Orange Men’s Basketball

In a gritty battle on Thursday night, the Orange men’s basketball team defeated the Carrboro Jaguars 75-70 at Jaguars Gymnasium. For the second straight week, the Panthers had to battle in the fourth quarter without its leading scorer, Joey McMullin, who fouled out. Junior Jason Franklin was more than up to the challenge. He finished with 13 points, but Franklin had several huge steals on defense late in the game, including one when Carrboro attempted to tie the game. Franklin knocked the ball away from Carrboro’s T.K. Paisant, dove on the floor and drew a foul. Franklin sank both free throws to seal the win. It was Orange’s final tuneup before its Big 8 Conference opener against East Chapel Hill. The Panthers host the Wildcats on Tuesday night at 7 in Hillsborough.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is junior forward Kendrell Brooks. On Friday night, Brooks came off the bench to score a career-high 25 points as the Panthers defeated Southern Alamance 97-74 in Graham. Brooks exploded offensively at a time when the Panthers needed him most. Early in the game, leading scorer Joey McMullin and point guard J.J. Thompson each picked up two fouls. Brooks, who scored two points the previous night in Orange’s win over Southern lee, hit four 3-pointers against the Patriots as Orange improved on its best start to a season since 2006, at least. Last season, Brooks was called up from the junior varsity team just before the Eastern Guilford Holiday Tournament and remained with the varsity team for the rest of the year. Orange will return to action tonight at Carrboro. Airtime on Hillsboroughsports.com will be 6 o’clock for the women’s game, followed by the men’s game.

There was no question the Orange men’s basketball team had offensive firepower returning this year, even after losing leading scorer Mekai Collins.

But even the most optimistic Panther fan may have been stunned by Friday night.

Despite leading scorer Joey McMullin fouling out early in the fourth quarter, the Panthers ran up its most points in a game in nearly 13 years.

Kendell Brooks, who had scored a combined 14 points in Orange’s opening three games, registered a stunning 25 points off the bench as the Panthers surged past Southern Alamance 97-74 on Friday night in Patriots Gymnasium.

Junior guard Jason Franklin also had a career-high of 27 points as the Panthers bombarded the Patriots with 15 3-pointers.

It was the most points for Orange in a single game since February 9, 2007 in a 109-104 win over Cedar Ridge.

Orange completed a string of three games in four days with a 4-0 record, its best start in at least 14 years.

Southern Alamance (1-3) was led by 6-5 center Grant Thompson, who scored 22 points, the highest among four Patriots in double-figures. But he scored only two points in the final quarter, long after Orange pulled away.

While you wouldn’t know it looking at the scoreboard, Orange had its fair share of adversity en route to highest scoring game of the decade. In front of a packed gymnasium in Graham, the Panthers were called for eight of the first nine fouls in the first half, and the first seven fouls of the second half. Each of Orange’s five starters picked up two fouls before halftime.

That’s why Brooks’ contribution was so huge. And so surprising.

After he scored two points against Southern Lee the night before, Brooks put up ten in the first quarter and went into halftime with 13.

“He’s got it in him,” Orange Coach Derryl Britt said. “We’ve known it, which is why he was pulled up from JV last year. It took him some time for him to get acclimated to the speed of the game at the varsity level. He knows he’s an integral part of the team now.”

An up-tempo, full court, faster-than-Metallica-in-the-mid-80s pace was established right off the jump ball when Orange’s Machai Holt scored off a lay-in and Jerec Thompson canned the first of his five 3-pointers to send Orange up 5-0.

The Patriots responded with a 13-3 run, including a three-pointer from Dylan Brewer and a three-point play from Evan Shaw, who sent starting point guard J.J. Thompson to the bench with two fouls. Shortly after McMullin drained a trey to end a 11-0 Patriot spree, he also picked up his second foul.

As the Patriots controlled the offensive boards early, it would have been easy for Orange to panic. Instead, Franklin hit consecutive 3-pointers to even the game at 14.

Then Brooks went to work. After a steal by Tucker Miller, Brooks canned his first 3-pointer. Brooks scored seven consecutive points to send Orange ahead 24-15, including a coast-to-coast lay-in that forced a Patriots timeout.

Southern Alamance opened the second quarter with a 12-1 run to take the lead back, which ended with freshman Harrison Watson scored on a field goal after being fouled by Jerec Thompson.

Orange responded with a three-pointer from Jerec Thompson, and McMullin blocked a shot by Brewer, leading to another Thompson trey. After Grant Thompson threw in a jump hook, McMullin scored six consecutive points to push Orange ahead 37-33. After Brooks scored on an acrobatic lay-in, reserve Jared Wood scored Orange’s final four points in the first half to send the Panthers into the locker room ahead 47-41.

The Patriots were unable to keep up with Orange’s overwhelming pace in the second half. Brooks and Franklin canned two 3-pointers in the third quarter, while Jerec Thompson added another.

Holt ended the game in classic fashion after he slammed home his tenth point with 1:06 remaining, then was called for a technical foul (his fifth foul) for hanging on the rim. With victory in hand, Holt existed by blowing kisses to the Orange contingent, who stood and applauded as the Panthers’ secured its first road win of the year.

ORANGE 97, SOUTHERN ALAMANCE 74

ORANGE–Jerec Thompson 18, Jason Franklin 27, Machai Holt 10, Joey McMullin 9, Tucker Miller 4, Kendrell Brooks 25, Jared Wood 4.

SOUTHERN ALAMANCE: Dylan Brewer 6, Evan Shaw 15, Marcellus Walker 11, Elijah Deanhardt 2, Grant Thompson 22, Ben King 2, Maddux Smith 2, Harrison Watson 10, Chandler Eakes 2.

3-Pointers ORANGE 15 (Jer. Thompson 5, Franklin 4, Brooks 4, McMullin 2) SOUTHERN ALAMANCE 3 (Brewer 2, Shaw)

FOULED OUT: ORANGE (McMullin, Holt) Southern Alamance: none.

Entering Thursday night, the Orange men’s basketball team hadn’t started 3-0 since 2006, at least.

Before they could focus on that, they had to get free from their past. Namely, their most disappointing game from last year, which happened nearly exactly eleven months ago.

Orange led Southern Lee 47-39 with 1:36 remaining, only to have the Cavaliers finish the game on a 13-0 run and scored the game-winning points on a controversial technical foul against the Panther bench.

Southern Lee finished 25-4, won the Tri-County Conference Championship, and only lost 61-58 to Walter Williams in the 2nd round of the 3A State Playoffs. That same Williams team played for the state championship.

Though the Cavaliers have only one returning stater from last year, the Panthers got their revenge on Thursday.

Joey McMullin, one week removed from a career-high 38 points against Research Triangle, scored 27 as the Panthers (3-0) defeated the Cavaliers 70-58.

Junior Jason Franklin added 15 points, his third consecutive game in double figures. Senior Machai Holt added 13.

Quashawn Williams led the Cavaliers (1-5) with 16 points, while Makyi Butler scored 13.

Orange is now off to its best start since the 2005-06 season, at least, and quite likely even further back. They will travel to Southern Alamance for its third game in four days on Friday.

Not that everything was peachy. McMullin hit back-to-back 3-pointers to lift the Panthers to a 27-11 lead in the second quarter, but the Cavaliers chipped away at the lead for the rest of the first half.

Orange didn’t score in the final 3:27 of the second quarter, while Southern went on an 10-0 run, punctuated by a 3-point play from backup center J’Quan Smith, who blocked a finger roll by Holt and took the ball coast-to-coast for a lay-in and foul.

“I wasn’t pleased with the last few minutes of the first half,” Orange Coach Derryl Britt said. “However, looking back, we kind of got exactly what we needed because we haven’t been tested yet. Even though we won by 12, we were only up seven at the half. We needed to play under those circumstances against a strong team.”

Williams and Makyi Butler each had three-point plays in the opening minutes of the third quarter to cut Orange’s lead to 35-31. McMullin triggered the run that decided the game with a 3-pointer, which was followed by another trey from Tucker Miller, his only points.

Jerec Thompson hit two free throws with 3:08 remaining to extend Orange’s lead to 43-33, then J.J. Thompson came up with a steal that turned into free throws from McMullin, who also notched Orange’s next field goal on a jump hook. Kendrell Brooks scored his only points on a snowbird to cap a 14-2 Orange run.

McMullin ended last season with a 27-point game at Southern Durham in the Big 8 Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

The Panthers led 17-6 at the end of the first quarter, closing the frame on a 7-0 run. That included a three-pointer from Franklin and a lay-in by Machai Holt that went through the net despite being deflected by Smith.

McMullin hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the second quarter to give Orange a 27-11 lead early in the second quarter.

ORANGE 70, SOUTHERN LEE 58

SOUTHERN LEE: Quashawn Williams 16, Se’Vion Clay 8, Ely-Jah Smith 5, Makyi Butler 13, Gee McDougald 2, RarQuan Simmons 2, Nicholas Locklear 2, J’Quan Smith 7, Randall Upchurch 4.

ORANGE: Jerec Thompson 10, Jason Franklin 15, Machai Holt 13, Joey McMullin 27, Tucker Miller 3, Kendrell Brooks 2.

The Orange men’s basketball team is 3-0 for the first time in 13 years, at least. The Panthers defeated Southern Lee 70-58 on Thursday night at Panther Gymnasium. Machai Holt finished with 13 points. On Tuesday, Orange defeated Granville Central 76-48. Holt finished with 15 points against Central. Coming off a football season where Holt scored 12 touchdowns, he aims to finish his Orange playing career in style this winter for Coach Derryl Britt. On Friday night, the Panthers will play its third game in four days when they travel to Southern Alamance. We’ll have the broadcast on Hillsboroughsports.com starting with the women’s game at 6:30.