Orange Men’s Basketball

CREEDMOOR–For a young team, the Orange men have enjoyed the sweet taste of victory plenty this season.

Despite regularly playing three freshmen, they’ve already won more games before New Year’s Eve than last year’s squad did all year. By late Thursday night, none of that mattered following a loss delivered in the most sour way imaginable.

Trailing 64-58 with 1:33 remaining, South Granville ended the game on a 9-1 run, ending with backup forward K.J. Green driving the length of the floor to score on a lay-up at the buzzer to lift the Vikings past Orange 67-65 inside Viking Gymnasium in the semifinals of the Columbia Bracket of the South Granville Holiday Invitational.

It was the only time in the game that South Granville (6-3) led. The Vikings will face Wake Forest in the Columbia Bracket championship game on Friday night.

Orange (10-4), who was trying to reach a tournament final for the first time since the 2017 Big 8 Conference Championship, will take on Sanderson in the 3rd place game on Friday afternoon at 5:30.

Not only did Orange go scoreless from the field in the final 1:35, they didn’t even get off a shot. South Granville’s Traevon White stripped the ball away and scored on a breakaway with 1:29 left to cut Orange’s lead to 64-60.

Pressing full court, the Vikings’ Oliver Roberts picked off a pass and drove down the floor to put the Vikings within a bucket.

Green fouled Orange’s Coleman Cloer with 57 seconds remaining. Cloer split a pair from the foul line to increase the Panther lead to 63-60. Granville’s Aidan Gass was fouled with :53.1 left and also went 1-of-2 from the stripe.

Once again, the Vikings’ picked off a pass at midcourt. This time Green intercepted the ball and dropped it off to White, who missed a lay-in. Roberts took the offensive rebound under the rim and laid it in to tie the game.

Orange called timeout with :10.3 left with a chance to take the lead. At that point, Cloer took the ball on the left wing 15 feet away and tried to shoot over a double-team established by Roberts and White. Cloer slightly leaned in and was called for an offensive foul that left the Panther bench baffled and furious.

With :5.1 left, Gass nearly took up all of the five second allotted to find a man to throw the inbounds pass. He found Green, who sprinted up the floor coast-to-coast to beat the clock, laid it in before the buzzer sounded and was immediately mobbed by the South Granville student section in the end zone.

It was the second straight rally for South Granville in its own holiday tournament. The previous night, they came back from 14-point down to beat Cary.

It was a punishing loss for Britt, who walked along an adjacent hallway around five minutes to mentally regroup before addressing his crushed team. Well after most of the crowd had left the crowded gym, Britt was still fuming over the Cloer offensive foul.

“I never got an explanation for that call,” Britt said. “They wouldn’t talk to me. It’s part of being a young team. I don’t like to make excuses for losing games, but this was a poorly officiated game from the very beginning. Unfortunately, we couldn’t beat the five guys on the floor and the crowd.”

Ryan Honeycutt and freshman Kai Wade led Orange with 16 points each. Cloer finished with 14 while sophomore Xandrell Pennix had 12.

Roberts led all scorers with 18 points, all in the second half. Roberts had 17.

Britt has taken Orange to the South Granville tournament twice before. This was the first time he felt the Panthers could make a run to the championship. For the first 35 minutes of the game, his team lived up to expectations.

The Panthers led by as many as 12 points in the second half. The game wasn’t tied until the final minute. At the end of the third quarter, Orange inbounded with :5.1 left. Cloer took the ball down the floor and found Pennix, who drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Panthers ahead 58-49.

In the second quarter, Honeycutt knocked down a 10-footer to put the Panthers ahead 31-22 with 3:53 remaining. Pennix drained a pull-up jumper, followed by a stickback from Honeycutt to put the Panthers ahead 35-24. Honeycutt had 12 points in the first half.

It was the second time in five years that the Vikings beat the Panthers at the buzzer. On 2017, the Vikings beat Orange 65-63 in Viking Gymnasium.

The Orange men’s basketball team used a 16-0 run in the first quarter to cruise past East Wake 63-48 in the opening round of the Columbia Bracket in the South Granville Holiday Invitational in Creedmoor on Wednesday night. Once again, Orange freshman Coleman Cloer and Sophomore Xandrell Pennix led the Panthers offensively. Cloer finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Pennix shot 5-of-9 from 3-point range and finished with 16 points. He also had five rebounds as the Panthers improved to 10-3. It was the first taste of holiday tournament basketball for Cloer, Pennix, Kai Wade and Ryan Honeycutt, who started at center. Despite the inexperience, the Panthers never trailed against the Warriors and advanced to the semifinals of the Columbia Bracket. Orange will face the host team, South Granville, on Thursday night. The Panthers finished 3rd in the South Granville Holiday Tournament’s Navy Bracket in 2021. With a win over the Vikings, Orange will play for its first tournament championship of any sort since 2017, when the Panthers faced Southern Durham for the Big 8 Conference Tournament championship.

Orange’s Coleman Cloer & Xandrell Pennix talk with Jon Franklin about win over East Wake

The Orange men’s basketball team used a 16-0 run in the first quarter to cruise past East Wake 63-48 in the opening round of the Columbia Bracket in the South Granville Holiday Invitational in Creedmoor on Wednesday night. Once again, Orange freshman Coleman Cloer and Sophomore Xandrell Pennix led the Panthers offensively.

The Orange men’s basketball program will start action today in the South Granville Holiday Invitational Tournament playing the program’s best basketball in years.

The last time the Panthers went into holiday break with a winning record, it was 2019. The Panthers were 7-1, fresh off a whopping 50-point win over East Chapel Hill in its conference opener. They followed with a victory over Walter Williams, the defending 3A Eastern Regional champions.

It appeared Orange would be the favorite to win in Creedmoor. Instead, the worst-case scenario unfolded over the course of three days.

Orange shockingly lost to Sanderson, Franklinton and Green Hope. The Panthers, who went into the event ranked in the MaxPreps top ten among 3A Eastern Regional teams, lost a key player for the season days later, never recovered and finished 10-15.

Needless to say, it’s not an experience that Panthers head coach Derryl Britt wants to endure again.

Orange will face East Wake in the opening game of the Columbia Bracket tonight at 7 PM at South Granville High School. The winner will face South Granville or Cary in the semifinals on Thursday.

Wake Forest, Northern Durham, Green Level and Sanderson complete the eight-team field.

Orange hasn’t been to the final of a holiday tournament since 2016, when they defeated Eastern Guilford to win the Eastern Guilford Holiday Invitational on the Wildcats’ own floor in Gibsonville.

Last year, the Panthers finished third in the Navy Bracket at South Granville. After falling to Cary in the semifinals, the Panthers defeated Granville Central in the 3rd place game. Orange senior guard Jerec Thompson was named MVP of the Navy Bracket.

Of all of Britt’s teams that he’s taken into a Christmas event, this is easily the most unique. For Orange’s top four scorers, this will be their first taste of holiday tournament basketball.

Coleman Cloer (17.7 points per game) and Kai Wade (10 ppg) are freshmen. Sophomore Xandrell Pennix (10.8 points per game) wasn’t called up to the varsity level until Orange’s game against Person in January. Junior center Ryan Honeycutt (9 points per game) is in the midst of his first varsity season. Mason Robinson, who had seven blocks in Orange’s win over Walter Williams on December 16, is also a freshman.

Most of Orange’s veterans with tournament experience have come off the bench this year. Last week, junior Ryan Moss played his first game of the season after undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus in September.He scored nine points, all off 3-pointers, in a win over Southern Alamance.

“I commend all five of my seniors,” Britt said. “They are the captains of this team. They really do lead the team. The fact that they don’t play as much as the younger guys, they don’t let it bother them. They knew it was going to be that way coming into this season. The fact that they accepted those roles and I can’t say enough about them.”

The youth movement has led to results. Orange (9-3) has already surpassed its win total from last season. The Panthers won at Walter Williams for the first time in over 35 years earlier this month and are still the only team to have defeated Franklinton, who are 8-1.

“We haven’t had a team this formidable going to South Granville,” Britt said. “Last year, we went over there and finished 2-1, which is what you want to do in a quality tournament like that. Our goal this year is to reach the championship game.”

The Columbia Bracket is full of familiar faces for Orange. Cary defeated Orange 69-64 in the semifinals last year. Wake Forest ran past Orange 65-47 on December 3. If the Cougars and the Panthers have a rematch, it would be in the championship game.

Northern Durham is a former Big 8 Conference rival that moved up to 4A at the end of the 2021 academic year.

Though Santa’s sleigh is still parked in the North Pole for the next 24 hours, there were some arrivals for the Orange men’s basketball team that showed up just in time to celebrate the Yuletide and a win over Southern Alamance.

There was the return of junior Ryan Moss, who missed the first eleven games of the season after he underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in September. That meant the Panthers got another weapon on offense and an expanded 12-man rotation, which coach Derryl Britt utilized to wear down the Patriots in an 80-63 victory on Wednesday night, Orange’s final game before Christmas.

On a night where 3-pointers flew through the air like snow flurries in winter, Panthers’ Sophomore Xandrell Pennix paced all scorers with 19 points. Freshman Coleman Cloer, despite sitting out most of the fourth quarter, finished with 14. Cloer has finished in double figures in eleven of Orange’s 12 games.

The Panthers (9-3) have already surpassed its win total from last year.

Southern Alamance (4-5), whose first six field goals were 3-pointers, were led by Jordan Moore with 18 points.

“They shot 3-pointers off the backboard, from the corner,” Britt said. “I thought they were auditioning for the Globetrotters. Ryan was shooting the ball well in practice. We ran a transition drill and Ryan was the guy in the corner knocking the 3-pointer down. I told him one day “Moss, if you don’t shot it that well when you come back, we’re going to have some problems.’ He said ‘I will, coach.’ Tonight, he did.”

The Patriots led the entire first quarter starting when Moore banked in a 3-pointer on the game’s opening possession. Southern Alamance’s Gage Martin, who finished with 14 points, added two more 3-pointers in the first quarter. A free throw by Nathan Teague built the Patriot lead to 14-8 with 2:39 remaining in the first quarter.

Orange finished the quarter on a 12-6 run that started with a three-point play by senior Darius Corbett, who tied his career-high with 13 points.

Late in the first quarter, Cloer put the Panthers in the lead after he grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and drew a foul against Southern’s Evan Jacobson. Cloer missed the subsequent free throw, but fellow freshman Mason Robinson got the offense rebound for a stickback basket and was fouled, as well, to give Orange its first lead.

Orange outscored the Patriots 24-8 in the second quarter to take control of the game. Pennix scored seven of his 18 points in the second quarter. Moss drained the first of his three 3-pointers to put Orange ahead 31-20. Moss set a new career-high with nine points.

The Panthers will gear up for the South Granville Holiday Invitational in Creedmoor. Orange will play in the Columbia Bracket and face East Wake on Wednesday night at 7 PM. The winner will face either Cary or South Granville in the semifinals.

Women’s game: Southern Alamance 47, Orange 44

Orange fought back from a 14-point deficit and had a chance to tie late against Southern Alamance, but the Patriots held off the Panthers to win 47-44. Madison Brouillard sank two big free throws late to secure the Patriots seventh win of the season.

Orange played without center Erin Jordan-Cornell and forward Katelyn Van Mater. Senior Jada Reed and Nikayla Whitted paced the Panther comeback. Reed finished with 13 points, while Whitted had 12.

Sophomore Evelyn George scored seven points, including five in the fourth quarter. The Panthers had a possession in the final 20 seconds to tie the game, but Southern Alamance’s Shaniya Paylor stripped the ball away and came up with a steal.

Despite not scoring in the opening five minutes, Southern Alamance led 8-4 at the end of the first quarter. MeiLani Patterson paced the Patriots with 13 points. Center Clara LaChapelle scored 12 for Southern.

Orange will open play in the Eastern Guilford Holiday Invitational on Monday morning. They will open the event against the Burlington School at 10 AM.

The Orange men’s basketball team danced underneath the Mosstle Toe and relied on Isaiah Sleighmour to secure its ninth victory of the season. In its final game before Christmas, the Panthers cruised past Southern Alamance 80-63 at Panthers Gymnasium on Wednesday night. It was the return of junior Ryan Moss,who missed the first eleven games of the season after undergoing surgery on a torn meniscus. In his first game back, Moss scored a career-high nine points, all off of 3-pointers. Senior center Isaiah Seymour provided a punch down low for the Panthers will three rebounds in the opening three minutes. He finished with three points. Orange has already surpassed its win total for all of last season. Sophomore Xandrell Pennix led the Panthers with 19 points. Freshman Coleman Cloer had 14 points, while senior Darius Corbett added 13 points, tying his career-high. The Panthers will now focus on the South Granville Holiday Invitational, where they will play in the Columbia Bracket. The Panthers will start play against East Wake on Wednesday night at 7 PM at South Granville High School. The winner will face either South Granville or Cary in the semifinals. Northern Durham, Wake Forest, Sanderson and Green Level are also included in the eight-team tournament. The Panthers are 9-3.

Orange’s Isaiah Seymour & Ryan Moss discuss men’s basketball win over Southern Alamance

The Orange men’s basketball team danced underneath the Mosstle Toe and relied on Isaiah Sleighmour to secure its ninth victory of the season. In its final game before Christmas, the Panthers cruised past Southern Alamance 80-63 at Panthers Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

Joey McMullin: The Sandhills Flyers Community College men’s basketball team ended 2022 with four consecutive wins. The Flyers defeated Lenoir Community College 107-80 in Kinston. McMullin scored nine points in 15 minutes off 4-of-11 shooting from the field. On December 10, the Flyers routed Thomas Nelson Community College 73-47 in Pinehurst. McMullin scored eight points over 21 minutes. He also grabbed three rebounds and dished out two assists. On December 13, Sandhills defeated Shooting 4 Greatness 101-76 in Pinehurst. McMullin scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. He also had two rebounds and two assists. On December 15, the Flyers nipped Pitt Community College 89-87 in Greenville. McMullin scored eleven points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field. Sandhills led by as many as 17 points before holding on to win. Through 14 games, McMullin leads the team averaging 14.1 points per game. He had a season-high of 22 points in another win over Pitt Community College on November 16. The Flyers will have several games streamed on ESPN+ in 2023. The Flyers are 12-2 overall, 1-0 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Connor Crabtree: Crabtree has started his senior season with the Richmond men’s basketball team. After missing the opening six games, Crabtree made his debut in a 90-67 loss to Toledo at John Savage Arena in Ohio on November 30. Crabtree played one minute. Crabtree scored three points in four minutes in Richmond’s 82-52 win over Drake at the Robins Center on December 10. In a 77-48 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on December 13, Crabtree had three rebounds over nine minutes. He also had an assist. In a 85-67 loss to Clemson in Greenville, S.C. last Saturday, Crabtree scored two points in eight minutes off 1-of-3 shooting from the field. Richmond is 5-6 and will play its Atlantic 10 opener on December 31 at George Mason.

Joshua Jackson: During the summer, Jackson joined the Division III Brevard men’s basketball program. He has not played in an official game as of yet. The Tornadoes are 3-6 overall and will start play in the USA South Athletic Conference against Mary Baldwin College on January 4 in Staunton, VA.

Aaliyah Harris: The Division III Randolph-Macon women’s basketball team earned several victories as the calendar turned to December. The Yellow Jackets have On December 7, Randolph defeated Randolph-Macon 50-43 at Giles Gymnasium in Lynchburg, VA. Harris, a freshman, played 14 minutes and had three points and three rebounds. Randolph-Macon has won three in a row, including a victory in the opening round of the Daytona Beach Shootout over Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The Yellow Jackets will face St. Robert in the semifinals on Wednesday.

Braden Homsey: The Division III Ferrum College wrestling team competed in several dual matches as the autumn wound to a close. On November 30, the Panthers defeated Greensboro College 35-11 at Royce Reynolds Family Student Life Center Gym in Greensboro. It was Ferrum’s first-ever match as a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Homsey didn’t compete against the Pride. On December 7, William & Lee defeated Ferrum 27-7 at Duchossois Athletic and Recreation Center in Lexington, VA. Competing at 197 pounds, John Ryan Sedovy defeated Homsey 6-4 in the first sudden victory round. Homsey, now a senior, is 4-3 on the season. The Panthers will compete in the Citrus Invitational at the Broward County Convention Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL starting December 29.

Kate Burgess: During the fall, Burgess was named a co-Captain for the North Carolina rowing team. Burgess, who was a basketball center and cross country runner for Orange, is a senior with the Tar Heels. As a junior, Burgess competed in nine races for UNC. She finished first agains UCF and second against Tennessee in the First Varsity 4+ boat at the UVA Invitational. Burgess notched a second place finish against Boston College last April in the First Varsity 4+ boat. UNC will start its next rowing season in the spring.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is freshman men’s basketball forward Coleman Cloer. Through eleven games, Cloer is the leading scorer for the Orange men’s basketball team as the Panthers are 6-3, its best start in four years. On November 29, Cloer sank two free throws with :7.2 seconds remaining to give the Panthers a 67-66 win over Franklinton. It is still the only loss the Rams have suffered this year. On Friday night, Cloer scored a career-high 26 points in the Panthers 66-59 win against Walter Williams. On Tuesday, Cloer had 15 points as the Panthers won its Central Carolina Conference opener over Western Alamance. Orange has already won five road games this season, two more than they had all of last year. Cloer is one of three freshman who start for Orange, along with Kai Wade and Mason Robinson. The younger brother of former Orange High quarterback Garrett Cloer, who went on to play tight end at Cornell. Coleman Cloer will continue his freshman season on Wednesday night when Orange faces Southern Alamance in Hillsborough. The Panthers will start play in the South Granville Holiday Tournament next Wednesday. They will face East Wake in the opening round.

Orange Panther of the Week: Coleman Cloer

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is freshman men’s basketball forward Coleman Cloer. Through eleven games, Cloer is the leading scorer for the Orange men’s basketball team as the Panthers are 6-3, its best start in four years. On November 29, Cloer sank two free throws with :7.2 seconds remaining to give the Panthers a 67-66 win over Franklinton.