Orange Men’s Basketball

When the Orange men’s basketball team takes the floor tonight against Western Alamance in Hillsborough, it will have been exactly one month since they played a home game.

Since then, they’ve nearly won the South Granville Holiday Tournament, but wound up finishing fourth. They defeated their crosstown rival, won at Eastern Alamance for the first time since the 1980s and finished the first half of its Central Carolina Conference schedule with a 4-2 record.

Now, as Orange prepares for its final seven games of its regular season, they stand a chance to end several streaks that have dragged on for years.

For starters, the Panthers haven’t hosted a postseason tournament game since 2017, when they faced Northern Guilford in the NCHSAA 3A State Playoff quarterfinals. The Panthers, 72 hours removed from losing star forward Connor Crabtree to a broken ankle when he came down wrong on a rebound against Triton, lost to the Nighthawks and haven’t sniffed the state playoff since.

The last time Orange’s men’s team hosted a game in its conference tournament was also 2017. Southern Durham faced the Panthers in the Big 8 Conference Tournament championship game. Since then, the Panthers have won just once in the postseason, which happened last February when Orange defeated Western Alamance in the opening round of the Central Carolina Conference Tournament.

Orange’s RPI is currently #17 among 3A East Region teams. That puts the Panthers firmly in the playoffs. They’re right on the borderline to host a game in the opening round of the state playoffs.

With seven games remaining in the regular season, it’s already head coach Derryl Britt’s most successful team at Orange. They’re 12-6. Previously, Britt’s best team at Orange won ten games in 2018-2019.

Midway through the CCC slate, the race in the conference appears to be for second place. Northwood, the defending conference champions, is ranked #1 in the 3A East Region and sits atop the CCC with a 6-0 record. The Chargers closest game in the first half of the league schedule was against Eastern Alamance–a 47-31 Chargers win in Pittsboro on January 13.

Orange finds themselves tied for second place with Williams and Person with a 4-2 league record. It comes after the Bulldogs upset the Rockets 59-54 in Burlington on Tuesday night.

For a squad that regularly plays three freshmen, Orange has shown remarkable poise while playing almost exclusively road games thus far in the CCC. In its first trip through the CCC, six of Orange’s seven games were road trips. The most recent, a 67-56 win over Eastern Alamance, featured freshman Coleman Cloer scoring 28 points.

The other end of that coin is the Panthers have six of its final seven games at home. The Panthers start a four-game homestead tonight against the Warriors. Orange’s only remaining road game for the remainder of the regular season is against Northwood.

Orange has had eleven road games, counting its contest at South Granville in the South Granville Holiday Invitational, compared to only five home games.

For the first time in six years, Orange will take the floor tonight for a January game with postseason implications. So are the Panthers exactly where they want to be?

According to Britt, the answer is no.

“We wanted to win the South Granville tournament,” Britt said. “We thought, and still do, that we can compete for a conference championship. That was the mission all along. So we’re still hungry. We’re still striving for something.”

Along with Cloer, freshman Kai Wade has started every game for the Panthers. Wade is Orange’s third-leading scorer with 10.9 points per game. He’s also second with 2.4 assists per game.

Sophomore Xandrell Pennix, who was called up to the varsity as a freshman last January, is second on the squad averaging 11.5 points per game.

Junior Ryan Honeycutt, in his first varsity season, leads the team with seven rebounds per game.

MEBANE–“Even if I didn’t have my son on the team, I’d still pay $8 to watch Orange play.”

Those words from an Orange High parent after the Panthers 67-56 win at Eastern Alamance on Wednesday night sum up the attitude around the program right now. It’s not a state championship team, but for the first time in years, Orange basketball is doing more than just winning consistently.

They’re a lot of fun to watch.

Against the Eagles, freshman Coleman Cloer had a drive down the lane for a one-hand slam in the opening minutes, the video of which went viral across social media before midnight. It instantly snapped a malaise inside the small gymnasium to a sudden and startled roar from the spectators. Even the Eastern Alamance substitutes exchanged shocked glances on the bench.

In the second half, Cloer flushed down an off-the-backboard ally-oop from classmate Kai Wade, while junior Ryan Honeycutt and freshman Ryan Honeycutt both had dunks as the Panthers pulled away late.

With seven games remaining in the regular season, it’s already the most successful team at Orange (12-6, 4-2 in the Central Carolina Conference) in the five-year tenure of head coach Derryl Britt.

The game marked a signature point in Orange’s season. For starters, it was their last contest before exam break. It also marked the halfway point of the Central Carolina Conference schedule. Going 4-2 into the turn, as they say after completing the front nine holes in golf, felt a lot better than going 3-3. Especially when all of Orange’s wins came on the road.

Cloer, coming off a 35-point game against Person, finished with 28 points against the Eagles. Junior center Ryan Honeycutt had 13 points.

Michael Reaves paced Eastern Alamance (9-7, 2-4) with 15 points.

It was Orange’s seventh road win of the season. In the previous three years, Orange won eight road games.

“We call Cloer our closer,” Britt said. “Down the stretch of games, we tell him to use any move he can to get us across the finish line. Dribble drives. Pivot. Drop steps. Up and unders. We call him ‘Stat’ too, because he can fill up the stat sheet.”

Orange led 47-39 with 2:09 remaining in the third quarter when the Eagles reeled off six in a row. Reaves had a chance to tie the game but was called for a charge just before the end of the frame after he ran into guard Jackson Barretto.

To open the fourth quarter, Eastern’s Antoine Pugh was called for an illegal screen as the Eagles were set to inbound. Honeycutt dumped an offensive rebound off to Cloer for a two-hand dunk.

Reaves came back with a one-handed runner while drawing a foul on Mason Robinson. Reaves’ free throw cut the Panthers’ lead to 49-48. The Eagles had a chance to take the lead after a steal by Pugh, but the Eagles missed. After Robinson, who played a season-high 21 minutes, grabbed the offensive rebound, Cloer found Honeycutt at the other end for another two-handed dunk.

Cloer extended Orange’s lead with a duck and fade move in the lane where he tossed it in from ten feet with the left hand. Following two free throws by Reaves, the Panthers used a three-way passing play where Robinson found Kaleb Barnhardt, who dropped it off to Isaiah Seymour for a lay-in.

Later, Barnhardt knocked the ball away from Pugh and found Wade for a transition basket put Orange ahead 58-50, equaling the Panthers largest lead of the game.

Orange will get six of its last seven games of the regular season at home, starting with Western Alamance next Friday night. Currently, the Panthers are tied with Walter Williams for third place in the loss column in the Central Carolina Conference with a 4-2 record. Orange currently holds the tiebreaker over Williams. If the Panthers host a game in the Central Carolina Tournament, it will be the first time they’ve hosted a postseason game since 2017, when they faced Northern Guilford in the 3A State Quarterfinals.

Win or lose on Wednesday night, the Orange men’s basketball team would arrive at the halfway point of its conference schedule once they finished its game against Eastern Alamance. They would either leave Mebane with a 4-2 record or go 3-3 into the second half of the Central Carolina Conference schedule. Once again, Coleman Cloer proved to be the closer as Orange defeated Eastern Alamance 67-56 at Tal Jobe Gymnasium in Mebane. It was Orange’s first win over the Eagles in Mebane in over 20 years. Xandrell Pennis finished with 10 points, including three 3-pointers in the first half. Freshman center Mason Robinson played almost the entire second half and had key offensive rebounds. Robinson stuck in the final field goal of the first half to keep Orange within two points at the break. He finished with five of the Panthers’ seven bench points. The Panthers will get the rest of the week off with a 4-2 record in the Central Carolina Conference. All four of the victories were on the road. They’re only one game behind Person for second place. The Panthers will resume its season on Tuesday when they face Western Alamance in Hillsborough.

No Title

Win or lose on Wednesday night, the Orange men’s basketball team would arrive at the halfway point of its conference schedule once they finished its game against Eastern Alamance. They would either leave Mebane with a 4-2 record or go 3-3 into the second half of the Central Carolina Conference schedule.

ROXBORO–In Roxboro, frantic is a way of life on the basketball court.

Every tipped loose ball can lead to an ally-top in transition, which always triggers a gargantuan roar from the stands that are packed on Friday nights. It’s a style of play that keeps the fans coming to Rockets Gymnasium and something that a young Orange squad hasn’t caught up with yet.

Person, playing without injured center Lamont Johnson, overcame foul trouble to leading scorer Julian Crawley to defeat Orange 91-77 on Friday night in Roxboro, its third straight win over the Panthers. It was a battle of attrition as the Rockets had enough firepower to overcome the loss of Crawley, who picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter. Sophomore Lance Clarke led the Rockets with 30 points.

The Panthers had four players foul out. Freshman Coleman Cloer, who played most of the second half with four fouls, led Orange with a season-best 35 points. Another freshman, Kai Wade, added 20 points despite being disqualified late in the fourth quarter.

In his first 17 games as a varsity player, Cloer has scored in double-figures in 16 of them. He has eight 20-point games, including a 25-point outing agains Cedar Ridge last Tuesday.

Person (12-2, 2-1 in the Central Carolina Conference) won just days after being blown out by 77-45 by Northwood in Pittsboro.

The Panthers (11-6, 2-2) haven’t won in Roxboro since December 15, 2014.

While the Panthers forced 18 turnovers, including four steals from Darius Corbett, they shot only 6-of-30 from 3-point range. The Panthers had a 6-4 lead following a 3-pointer with 5:48 remaining in the first quarter, but couldn’t consistently knock down shots from outside. Person shot 11-of-13 from the field in the opening quarter, led by 12 points from Crawley. After Crawley was forced to the bench early in the second quarter, sophomore Lance Clarke picked up the void with nine points in the second quarter.

Orange still had a chance to take the lead late in the third quarter after Corbett stripped the ball away from Isaiah Smith and scored on a lay-in to cut Person’s lead to 47-46. After Orange missed a 3-pointer, Clarke sank two free throws, which was the theme of the second half. That triggered a 14-1 Person run that kept the lead in double figures for the balance of the game.

Person went 29-of-47 from the foul line, mainly because the Panthers continued to foul late. Orange shot 17-of-23 from the charity stripe.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Orange 60, Person 25

Another double-double from Sophomore Evelyn George led the Orange women’s basketball team over Person 60-25 in Roxboro on Friday night. Orange (9-8, 2-3 in the Central Carolina Conference) has won five in a row.

George finished with 20 points and ten rebounds. George has had five games this year where she’s finished with double-figure rebounds. She had 14 points and 12 rebounds in a 53-47 win over Walter Williams in the Eastern Guilford Holiday Invitational on December 27.

Orange outscored Person 18-0 in the first quarter. Sophomore Addie Atkins had two 3-pointers in the opening eight minutes. Atkins finished with eight points.

Senior Jada Reed scored 12 points, her seventh game in double-figures scoring in the last eight contests. Reed’s season-high of 18 points came against Franklinton on November 29.

Senior center Erin Jordan-Cornell, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the Eastern Guilford tournament, finished with six points and eight rebounds.

Mekayla Bradsher led Person with nine points. Orange, who had nine players in uniform, had eight players score. Sophomore Maura McMurtry had six points off the bench.

The Lady Panthers five game winning streak is its longest since the opening of the pandemic season of 2020, when they reeled off five straight victories. The Lady Panthers, who were the only team in Hillsborough to make the 3A State Playoffs last year, are currently ranked #19 in the MaxPreps 3A East Region.

The Orange men’s basketball team has made a habit of bing in tight games down the stretch this season. On Tuesday night agains their crosstown rival, they played in another. Facing Cedar Ridge, the Panthers ended the game on a 20-5 run to defeat the Red wolves 57-47 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Freshman Kai Wade scored ten of his 17 points in the final quarter as the Panthers improved to 11-5, 3-1 in the Central Carolina Conference. The victory came after a fourth place finish in the Columbia Bracket of the South Granville Holiday Tournament, an event the Panthers easily could have won. South Granville defeated Orange 67-65 in the semifinals, a game Orange led 64-58 with 1:33 remaining. The following day in the 3rd place game, Sanderson defeated Orange 55-54 when Tommy Lyon hit a shot at the buzzer. Against the Spartans, Orange Sophomore Xandrell Pennix scored eleven points. Coleman Cloer scored 25 points to lead Orange against Cedar Ridge. The Panthers will continue its season against Person in Roxboro on Friday night.

Orange’s Xandrell Pennix & Kai Wade discuss win over Cedar Ridge

The Orange men’s basketball team has made a habit of bing in tight games down the stretch this season. On Tuesday night agains their crosstown rival, they played in another. Facing Cedar Ridge, the Panthers ended the game on a 20-5 run to defeat the Red wolves 57-47 at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

When a team that regularly plays three freshman loses at the buzzer against a top-10 regional opponent, chances are they’ll learn something from it.

When that same team loses again at the buzzer the very next day, then it’s a crash course.

That’s what happened to the Orange men’s basketball team last week against South Granville (ranked #7 in 2A East Region) and the next day against Sanderson (ranked #4 in 4A East). On Tuesday night, mired in a five-point hole early in the fourth quarter to its crosstown rival, the young Panthers showed they took the lessons painfully delivered to them in Creedmoor and learned them well.

Orange (11-6, 3-1 in the Central Carolina Conference) defeated Cedar Ridge 57-47 at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Tuesday night. The freshman tandem of Coleman Cloer and Kai Wade combined to score all 20 of Orange’s points in the fourth quarter. Cloer finished with 25 points. Wade finished with 17 points, ten in the fourth quarter.

“This was a tough game,” said Orange coach Derryl Britt. “It’s a conference game against a crosstown rival. That can be a tough situation when you have a lot of young players. They haven’t played in a lot of these game and learn how to block out all the noise. Facing Cedar Ridge is a lot to overcome for younger guys. Towards the end of the game, we did what we’ve been trying to get back to which is Kai and Coleman being the closers.”

Cedar Ridge (3-7, 0-3), playing for the first time since December 16, received a huge game from senior Colton Taylor, who scored 21 points.

“Captain Colt is someone everyone on the team rallies around,” said Cedar Ridge head coach Mike Jones. “I didn’t think the whistles evened out in the end, but I’m not one to make excuses. I’m proud of the way our team fought. It would have been nice to play before December 16 and it would have been nice to practice yesterday. We’ll get better with this game.”

In the final minute of the third quarter, Cedar Ridge’s Landon Dalehite drained a three-pointer from the corner to even the game. Jonovan Wingate took a skip pass from Taylor to sink another 3-pointer to give the Red Wolves a 37-34  with :05 remaining. Cloer calmly took the subsequent inbounds pass and sank a 21-footer at the buzzer to even the game going into the fourth quarter.

The Red Wolves bolted out to a 42-37 lead with 6:00 remaining in the fourth quarter. Harrison Perel took a bounce pass from Corin Wingate and laid it in. After Cloer missed a three-pointer, Taylor knocked down a three-pointer.

Orange outscored the Red Wolves 20-5 down the stretch. Freshmen Kai Wade and Coleman Cloer scored all 20 of the Panthers points in the fourth quarter. Cloer drove past Taylor under the basket for a lay-in with 4:55 remaining. After the Red Wolves missed its own lay-up, Cloer dropped in a finger roll to tie the game 42-42.

Perel took a jump pass from Jonovan Wingate and gave the Red Wolves its final lead off a lay-in. Cedar Ridge’s foul trouble caught up with them in the final minutes as Perel, Taylor and Luke Orstad all fouled out. Wade tied the game off two free throws, then the Panthers’ Darius Corbett stole the ensuing inbounds pass, which led to Orstad’s fifth foul. Cloer’s split two free throws to put the Panthers ahead 45-44 with 3:34 remaining.

Wade drew another foul and knocked down two more from the charity stripe to put Orange ahead 47-44. Perel came back with a baseline jumper with 2:27 remaining. Wade went around a screen from fellow freshman Mason Robinson to sink a 15-foot baseline jumper.

After a Cedar Ridge turnover, Wade put the dagger in when he buried a pull-up 15-footer to put Orange ahead 51-44 with 1:06 remaining.

While Cloer and Wade carried the load for Orange in the fourth quarter, the Panthers were more balanced in the first half. Five Panthers scored in the first half. Cedar Ridge’s half-court defense held Orange in check during the second quarter. The Red Wolves scored only five points in the second quarter, all from Taylor, but still trailed by only two points, 20-18, at halftime. Taylor had nine points in the first half.

At one point, Taylor scored seven consecutive Cedar Ridge points from the start of the second quarter to the middle of the third until Luke Orstad scored on a lay-in.

It was the first Orange-Cedar Ridge game for Jones, who was named head coach of the Red Wolves in November. After Britt lost four straight game to Cedar Ridge in 2019-2021, he has now beaten the Red Wolves three straight times.