Orange Men’s Basketball

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior men’s basketball guard Jerec Thompson. In his first game of the season on December 2, Thompson scored a career-high 41 points as the Panthers defeated the North Carolina School of Science and Math 73-54 in Durham. Last week, Thompson scored 27 points as Orange knocked off Carrboro 61-58 in Hillsborough, handing the Jaguars its first loss of the season. On Friday night, Thompson added 30 points against Riverside. In his freshman season, Orange men’s coach Derryl Britt called Thompson up to the varsity team during the Eastern Guilford Holiday Hoops tournament. He’s been on varsity ever since with his prolific 3-point shooting. Last winter, during the pandemic-shortened season, Thompson scored 32 points in Orange’s 65-62 win at Vance County. He scored in double-figures in eleven of Orange’s 12 games in 2021, including 23 points against Cedar Ridge on February 5. Thompson returns to action on Tuesday night when Orange hosts Western Alamance.

After he scored 41 points in the opening game of his senior season, it would be easy for Jerec Thompson’s teammates on the Orange men’s basketball team to let him carry the load down the stretch of tight games.

But that’s not the recipe for success.

Instead, against Carrboro on Tuesday night at Panther Gymnasium, it was another Thompson that came through with the biggest play of the game.

With the game tied 56-56 with 2:26 remaining, Thompson did a flashy crossover to shake Carrboro point guard Ti’von Bird, then drilled a 3-pointer to put Orange (2-3) ahead for good. Joshua Jackson hit enough free throws in the final minute as Orange pulled out a 61-58 victory over Carrboro for the Panthers first home win of the season.

Jerec Thompson finished with 27 points, including 21 in the first half. Ethan Stutts led Carrboro (3-1) with 19 points, but was scoreless in the final quarter.

J.J. Thompson had all nine of his points off three-pointers in the final five minutes of regulation.

“That’s not unexpected,” said Orange coach Darryl Britt. “We’ve been preaching for J.J. to do this type of thing the whole time. Luckily he knocked them down tonight. I hope in the future, we won’t have to push him so hard because everybody is going to try to take J.T. (Jerec Thompson) away at times like that.”

After J.J.’s crossover three-pointer, Carrboro’s L.J. Riggsbee scored off a rebound and was fouled by Orange’s Ryan Moss with 2:08 remaining. But Riggsbee missed the subsequent free throw that would have tied the game and the Jaguars didn’t score again.

Thompson’s 3-pointer turned out to be the final field goal of the game. Jackson, who finished with nine points, made three big three throws in the final minute. Carrboro had several chances to even the game in the waning minutes, but Jerec Thompson and Darius Corbett came up with crucial rebounds after Jaguars misses from the field. With under a minute remaining, Carrboro forced a steal and broke out in transition set to tie the game, but the Jaguars were called for traveling.

Orange didn’t trail in the first half, but its largest lead was seven. After Jackson opened the game with a 3-pointer, Thompson drained consecutive 3-pointers in the first quarter, including one from 30-feet to put Orange in the lead for the remainder of the half. Jackson was fouled on a 3-pointer on the subsequent possession, and made two free throws.

Stutts scored 15 points in the first half for the Jaguars. Carrboro had three chances to even the game in the second quarter, but the Panthers came up with stops on every trip.

Riggsbee put the Jaguars ahead in the third quarter after two free throws.

Tuesday’s game was the start of a five-game homestead for Orange. They will host Riverside on Friday night.

WOMEN’S GAME: ORANGE 68, CARRBORO 36

Two Orange women’s players had career-highs as the Lady Panthers defeated Carrboro 68-36 on Tuesday night.

Senior guard Samantha George put up 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field, including both of her 3-point attempts. Last Thursday, George had a career-high of 19 points in a win over the North Carolina School of Science and Math in Durham.

Another senior guard, Nikayla Whitted, added eleven points and six steals. Whitted, who played at Gravelly Hill Middle School, reached double-figures for the first time in her career.

Senior point guard Aaliyah Harris added 18 points as Orange improved to 3-2. Jarmil Wingate added eight points.

It was the first home game of the season for Orange. The Lady Panthers opened the season with road trips to Graham, Chapel Hill, Durham and Pittsboro.

Not only did the Orange men’s basketball team win its first home game of the season on Tuesday night. They became the first team to defeat Carrboro this season. The Panthers held off the Jaguars 61-58 at Panther Gymnasium. Senior guard J.J. Thompson save his best for last, scoring all nine of his points off three 3-pointers in the final five minutes. The biggest came with 2:26 remaining when Thompson drilled a 20-footer following a sweet crossover that shook the Jaguars point guard. Senior guard Joshua Jackson hit three big free throws in the final minute as Orange improved to 2-3. Jackson started with five points in the opening quarter. Senior guard Jerec Thompson led all scorers with 27 points, including 21 in the first half. Orange will return home to face Riverside on Friday night in Hillsborough.

DURHAM–As Jerec Thompson stepped out of the visitor’s locker room after his first game of the season, he was greeted by two students from the North Carolina School of Science and Math.

At a time when even the most basic facts are prone to violent disagreement, these students didn’t want trouble after Orange had defeated their home team.

They waited ten minutes after the game to get Thompson’s autograph. They had Sharpies, but no paper.

So Thompson obliged them by signing his first autograph on one fan’s forehead. The other received a signature across his forearm

That was one of several firsts for Orange’s senior guard on Thursday night. It was his first game of the season after a near catastrophic fall in a scrimmage against Vance County at Franklinton High School on November 20 as he went up for a dunk. After several MRIs at Duke Hospital, it caused him to miss Orange’s opening games against Southern Alamance and East Chapel Hill.

Clamoring to return, Thompson didn’t exactly settle into the new season. Instead, he recorded a career-high 41 points on a night both exhilarating and strange as Orange defeated Science and Math 73-54 at Unicorn Gymnasium.

Thompson broke his previous career high of 32 points set on February 6 against Vance County in Henderson.

“I’ve been ready since I got hurt really,” Thompson said. “I’ve been antsy and ready to get back watching in practice. It’s been a little bit difficult.”

Thompson’s 41 points was the most by any Orange player since Connor Crabtree scored 44 points against Southern Durham in the 2017 Big 8 Conference Tournament championship game. Crabtree now plays for the Richmond Spiders. He also scored 40 points against Chapel Hill on January 5, 2017.

Joshua Jackson added eleven points for Orange (1-2), while Hunter Birch added ten.

Science and Math (4-3) was led by Tanner McLeod, who scored 21 points. Eric Guan added eleven.

The game was a homecoming of sorts for Orange coach Darryl Britt, who simultaneously coached the Science and Math men’s and women’s basketball teams in 2013-2014. Thompson’s hot shooting didn’t overshadow the choppy nature of the game where 40 fouls and two technical fouls were whistled. At one point in the first half, the Unicorns were awarded possession twice in a row after held balls, which led to Britt picking up a technical.

Britt was whistled for another technical in the third quarter after a borderline traveling call, leading to his ejection. His experience with Unicorns gymnasium led to him trying to watch the game from afar on the catwalk balcony over the gym. That didn’t last long. Within seconds, after Guan was fouled and went to the foul line, an official spotted Britt spying from the other end of the gym and ordered him into his locker room. The fact that Britt was wearing an Orange sweater inside a dark setting didn’t exactly make him the master of deception.

“I should have worn a disguise like Bobby Valentine did,” Britt joked afterwards, referring to the former New York Mets manager who once was ejected from a game, only to return to the dugout wearing a fake mustache.

With assistant William Dobbs filling in during an emergency situation, Thompson wouldn’t let Orange lose. He scored 29 points in the second half.

Orange bolted out to a 15-points lead behind six early points from backup center Hunter Burch, who played the national anthem with an electric guitar before Tuesday’s game against East Chapel Hill. The Unicorns went on an 8-0 run, though they only scored one field goal in that span. Jackson finished the half strong for Orange. He sank two free throws, then stole an inbounds pass and scored on a lay-in to put the Panthers ahead 34-23 at halftime.

ORANGE 73, NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATCH 54

ORANGE–Jerec Thompson 41, Joshua Jackson 11, J.J. Thompson 3, Thomas Loch 1, Darius Corbett 2, Michael Clark 5, Hunter Burch 10

NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATCH–Zaid Abdullah 3, Eric Guan 11, Tanner McLeod 21, Zach Brooks 3, Seth Allen 2, Owen Streppa 10, Anderson Adu-Poku 2, Matt Goodman 2.

Jerec Thompson’s grandfather, Ray Durham, asked him to score 30 points in his season-debut on Thursday night against the North Carolina School of Science and Math. Thompson did him one better. Actually, he did him eleven better. Thompson scored a career-high 41 points as the Panthers defeated the Unicorns 73-54 inside Unicorn Gymnasium. It was Thompson’s first game of the season after he suffered an injury during a scrimmage at Franklinton High School in a game against Vance County. Thompson was held to 12 points in the first half, but lit up the Unicorns for 29 points in the second half. Thompson eclipsed his previous career-high of 32 points set on February 6 against Vance County in Henderson. The Panthers earned its first win of the season. They will open its Central Carolina Conference slate against Northwood in Pittsboro on Saturday.