitome of a bittersweet victory.

Now, Motley is faced with the task of preparing for Northern Guilford on Tuesday night in Hillsborough without arguably the greatest player in school history.

“I don’t know anything about Northern Guilford right now,” said Motley immediately after Saturday night’s win. “So I have to do a lot of work to do.”

What changes with Crabtree out of the equation? For starters, the entire offensive setup.

Crabtree was Orange’s tallest player and their best ballhandler. He was a point guard and a post-up threat. Now, junior Mitch Portman will become the Panthers’ point guard, while Marquis Phelps likely takes Crabtree’s spot in the starting lineup.

HillsboroughSports.com will have live coverage of Orange-Northern Guilford on Tuesday night at 7.

If a coach’s job is to maintain calm through adversity, then Orange’s Greg Motley passed a test on Saturday night. Playing without all-state candidate Connor Crabtree in the final three quarters, the Panthers defeated Triton 67-47 to advance to the 3-A State Quarterfinals. Whether Crabtree is available for Tuesday’s game at Northern Guilford is very much in the air.

Orange Coach Greg Motley on Beating Triton Without Connor Crabtree and Northern Guilford on Tuesday

Orange Boys Basketball may have never had a more bittersweet victory than Saturday’s win over Triton. They easily advanced to the state quarterfinals after a 67-47 win, but Connor Crabtree was lost to a leg injury, possibly for the season.

Orange center Logan Vosburg will play one final game at Jim King Gymnasium. It will be in the state quarterfinals on Tuesday night at Northern Guilford. Now, time will tell if classmate Connor Crabtree will join him. Crabtree was injured at the end of the first quarter on Saturday night with an injury to his right foot. He came back on crutches and watched the rest of the game from the bench with tears in his eyes. Vosburg scored 23 points as Orange won 67-47.

Orange Center Logan Vosburg Discusses Win over Triton, What’s Ahead vs. Northern Guilford

Logan Vosburg has one more game at Jim King Gymnasium. On Saturday night, he scored 23 points as the Panthers defeated Triton 67-47. Orange will host Northern Guilford on Tuesday night in the 3-A State Quarterfinals.

After winning the first conference championship for the first time since 1999, the season of the Orange Lady Panthers basketball team is over. Rockingham County defeated Orange 56-39 in the 3rd round of the 3A State Playoffs on Saturday at Jim King Gymnasium. The Panthers end the season 26-2. It was the final game for seniors Kaylen Campbell, Jazlyn Watson, Mia Davidson, Adalyn Fleming, MaryBeth Dobbins, Enzyah Holt, and Bethlyn Early.

No Title

The Orange Girls Basketball Season is over. After winning the Big 8 Regular Season and Tournament championship, Orange lost to Rockingham County 56-39 on Saturday at Jim King Gymnasium. The Lady Panthers end the season 26-2.

The Orange Girls Basketball team is headed to the Round of 16 in the 3-A State Basketball tournament after beating Havelock 81-77 on Thursday night at Jim King Gymnasium. After falling behind 14-2 early, Icez Barnett came off the bench to score eight first quarter points. Barnett, Jazlyn Watson and Janea Myers were nice enough to wait after the boys game for, well, among the best interviews we’ve ever had on the website.

No Title

Uploaded by None on 2017-02-24.

As expected, the Orange boys basketball team earned the #1 Mideast seed for the 3-A State Playoffs when the field was unveiled on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers, 20-6 overall, will face Gray’s Creek in the opening round on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

Gray’s Creek (9-12) finished 5th in the Cape Fear Valley Conference. The Bears enter the playoffs following consecutive losses to Lee County and Terry Sanford.

Orange (20-6) captured the top overall seed from the Mideast after winning the Big 8 regular season championship. However, Southern Durham defeated Orange 87-75 on Friday night for the Big 8 Tournament Championship. It was the Panthers’ most lopsided loss of the season.

The winner of the Orange-Gray’s Creek game will face the winner of South Johnston-Southern Guilford on Thursday night. South Johnston finished 5-5 in the Two Rivers Conference, tied for 2nd with Western Harnett. Southern Guilford tied with East Forsyth for the Mid-Piedmont Conference Regular Season Championship.

The Panthers were greatly aided by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s ruling that allowed teams to remove four nonconference losses to its overall record. The ruling was made after Hurricane Matthew extended football season, which left basketball team across the east shorthanded once November rolled around.

Orange lost three of its first five to Leesville Road, Millbrook and Rolesville, all games where regular contributors like Ryan Sellers, Morgan Paschall, and Eli Haithock were out because of football. Since then, the Panthers are 18-3, including sweeping Southern Durham in the regular season.

The playoffs in basketball are a funny thing. There’s really no opponent film available for a coach to study and create a scouting report. Coming off its most lopsided loss of the season, Coach Greg Motley will simply try to focus on Orange.

“You never know how a loss will affect a team,” said Motley. “Sometimes, it can help you. Sometimes it can hurt you. I think with our kids and our leadership, they’ll bounce back.”

Leading scorer Connor Crabtree had a season-high 42 points against the Spartans on Tuesday night.

The tournament field can be viewed here. 

Playoff games are scheduled for this week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Orange is the 2nd overall seed in the east, behind only Northern Nash (ranked #1 in 3-A by the Associated Press). That means if Orange keeps winning this week, they’ll host games in the next round.

It’s a 64 team field, just like the glory days of the NCAA Tournament.

Orange is one of four Big 8 teams to make the state playoffs. Perhaps the juiciest potential 2nd round matchup in the entire tournament is Eastern Guilford vs. Southern Durham. The Spartans, riding a eight-game winning streak where they’ve won by an average margin of 21 points, host Western Guilford on Tuesday night. Eastern Guilford hosts Smithfield-Selma.

Chapel Hill will travel to Nash Central. Northern Vance, which took Orange to double overtime in the Big 8 Semifinals last Wednesday, travels to Terry Sanford.