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More steals lead to more points for the Orange men’s basketball team. That was the theme of its first Central Conference win of the season on Friday night, where they forced 27 turnovers in a 73-48 win over Western Alamance in Hillsborough. It was the Panthers sixth straight victory over the Warriors. Kai Wade finished with ten points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals. In all nine of Orange’s games this year, Wade has scored in double figures. Sophomore Hector Garrido finished with a blocked shot and two steals. Garrdio has worked to get his basketball legs after a successful season playing goalkeeper for the Orange men’s soccer team. Garrido, Orange’s starting center, had been efficient from outside the arc. He went 3-of-4 in a win over Chapel Hill last week. The Panthers started the second half with a 13-0 run against the Warriors. Senior Michael Clark opened the quarter with consecutive 3-pointers and the Warriors never could make up ground. Orange will go into the Christmas holiday with an 8-2 record. On Monday night, the Panthers will face the Ivanhoe Knights from Australia at Northeast Guilford High School in McLeansville. The Panthers will open the South Granville Holiday Tournament against East Wake next Friday night in Creedmoor.
Orange men’s basketball’s Kai Wade & Hector Garrido discuss win over Western Alamance
More steals lead to more points for the Orange men’s basketball team. That was the theme of its first Central Conference win of the season on Friday night, where they forced 27 turnovers in a 73-48 win over Western Alamance in Hillsborough. It was the Panthers sixth straight victory over the Warriors.
The Orange men’s basketball team has built its identity on defense from the very beginning of this season.
After a sluggish first half against East Chapel Hill on Tuesday, the Panthers turned defense into offense for a blowout home win.
Senior Freddy Sneed scored a career-high 21 points while guard Xandrell Pennix added 16 as Orange (6-2) rolled past the Wildcats 82-63 at Panthers Gymnasium. Orange forced 13 turnovers in the second half to score a season high 82 points and held East to 29% from the field.
East (1-6) was led by Bennett Corley, who finished with 25 points.
The Wildcats led 28-27 at halftime behind Will Charkaclis, who scored eleven points in the first half. The Panthers full-court press’ forced five steals in the opening two minutes of the second half, leading to an 8-0 Orange run. After Sneed tied the game with a free throw, Michael Clark scored in transition to put the Panthers ahead for good with 6:54 remaining in the third quarter. Sneed picked the pocket of East’s Jameer Phelmetta and scored on a lay-in, leading to a Wildcats timeout.
That did little to stem the Orange tide. Panthers center Hector Garrido knocked a pass away from the Wildcats’ Frederick Rothert and scored in transition while getting fouled. His free throw extended Orange’s lead to 35-28.
Phelmetta and Characklis each made 3-pointers to keep the Wildcats within striking distance, but Pennix and Ethan Ellis triggered an 13-2 run, each hitting shots from downtown. The Panthers shot 10-of-14 in the third quarter and outscored the Wildcats 27-11.
Orange jumped out to a 9-4 lead with Sneed scoring consecutive field goals, including a dunk after he forced a steal. Characklis came off the bench to erase East’s deficit, sinking two free throws with 2:35 remaining in the first half to tie the game at 24-24. After a block by Corley, Characklis scored off a pass from center Makai Rhodes to put the Wildcats ahead 26-24.
Orange finished with 13 steals. Sophomore center Jalen Crayton had four blocks.
Orange junior point guard Kai Wade finished with ten points, eight assists and two steals. Wade has scored in double figures in all eight games this season for the Panthers. Wade started the season with a career-high 30 points against Voyager Academy.
Women’s basketball: Orange 52, East Chapel Hill 30: Orange senior center Marshea Byrd tied her season-high with ten points while Evelyn George finished with 12 points and ten rebounds as the Lady Panthers defeated the Wildcats for the fifth straight time.
George registered her fifth double-double of the season and the 15th of her career. George recorded her first double-double during her freshman year against Reidsville during the Eastern Guilford Holiday Tournament on December 27, 2021.
George has scored in double figures in all seven of Orange’s games this year. She recorded her career high with 26 points in a loss to Chapel Hill last week.
East Chapel Hill (1-8) was led by Alana Burroughs with eleven points.
The Wildcats Lauren Steiner scored the game’s opening field goal, but Orange pulled off 12 straight points to turn it into a rout. After Byrd scored the Lady Panthers’ opening field goal, Kyla Mehl drained a 3-pointer off a a pass from junior point guard Maura McMurtry. Byrd added another field goal, followed by another trey from McMurtry. Alexis Stephens, who scored six points in the first half, scored on a short jumper. Orange shot 7-of-13 from the field in the first quarter.
Stephens scored the first four points of the second quarter to expand Orange’s lead to 21-6. The Lady Panthers held the Wildcats to one field goal in the second quarter to take a 26-10 halftime lead. Orange grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and outrebounded the Wildcats 44-35.
Orange will face Western Alamance, the two-time defending Central Conference champions, tonight (Friday) at Panther Gymnasium.
Orange seniors Freddy Sneed and Xandrell Pennix were the catalysts in the Panthers’ 82-63 win over East Chapel Hill on Tuesday night in Hillsborough. The Panthers forced 24 turnovers and scored a season-high 82 points in a victory over the Wildcats. The Wildcats led Orange 28-27 at halftime, but Orange charged out to a 8-0 run to start the second half, fueled by Sneed making two steals leading to Panther field goals. Sneed finished with a career-high 21 points as Orange improved to 6-2. Sneed finished with 21 points, six steals, four rebounds and four assists. Pennix closed with a flourish, scoring 16 points off 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Pennix denied any chance for the Wildcats to make a comeback as the Panthers shot 10-of-14 from the field in the third quarter, where they outscored East 27-11. Pennix hit three 3-pointers in the second half as Orange built a 21-point lead. Orange needed the boost after a disappointing loss to Eastern Alamance to open Central Conference play in Mebane on Friday night. Orange, the defending conference champions, will look to go into the holiday break with momentum when they host Western Alamance in Hiillsborough on Friday night. Orange has defeated the Warriors five straight times. Western Alamance opened the season with four straight wins before losing to Bishop McGuinness last week.
Orange men’s basketball’s Freddy Sneed & Xandrell Pennix discuss win over East Chapel Hill
Orange seniors Freddy Sneed and Xandrell Pennix were the catalysts in the Panthers’ 82-63 win over East Chapel Hill on Tuesday night in Hillsborough. The Panthers forced 24 turnovers and scored a season-high 82 points in a victory over the Wildcats.
MEBANE: After losing to Orange three times last season, it appeared the odds were stacked against Eastern Alamance from contending for the Central Conference championship this year.
The Eagles lost three starters due to graduation. Their top returning scorer and rebounder, Jordan Matthews, suffered a broken foot during the summer and could be lost for the season.
Orange arrived to the Tal Jobe Gymnasium in Mebane on Friday night fresh off a road win at Chapel Hill, a team that had defeated Eastern Alamance by 28 points on December 6.
But the Eagles utilized a 1-3-1 zone to stymie Orange from 3-point range and Eastern senior guard Javier Tinnen wouldn’t let his team lost to their nearby rival for a sixth straight time.
Tinnen scored 15 points while freshman Mason Murphy scored 24 points as the Eagles outscored Orange 25-12 in the fourth quarter to upset the Panthers 66-60 in the Central Conference opener for both teams.
Orange didn’t hit a 3-pointer in the second half and was just 5-of-20 from downtown. Kai Wade led Orange with 18 points while sophomore Hector Garrido added nine points and 15 rebounds. Orange (5-2, 0-1 in the Central Conference) lost to Eastern Alamance for the first time since February 2, 2022.
Orange led 49-43 going into the fourth quarter, but the Eagles got a surprise boost from sophomore Xavier McPherson, who was called up from the junior varsity team for his first varsity game and scored eleven points, all in the second half. McPherson drained two 3-pointers, including one that gave the Eagles the lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Tinnen finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Orange senior Michael Clark scored nine points in the opening quarter, all off 3-pointers. The Panthers built a 12-point lead in the first half based off a 54-38 rebounding edge, plus the Eagles missed its first six three throws. Wade finished with a double-double with 18 points and eleven rebounds. Clark came away with 13 points and ten rebounds.
Orange will return home to face East Chapel Hill in a nonconference game on Tuesday night.
Women’s basketball: Eastern Alamance 37, Orange 34:
In a strange game, Eastern Alamance earned its second win of the year behind Ayila Trollinger’s 16 points.
Orange led 6-2 at the end of the first quarter despite not sinking a field goal. In fact, Orange scored just two field goals in the entire first half and still led 14-5 at halftime.
Senior Evelyn George led all players with 19 points. With four seconds remaining, the Eagles led 37-34 when Orange’s Addie Atkins tied up Selaya Rogers, giving the ball to Orange on the possession arrow. George had a clean look from 3-point range to tie it up and appeared to be hit on the arm by an Eagle, but there was no call as the buzzer sounded.
After being limited to two field goals in the first half, the Eagles exploded to start the second half. Marion Scott scored all nine of her points in the third quarter. Trollinger drained four 3-pointers in the second half, included one that was banked in that put the Eagles ahead 27-20 at the end of the third quarter.
Atkins and George sparked a late comeback for the Lady Panthers. Atkins knocked down a 20-footer while George scored seven points in the fourth quarter. Alexis Stephens added her only field goal of the game. The Eagles’ succeeded in slowing the game down to its own, half-court plodding pace. Only three Orange players scored field goals as the Eagles won its Central Conference opener.
The Eagles defeated Orange for the third straight time. Last year, Orange defeated Eastern Alamance in the Southeastern Alamance Holiday Tournament.
Orange will host East Chapel Hill, a former conference rival, in Hillsborough on Tuesday night.
Hillsborough Sports | Hillsborough Sports’s live audio
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Orange and Chapel Hill remains a deep rivalry in men’s basketball. On Tuesday night, the Panthers defeated the Tigers 65-58 at Chapel Hill Gymnasium. It was the Panthers first win over Chapel Hill since 2019. Xandrell Pennix finished with 19 points, the fourth time in six games he’s led the Panthers in scoring. Junior Kai Wade, who played all 32 minutes, finished with 12 points. Wade sank from huge free throws in the final three minutes after the Tigers whittled a 15-point lead down to five points in the fourth quarter. Wade’s uniform was drenched with sweat at the end of an intense, draining game against a longtime rival. Sophomore Hector Garrido had a career-high 14 points, including 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Garrido drained two early shots in the third quarter to push the Panthers out to a 15-point lead which the Tigers couldn’t erase. It was a huge rivalry win for the Panthers, who had lost five straight games to Chapel Hill. Even more impressively, the Panthers won without starting forward Michael Clark, who was sick. Wade led Orange with 32 points in its season-opening win over Voyager Academy. The Panthers will start Central Conference play with a trip to Mebane on Friday night. They will face Eastern Alamance at Tal Jobe Gymnasium in a game you can hear on Hillsboroughsports.com.
Orange basketball’s Xandrell Pennix, Kai Wade & Hector Garrido discusses win at Chapel Hill
Orange and Chapel Hill remains a deep rivalry in men’s basketball. On Tuesday night, the Panthers defeated the Tigers 65-58 at Chapel Hill Gymnasium. It was the Panthers first win over Chapel Hill since 2019. Xandrell Pennix finished with 19 points, the fourth time in six games he’s led the Panthers in scoring.
