Orange Women’s Basketball

Women’s Basketball:

Orange 62, Riverside 16: Jada Reed’s midcourt short at the end of the third quarter flowed so smoothly through her hands and into the net, you would think she regularly practices it.

That’s because she does.

“In practices that’s all we do is shoot threes,” Reed said. “During water breaks, we shoot from midcourt and have contests.”

Reed’s 45-footer at the buzzer was the highlight of Orange’s 62-16 win over Riverside on Friday night at Panther Gymnasium. Senior guard Aaliyah Harris led the Lady Panthers (4-2) with 13 points. Reed added 12 points, including three 3-pointers.

With two of its most experienced players out of the lineup, it has been a time for several Lady Panthers to learn on the job. Junior varsity callups Aisha Caron and Katie Perkins made their varsity debut. Freshman Evelyn George had a career-high with 12 points.

Orange roared out to a 17-2 lead and held Riverside without a field goal in the opening nine minutes. Six different Lady Panthers scored in the opening quarter, including two field goals from Jarmil Wingate, who finished with eight points.

Shameia Holder led Riverside (1-3) with six points.

Orange will host Western Alamance on Tuesday, then welcome East Chapel Hill to Hillsborough on Wednesday.

PERSON 49, CEDAR RIDGE 22

In the first Central Carolina Conference game between the two teams, Person ended the first half on a 9-0 run to take an 18-6 lead into halftime. Phoenix Smith led the Red Wolves in scoring. Cedar Ridge (1-5, 0-2 in the CCC) will host Raleigh Charter School on Monday in Hillsborough. The Rockets (3-1, 1-0) won its conference opener after dropping a game against Halifax County (VA) last week in Roxboro.

Men’s Basketball:

Riverside 77, Orange 68

The Pirates’s Jared Merchant opened the game with eight straight points and led wire-to-wire in beating Orange 77-68 on Friday night.

Riverside led 13-8 at the end of the first quarter, with Merchant scoring eleven of those points. He finished with 26.

Orange was led by senior guard Jerec Thompson, who had 30 points. Riverside put forward Xavier McQueen on Thompson most of the game. Thompson had 17 points in the second half, including a 3-pointer late in the third quarter that reduced Orange’s deficit to 53-44.

The Panthers opened the final stanza with the ball and a chance to reduce its deficit after trailing by as many as 18 in the third quarter. Orange had a transition opportunity, but Pirates forward Jaden Butler came up with a steal and led center Javion Johnson to an uncontested lay-in at the other end of the floor.

The good news for Orange (2-4) was senior center Hunter Burch had a career-high 14 points, including a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. All of Burch’s points came in the second half.

Four Pirates finished in double figures. In addition to Merchant, Johnson had 12 points, while Jaden Butler came away with ten and Corey Hairston added ten.

Riverside (3-3) snapped a two-game losing streak.

Orange will host Western Alamance on Tuesday in Hillsborough. They will travel to East Chapel Hill on Thursday, then host Walter Williams for its final game before Christmas.

PERSON 46, CEDAR RIDGE 34

Julian Crawley scored eleven points to help Person (4-2, 1-0 in the CCC) defeated Cedar Ridge in Hillsborough. Junior forward Rawlins Taylor carried the offensive load for the Red Wolves early. He scored Cedar Ridge’s first eight points, including the opening free throws which gave the Red Wolves’ its only lead of the game.

Taylor, Colton Taylor and Garrett Ray each had ten to lead Cedar Ridge. Neco Clark, who finished with four points, was the only other Red Wolf to score.

Cedar Ridge (2-4, 0-2) will play Raleigh Charter School on Monday at home. The Red Wolves will travel to East Chapel Hill on Tuesday, then travel to Northwood on Friday for its final game of the 2021 calendar year. Neither of Cedar Ridge’s basketball teams are slated to play in any holiday tournaments.

After trips to Graham, Chapel Hill, Durham and Pittsboro, the Orange women’s basketball team finally got to play a home game on Tuesday night. The Lady Panthers defeated Carrboro 68-36. Orange put three players in double-figures, including junior Nikayla Whitted, who scored a career-high 12 points. Senior Samantha George, for the second time in two weeks, set her own career-high with 23 points off 10-of-13 shooting from the field. Point guard Aaliyah Harris added 18 point as Orange improved to 3-2. In addition to her 12 points, Whitted added six steals. Going into a difficult Central Carolina Conference, Orange will look to continue momentum when they face Riverside in Hillsborough on Friday night. The victory over the Jaguars started a five-game homestand for the Lady Panthers. After Riverside, Orange will host Western Alamance, East Chapel Hill and Walter Williams next week.

On a night where the Orange women’s basketball team was down to seven players, senior guard Samantha George stepped up with the best game of her career. George had a career-high 17 points as the Orange women defeated the North Carolina School of Science and Math 70-31. George started the second quarter by making six straight free throws, including two off a technical foul when an Unicorn touched the ball while George was trying to inbound. George added a 3-pointer in the third quarter. George’s younger sister, Evelyn, also had a career-high 12 points as won for the second straight time on the road. George was needed as the Lady Panthers had four players injured, included All-Conference center Erin Jordan-Cornell. George led Orange in scoring on Tuesday in a win over East Chapel Hill. Orange travels to face Northwood in Pittsboro on Saturday for its Central Carolina Conference opener.

The Orange women’s basketball team earned its first win of the season on Tuesday night. The Lady Panthers traveled to East Chapel Hill and defeated the Wildcats 39-29 at Wildcats Gymnasium. The top three scorers for the Lady Panthers were all seniors, led by Samantha George, who finished with ten points. Guard Aaliyah Harris had seven points, while Jarmil Wingate added eight. George also finished with seven rebounds as the Lady Panthers defeated East Chapel Hill for the third straight in its last four visits to Wildcats Gymnasium. Harris has had a busy summer. A four-year varsity player, Harris has visited schools like Brevard College, Lees-McRae and Roanoke College to potentially play at the next level. Orange will continue a busy week on Thursday night with a trip to Durham to face the North Carolina School an Math. On Saturday, they will travel to Pittsboro to take on Northwood in its Central Carolina Conference opener.

Photo by Averett University

Braden Homsey: Braden Homsey captured the 197-pound championship for Division III Ferrum College during the Averett Cougar Open at the Grant Center in Danville, VA on Saturday. Homsey defeated Jackson Shumate 16-1 in the 2nd round. In the quarterfinals, Homsey grabbed a major decision over Austin Suess of Southwest Virginia 11-2. In the semifinals, Homsey pinned William Headley of Liberty in 2:12. Homsey scored another technical fall in the championship match over William Baldwin of Averett 21-4. In a field of 20 teams, the Panthers finished third with 127 points.

Joey McMullin: The Sandhills Community College men’s basketball team defeated Hosanna Bible College 99-76 at The Hangar in Pinehurst last Monday. McMullin, who scored over 1,000 points in his Orange High career, scored a career-high 27 points for the Flyers. He shot 12-of-15 from the field, including two 3-pointers. On Wednesday, the Flyers defeated Guilford Technical Community College 106-99 in Greensboro. McMullin, who started, had 17 points and six rebounds. On Saturday, Wake Technical Community College defeated Sandhills 126-109 in Pinehurst. McMullin, who started and played 16 minutes, scored six points. He also added two rebounds and an assist. The Flyers are 4-2, 0-2 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. They will play the Methodist University junior varsity squad in Fayetteville on Tuesday.

Connor Crabtree: The Richmond Spiders started its men’s basketball season with a a 70-60 victory over North Carolina Central in the Robins Center on Tuesday. Crabtree came off the bench and scored two points, grabbed one rebound and dished out two assists. On Friday, Utah State defeated Richmond 85-74 in the opening game of the Veterans Classic at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, MD. Crabtree had a stickleback basket to put Richmond in the lead 65-63 with 5:38 remaining, but the Aggies went on a 18-3 run to take control of the game. Crabtree scored six points and four rebounds in 14 minutes. Richmond hosts Georgia State on Tuesday night.

Trenton Gill: Former Cedar Ridge All-Conference punter Trenton Gill was named a co-Captain for #21 N.C. State’s game against #13 Wake Forest at Truist Field in Winston-Salem. In the highest-scoring game in 115 all-time matchups, the Demon Deacons defeated the Wolfpack 45-42. Gill had six punts for an average of 45 yards. Two punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. His longest was 52 yards, one of two punts over 50-yards. Gill also had seven kickoffs, six of which were touchbacks. The Wolfpack, who are now ranked #25 by the Associated Press, will host Syracuse at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday.

Keshawn Thompson: For the fifth time this year, Thompson led the Campbell football team in tackles. Thompson had ten tackles in the Camels’ 28-21 loss to Hampton at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek on Saturday. It was Thompson’s senior day. Campbell has lost five in a row and is now 3-7 overall, 2-4 in the Big South Conference. They will wrap up the season at Robert Morris on Saturday.

Adam Chnupa: The Elon football team defeated Towson 37-14 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, MD on Saturday. It was the Phoenix’s fourth road win of the season. Chnupa played special teams and defense for the Phoenix, who improved to 5-5, 4-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Phoenix will wrap up the regular season against #25 Rhode Island at Rhodes Stadium in Elon on Saturday.

Emerson Talley: The Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team received an at-large birth for the Division II NCAA Tournament. The Bears, which includes former Cedar Ridge forward Emerson Talley, will face Catawba in the opening round in Salisbury on Saturday at 6PM. Last week, the Bears lost to Queens 1-0 in double overtime in the semifinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament in Matthews. The Bears will enter the NCAA Tournament 11-5-2 overall.

Kate Burgess: The UNC rowing team finished its first official race of the season at the Rivanna Romp in Charlottesville, VA on Sunday afternoon. Burgess was aboard the 2V8+ boat, which finished 21st at 15:02.00. In the Varsity Four race, Burgess was aboard the 4V4+, which finished 24th at 17:21.8.

Bailey Lucas: Bailey Lucas’ career with the Meredith volleyball team has come to an end. The Avenging Angels were snubbed from the NCAA Division III volleyball tournament despite a 23-8 record and reaching the championship match of the USA South Athletic Conference tournament. This season, Lucas was 2nd on the team with 506 assists. She had 24 aces.

In an effort to make sure Orange junior point guard Aaliyah Harris received her Retro Orange Panther of the Week Award, we went to her workplace at the Tokyo Express on Mayo Street. Aaliyah earned the award after scoring 16 points in Orange’s 61-39 win over Southern Durham on January 22 at Panther Gymnasium. In her third varsity season, Harris scored in double figures five consecutive games this year. She also scored 16 points against Vance County in a 57-40 Orange in Henderson on February 6. Harris took on an increased scoring load this year to help Orange finish third in the Big 8 Conference. Since the season ended, Harris has been doing workouts with Orange head coach B.J. Condron, along with center Erin Jordan-Cornell. Harris has also traveled across the state with her summer travel team as she prepares for her senior season. Along with her classmate Jarmil Wingate, Aaliyah will try and make her senior season one to remember as Orange aims for a return to the state playoffs next winter. Special thanks to the folks at Tokyo Express in Hillsborough for their indulgence in allowing us to shoot this interview with our Retro Orange Panther of the Week for January 1/17, Aaliyah Harris. 

Robert Jones: After capturing the gold medal at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships in the high jump, former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf Robert Jones earned his third victory of the season. Last weekend, Jones finished first in the men’s high jump at the Aggie Classic Twilight at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. Jones’ winning jump was 2.05 meters. This season, Jones has not finished outside the top-five in any of the events he’s competed in. He now heads to the NCAA Eastern Regional Championships, which will start Thursday inside Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team’s season came to an end over the weekend in the Stillwater Regional of the NCAA Softball Tournament. The Bulldogs opened play with a 3-1 win over Boston University on Friday afternoon at Cowgirl Stadium in Stillwater, OK. On Saturday afternoon, #5 Oklahoma State defeated Mississippi State 9-3. In the elimination game on Saturday night, Mississippi State easily defeated Campbell 12-0 in five innings. Oklahoma State eliminated the Bulldogs 10-2 in five innings on Sunday afternoon. Mia Davidson opened the tournament going 1-for-3 against the Terriers. She had an RBI fielder’s choice to score Aquana Brownlee in the fifth inning. In the first game against the Cowgirls, Mia went 1-for-3. Against Campbell, Davidson hit the 69th home run of her career. That moved her into sole possession of 2nd place all-time in Southeastern Conference history. It was also her third home run in the NCAA Tournament for Mississippi State, another school record. Mississippi State broke a school record with four home runs in an NCAA Tournament game. In the third inning, Mia tagged out Campbell’s Katelyn Chisholm at the plate. Davidson went 1-for-2 in her final game of the season. Mississippi State took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning after Davidson drove in a run with a single up the middle. It was her seventh career RBI in the NCAA Tournament, which is third in school history. She also reached base for the 20th straight game, a new career-high. Mia ended the year with a .311 batting average after starting all 60 of the Bulldogs’ games. She was second on the team with 17 home runs. She also registered 42 RBIs. Davidson, who was accepted into graduate’s school last month, will enter her senior season only two home runs shy of the SEC record, held by Florida’s Lauren Haeger.

Montana Davidson: Montana started all four of Mississippi State’s games at third base in the NCAA Tournament. Against Boston University, she singled up the middle in the sixth to knock in Christian Quinn for the game’s final run. Montana finished 1-for-3 against the Terriers. She went 0-for-3 against Oklahoma State. Later in the day against Campbell, Montana finished 1-for-3. She scored in the 3rd inning off a Carter Spexarth. On Sunday, Davidson drove in the final Mississippi State run of the year with a single in the 2nd inning. For the season, Montana finished with a .252 batting average in 58 games. She had three home runs and 21 RBIs. Mississippi State finished the year 34-23, which included an 8-game winning streak down the stretch. Montana is a senior, but can opt for another year of eligibility after the COVID-19 pandemic ended the 2020 season before the NCAA Tournament started.

Tori Dalehite: After winning the Southern Conference Championship for the first time, the UNC Greensboro softball team participated in the NCAA Tournament for the first time this weekend. Duke defeated the Spartans 2-0 in the opening game of the Athens, Georgia regional at the University of Georgia. Western Kentucky ended the Spartans season 8-4 in the elimination game at Jack Turner Stadium. Dalehite, a freshman, didn’t play in either game. This year, Dalehite appeared in 12 games, almost exclusively as a pinch runner. She had one at-bat, walked once and scored six runs. UNCG finished 34-17, 14-4 in the Southern Conference.