Orange Men’s Basketball

CHAPEL HILL–Before the Orange men’s basketball team could start on its mission to repeat as the best team in the Central Conference, they had to prove they were the best team in all of Orange County.

That meant beating Chapel Hill, something they haven’t done since February 8, 2019.

On Tuesday night, a determined, gritty group of Panthers didn’t trail in the second half and handed the Tigers its first loss of the season.

Sophomore Hector Garrido came up with a career-high 14 points to power a 7-0 run to open the second half, building a 15-point deficit the Tigers couldn’t erase as Orange won 65-58. It ended the Panthers five-game losing streak to its longest in-county rival.

Senior Xandrell Pennix added 19 points, including some pressure-packed free throws down the stretch. Chapel Hill coach Rodney Carter, who apparently attended the Dean Smith College of Extending Games Down the Stretch, masterfully cut into the Panthers deficit behind 15 points from senior forward Jason Krieg.

Chapel Hill entered the game 5-0, winning all of its games by double-figures. Their tightest contest had come against Walter Williams last week, a 65-50 win where they led 36-27 at halftime.

“We wanted this one,” said Orange coach Derryl Britt. “To be honest with you, I knew we hadn’t beaten these guys in years. But that really wasn’t a motivating factor. History is exactly what it is–history. Where we are, currently, and where they are. That’s why we needed this win. We need to stack wins against good teams.”

In years past, Chapel Hill would utilize its size to intimidate Orange teams, some of them even more talented that the current squad. In the early minutes on Tuesday night, Garrido and center Jalen Crayton blocked shots against the Tigers’ starting five, sending a loud and clear message that it was game on.

Nonetheless, the Tigers knocked the Panthers back with an early run from Juice McIlwaine, who scored seven points as Chapel Hill built a 17-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. As Orange was mired in some early shooting woes, Garrido carried the way offensively with six points.

Following the first half quarter breaks, Orange’s backcourt of Kai Wade, Freddy Sneed and Pennix took control of the game defensively. None of Chapel Hill’s starters scored in the second quarter, while Wade and Pennix drained 3-pointers. Ethan Ellis’ drained a trey with 3:37 remaining in the first half to give Orange a 21-20 advantage, remarkably one they wouldn’t surrender for the rest of the game. After Sneed knocked down two free throws in the final minute, Wade banked in a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give the Panthers a 32-24 lead going to the locker room.

While Chapel Hill appeared motivated coming out of the locker room, it was Orange who made the shots. Sneed stole the ball on the Tigers’ opening possession, leading to Pennix driving into the paint and dished it off to sophomore center Jalen Crayton who scored a lay-in. Pennix stole the ball on the next Chapel Hill trip, Garrido rebounded a miss and laid it in against a taller Tiger team, leading to an immediate time out.

Crayton finished with nine blocks, a career-high

Wade stripped Chapel Hill guard Niko Davis of the ball following the timeout. Then Wade sent a drive-and-kick pass to Garrido, who buried a 3-pointer from the wing to put the Panthers ahead 39-24.

Krieg almost single-handily kept the Tigers in the game, scoring seven of their nine points in the third quarter. The Tigers narrowed its deficit down to five points behind three-pointers from McIlwaine and Makhai Manning, but Pennix and Wade drained enough free throws down the stretch to keep the Panthers ahead.

Orange will start its Central Conference campaign with a trip to Eastern Alamance on Friday night.

ORANGE 65, CHAPEL HILL 58

ORANGE: Kai Wade 14, Xandrell Pennix 19, Freddy Sneed 9, Jalen Crayton 4, Hector Garrido 14, Robert Smith 2, Ethan Ellis 3

CHAPEL HILL: Niko Davis 7, Wesley Krieg 2, Max Upchurch 7, Juice McIlwaine 12, Jason Krieg 15, Mahkai Manning 10, Sam Zimmerman 5

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Photo by Jacques Morin

When a team plays well enough in a big game, they may pull off a victory over an opponent that has a large enough stature to become a brand name in its given sport.

In September, Northern Illinois football beat Notre Dame.

Last month, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees.

On Friday night, Orange basketball beat Mt. Zion Christian Academy.

Junior Ethan Ellis, in only his second varsity game, canned a 3-pointer from a pass from Xandrell Pennix with :13 remaining to lift the Panthers over the Warriors 60-56 in a fever-pitched environment at Panther Gymnasium in Hillsborough.

Orange point guard Kai Wade fought off cramping problems in the final minute to lead the Panthers with 18 points. Senior Michael Clark sank a free-throw with :06 left, putting the game out of reach as Orange improved to 3-0 for the first time since the 2019-2020 season.

Mt. Zion’s Chris Walker tied the game with :31.4 remaining after scoring on a lay-in while being fouled by Jamari McDaniel. The subsequent free throw evened the contest at 57-57.

Following a timeout, Pennix dribbled along the baseline and wrapped a skip pass around to Ellis, who was in the game after senior Freddy Sneed fouled out. Ellis, alone on the wing, wasn’t bothered by the onrushing Walker as his 20-footer swished through the net, leading to an eruption from the O-Game student section.

Mt. Zion’s Rodney Farrington, who didn’t score all night rushed down the foul and sidestepped Ellis at the basket, but his lay-in was short. Clark grabbed the rebound and set off a celebration for Orange’s biggest non-conference win since upsetting Hillside in last year’s lid lifter in Hillsborough.

“I knew it would take grit to win this game,” said Orange coach Derryl Britt. “Freddie (Sneed), Xandrell, Jamari (McDaniel) are the leaders of that mentality.”

The gamesmanship started early in the week with players trading taunts via memes and videos on Instagram and TikToc. Orange had six days between games while Mt. Zion had trampled Oak Ridge Military Academy by 24 points, followed by a 42-point rout of Greater Vision Academy on November 15.

Warriors guard Ian Bush averaged 24 points and shot 80% from the field in the opening two wins. On Friday night, a combination of Sneed and Wade held him to seven points.

Orange led 47-40 after a jumper by Wade bounced around the rim and fell in with :42 remaining in the third quarter. With time running out in the frame, Wade missed a three-pointer. Mt. Zion’s Jayden Adams raced down the floor and scored on a lay-in to beat the quarter buzzer.

That triggered an 11-0 Warriors run that put them ahead 51-47. Adams, who spent virtually the entire game in foul trouble, started the fourth quarter with a lay-in. Walker followed an Orange miss with a dunk that sparked the sizeable Mt. Zion contingent visiting from Hillsborough. Adams drilled a three-pointer to gave the Warriors the advantage at 49-47, it’s first lead since the final minute of the first half. Moments later, Adams was called for his fifth foul.

Bush scored his only field goal of the fourth quarter off a goaltending call on Orange center Jalen Crayton. On a lengthy possession, Orange ended a drought of over four minutes without a point when Pennix slashed into the paint and scored on a lay-in. Orlando Karem’s lay-in attempt rattled out, and Wade batted the loose ball down the floor to Sneed, who slammed it home to tie the game at 51-51.

Orange faced several obstacles in the final minutes. Wade pulled up with a cramp in his right knee, forcing the Panthers to use its last timeout with 2:48 remaining.

Clark put Orange ahead with a 3-pointer with 2:36 remaining to put Orange ahead 54-51.

After Walked scored on a dunk, Sneed and the Warriors’ Rodney Farrington were each tagged with a technical foul for talking to each other. It was Sneed’s fifth foul, depriving the Panthers of its top defensive player. Farrington, a backup guard, picked up his first foul.

Wade was tripped going into the lane by Bryce Long, which was his fifth foul. Pennix scored two free throws with :39.7 remaining to give Orange a 57-54 lead.

The Warriors charged out to an 11-4 lead, but Warriors head coach Marvin Reed threw all standard in-game coaching mindset out the window when he left Adams in the game despite picking up three fouls in the opening quarter. Orange got 3-pointers from Pennix and Clark to cut its deficit down to one point late in the first quarter.

The Panthers led 27-26 at the half thanks to a late lay-in by Wade.

Orange will host Southern Lee on Monday night in Hillsborough, its final game before Thanksgiving.

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Orange junior point guard Kai Wade scored 31 points as the Panthers fought back from an 8-point halftime deficit to defeat Voyager Academy 75-64 in the season-opener at Orange High on Friday night. It was the opening game of the Voyager Academy Tip-Off Classic, which will continue tonight with a trip to Voyager to face Riverside. Senior Michael Clark had a career-high 23 points as the Panthers won its lid lifter for the fifth time in seven years. Wade has been a starter on the varsity for the past three years. He will likely have to take an increased role on offense this year after the transfer of Coleman Cloer, who transferred to Caldwell Academy after scoring over 1,000 points in just two seasons in Hillsborough. Clark has been a member of the varsity since 2021. With senior Xandrell Pennix working his way back from an ankle injury, Clark stepped up with some big baskets early in the third quarter. Clark scored on a three-point play to take the lead for good late in the third quarter. Senior Freddy Sneed, who also played regularly as a freshman, injured his foot in the third quarter, but returned to make some crucial defensive plays. Orange is looking to repeat as Central Conference champions.

Orange basketball’s Kai Wade, Michael Clark & Freddy Sneed discuss season-opening win vs. Voyager

Orange junior point guard Kai Wade scored 31 points as the Panthers fought back from an 8-point halftime deficit to defeat Voyager Academy 75-64 in the season-opener at Orange High on Friday night. It was the opening game of the Voyager Academy Tip-Off Classic, which will continue tonight with a trip to Voyager to face Riverside.

In another time, the Orange men’s basketball team would have its greatest player in school history and its best rim protector in generations back for their junior seasons.

But that’s not the time we’re in.

Coleman Cloer, who scored 1,035 points over 46 career Orange games, transferred to Caldwell Academy over the summer to play his junior season after he collected offers from North Carolina, Illinois and Georgetown. Another rising junior, Mason Robinson, left for Greensboro Country Day, though he was still a regular at Orange volleyball games through the late summer until it was time to start basketball practice.

Orange’s explosiveness has been naturally diminished, but their expectations aren’t.

“I haven’t seen enough of the conference to judge where I think where I think we should be,” Britt said. “But in our minds, the conference still runs through Orange High School.”

Junior Kai Wade scored 31 points as Orange quickly erased a halftime deficit to defeat Voyager Academy 75-64 in the Voyager Academy Tip-Off Classic at Panther Gymnasium in Hillsborough on Friday night to open the season. Senior Michael Clark, who has played on varsity on and off since his freshman year, added a career-high 23 points as Orange won its season-opener for the fifth time in seven years.

Alex Wilder led the Vikings with 15 points. Center McKinley Hemsley added 14, but was limited to one field goal in the second half. Voyager took a 41-33 lead into the locker room on the strength of eighth 3-pointers in the first half. After intermission, the Vikings were limited to three field goals from downtown.

“Kai and Mike did exactly what I expect out of them,” Britt said. “In the first half, our defense wasn’t what it was during the preseason. But we’re going to play quality defense. We should have a three-headed monster on offense.”

Voyager, coming off a loss to Durham Academy, had played four games dating back to November 6. They were more cohesive than the Panthers early, rushing out to a 17-7 lead behind two 3-pointers from Wilder. Orange finished the first quarter with a 13-3 run that was triggered by Wade, who drilled a 3-pointer to pull the Panthers into the first tie of the game. Wade delivered one of his patented strip-and-steals late in the frame for a lay-in to pull Orange ahead 20-18.

The Vikings immediately erased their deficit with five 3-pointers in the second quarter. Darin Jones opened with a trey. Hemsley scored seven of his 12 points in the second quarter while Orange was limited to only one field goal over a span of five minutes. Voyager built an 11-point lead before Clark scored two late field goals to trip the Viking advantage to 41-33 at halftime.

Wade and Sneed alternated between defending Voyager’s top scorer Manny Pullium, who averaged 16.8 points per game. On Friday, he was held to nine, his lowest output of the season.

From the time Xandrell Pennix stole the ball away from Pullium to open the second half leading to a pull-up jumper from Wade, the Panthers dominated the second half. Orange limited the Vikings to seven points in the third quarter. After a miss by Hemsley, Wade fed Clark for a lay-in while drawing a foul on Pullium. Clark stole the ball on the subsequent possession and Freddy Sneed scored off a lay-in following an offensive rebound from Jalen Crayton.

After Wilder scored on a sharp arching shot that banked high off the glass to boost the Voyager lead to 43-40, Wade sank two free throws. Following a foul on Hemsley on a rebound, Clark scored off a stick back to give the Panthers a 44-43, advantage, its first lead since it was 20-18.

Pullium scored off a lay-in to put the Vikings ahead, but Wade got the bounce on a jumper with 3:10 left in the third quarter that vaulted the Panthers ahead for the rest of the way.

Orange will continue play in the Voyager Academy Tip-Off Classic when they face Riverside at Voyager Academy tonight. Action starts at 6:30.