Orange Women’s Basketball

Icez Barnett: Erskine defeated the Division II Chowan women’s basketball team 60-57 on Saturday in Due West, S.C. Barnett didn’t play. Last Tuesday, #21 Belmont-Abbey defeated Chowan 95-84. Barnett scored two points in three minutes. The Hawks are 4-16, 4-12 in Conference Carolinas.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech women’s basketball team edged Bryant & Stratton College 62-59 on Saturday at Maury High School in Norfolk, VA. Cates, who graduated from Orange in 2019, finished with four points, one rebound, two assists and two steals. She shot 1-of-5 from the field. On Wednesday, Louisburg College defeated Wake Tech 80-66 in a game where the two teams combined for seven technical fouls. Cates finished with six points. Wake Tech is 15-5 overall, 8-4 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Jamar Davis: The N.C. State indoor track & field team competed at the Texas Tech Invitational in Lubbock, TX over the weekend. Davis finished 11th in the triple jump with a leap of 15.38 meters.

Braden Homsey: Over the weekend, the Division III Ferrum Panthers wrestling team finished 16th at the Pete Wilson Invitational at Wheaton University in Wheaton, IL. Homsey came in 7th at 197 pounds, one of three Panthers to place individually. Homsey finished 5-2 with two pins in the tournament. This season, Homsey is 24-9 with two pins.

Next weekend will start the spring sports season for many college across the state. Hillsborough will be represented in baseball, softball and men’s lacrosse. Here are some of the local athletes that will return to action at colleges across the southeast.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State catcher was named a Preseason All-American by Softball America. Davidson, who led Orange to the 2017 3A State Championship, is 10th among active players with 45 home runs in her first two years in Starkville. She led Mississippi State in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, hits, runs, RBIs and total bases in 2019. Davidson was a top-10 finalist for USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year in 2019.

Montana Davidson: Montana will join Mia Davidson for a Mississippi State team that hired Samantha Ricketts as its new head coach in the offseason. After Montana received a medical redshirt during her sophomore season due to a knee injury, she started all 58 games for the Bulldogs in 2019. As a redshirt sophomore, she hit .269 with seven doubles and 21 RBIs. Mississippi State will play Missouri State to start its season on Friday during a weekend series in Clearwater, FL. That series will also include N.C. State, Louisville, and Liberty.

Amy Stutzer: Stutzer, a 2019 Cedar Ridge graduate, will start her softball career at Division III Salem College in Virginia against Southern Virginia on February 14.

Brad Debo: This upcoming season will be the senior campaign for Debo, who was the catcher for four consecutive Big 8 Conference championship teams for the Orange Panthers. Last season for N.C. State, Debo appeared in 59 of the Wolfpack’s 61 games. He hit .242 with 47 hits, 16 doubles, one triple, four homers and 39 RBIs. The Wolfpack will start its season against James Madison on February 14.

Brandon Andrews: Andrews will start his junior season with the Nicholls Colonels against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in Thibodaux, LA on February 14. Andrews appeared in 24 games as a pitcher last season for the Colonels. He was 1-2 with a 3.24 ERA and two saves.

Jaylin Jones: The Division II Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team has become Hillsborough south. There are three former Orange and Cedar Ridge players who will suit up for the Falcons this year. Jones will start his junior season in Misenheimer. In his sophomore season, Jones made six starts and played in 16 games. He scored two goals and added three assists for the Falcons.

Zach Berry: The former Cedar Ridge goalkeeper transferred from the Virginia Military Institute to Pfeiffer last season. In his only year at VMI, Berry was between the pipes for five games. He gave up seven goals in 55 minutes and made six saves.

Luke Hernandez: Also now at Pfeiffer. Hernandez played in one game for the Falcons last season. Pfeiffer faces Emmanuel in Franklin Springs, GA on Saturday.

Bowen Collins: A former star at Orange, Collins is now at redshirt senior at Division Lenoir-Rhyne. Last season, Collins played in 15 games for the Bears. He scored seven points with ten shots on goal.

Zach Wright: Now a senior at Division II Mars Hill, Wright had nine goals in 15 games last season. Mars Hill hosts Montevallo on Saturday.

Aidan Poole: A former defenseman at Cedar Ridge, Poole is now at Division III Greensboro College. Greensboro opens its season on February 15 against Virginia Wesleyan at Pride Field in Greensboro.

With three starters injured, Orange women’s basketball coach B.J. Condron has been required to put new players in new roles this year.

After losing freshman center Erin Jordan-Cornell to a sprained ankle in practice on Monday, Orange only suited up eight players in Tuesday’s loss to Vance County.

Before Friday’s game against crosstown rival Cedar Ridge, Condron put himself in a new position. He called up three players from the junior varsity team, something he’s never done before in five years on the job.

It paid off handsomely.

In her first varsity game, Jada Reed hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as Orange (10-8, 4-6 in the Big 8 Conference) defeated the Red Wolves 54-40 at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Friday night.

Orange sophomore point guard Aaliyah Harris scored 17 for Orange, including 14 in the second half after missing the bulk of the second quarter because of foul trouble. Senior Grace Andrews, in her final game against Cedar Ridge, added 14.

Another JV Gallup, Nikalya Whitted, scored a field goal in the fourth quarter as Orange defeated the Red Wolves for the seventh time in their last nine meetings.

“We have discussed bringing some players up for a while now,” Condron said. “with there not being a jv game tonight and having a short bench due to injuries and other commitments, it seemed like a good time to try them out. I thought considering the atmosphere they had to play in for their first varsity game, all three gave us some great minutes.”

Alexa Adkins made her Orange varsity debut in the first half.

Tori Dalehite, in her final game inside Cedar Ridge Gymnasium, scored 14 to lead the Red Wolves. Dalehite, who also played volleyball for four seasons, was honored on senior night along with teammates Jacori Walton, Caitlyn Lloyd and Isabella Flynt.

The four players took a party bus to the game, which was paid for by Lloyd’s father, Craig. Dalehite, Lloyd and Walton had played basketball together since their days at Gravelly Hill Middle School in Efland.

After Cedar Ridge’s Phoenix Smith sank two free throws to tie the game, Harris grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed 3-pointer and fed Jala Rainey for a five-foot jumper to give the Lady Panthers a 27-25 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Walton scored off a stickback basket to tie the game at 28 with 5:33 remaining, but Harris struck back with a 3-pointer to put Orange ahead 31-28, which was actually the largest Lady Panther lead up to that point. After Cedar Ridge missed a lay-up, Reed scored a 3-pointer to increase Orange’s lead to 34-28.

Cedar Ridge had a four-point possession to whittle the deficit to 34-32. Dalehite scored off an offensive rebound and drew a foul against Katelyn Van Mater. After the missed free throw went out of bounds, Dalehite went to her knees after a loose ball and fed Lloyd for a short jumper with 4:23 remaining.

Reed got a shooter’s bounce on a 3-pointer on the next Orange possession, which was followed by a jumper from Andrews to increase Orange’s lead to 39-32. Dalehite scored back-to-back field goals for Cedar Ridge, but Andrews drilled a critical 3-pointer with 2:23 remaining.

The first half was reminiscent of Cedar Ridge’s 44-37 upset of the Lady Panthers last year. Harris picked up two fouls and was relegated to the bench early in the second quarter, which left the Orange offense rhythmless. Nadia Oswald drilled a 3-pointer midway through the second quarter to put Cedar Ridge ahead 12-8. Orange was held to four field goals in the first half.

Cedar Ridge (1-18, 0-10) will travel to Northern Durham on Tuesday. Orange will host Northwood, who leads the Big 8 Conference with a 9-1 record.

ORANGE 54, CEDAR RIDGE 40

ORANGE: Aaliyah Harris 17, Grace Andrews 14, Jala Rainey 11, Katelyn Van Mater 1, Brenna Mehl 2, Cheyenne Mann 1, Nikayla Whitted 2, Jada Reed 6.

CEDAR RIDGE: Tori Dalehite 14, Caitlyn Lloyd 4, Isabella Flynt 2, Jacori Walton 5, Catherine Coyle 3, Nadia Oswald 8, Takia Nichols 2, Phoenix Smith 2.

Icez Barnett: The 2019 Orange graduate was the first player off the bench for the Division II Chowan women’s basketball team in its 81-55 win over Southern Wesleyan at the Helms Center in Murfreesboro on Saturday. Barnett scored a career-high ten points as the Hawks defeated the Warriors 81-55. Barnett also played 14 minutes, her longest sting since November 30 against UNC Pembroke. The Hawks are 4-14 overall, 4-10 in Conference Carolinas. They host #25 Belmont Abbey in the Helms Center tonight (Tuesday).

Kaylen Campbell: The Division III Trinity women’s basketball team is on a five-game winning streak. On Sunday, the Bantams defeated MCLA 43-31 in Hartford, CT. It was the second-fewest amount of points the Bantams have allowed this season. Campbell played eight minutes and grabbed three rebounds and made a steal. Trinity is now 14-4 overall, 3-1 in the New England Small Conference Athletic Conference. On Saturday, Trinity rallied to defeat Connecticut College 60-57 in Posting Gymnasium in Hartford. Campbell came off the bench to play six minutes. She finished with two points and one rebound. Trinity travels to Middlebury on Friday.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team has won nine of its last ten games. On Saturday, the Eagles defeated Southwest Virginia 73-50 in Raleigh. Cates scored four points off 2-of-6 shooting from the field. She also had three rebounds and a steal. The Eagles are 14-4 overall, 7-3 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. On Thursday, the Eagles defeated Spartanburg Methodist 63-62. Cates finished with eight points off 3-of-5 shooting from the field. Cates finished 2-of-4 from 3-point range. The Wake Tech school record for wins in a season is 18.

Jamar Davis: A week after he clinched a spot in the ACC Track & Field Indoor Championships, Davis won his first indoor meet of the 2020 season on Saturday. Davis won the long jump with a leap of 7.43 meters to take the championship of the Hokie Invitational at Rector Field House in Blacksburg, VA. Davis also won the triple jump championship with a jump of 15.67, which was three inches better than North Carolina’s Jaren Holmes. On Friday and Saturday, the Wolfpack men’s and women’s teams will journey to Lubbock, TX to compete in the Texas Tech Invitational. Davis qualified for the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships during the Gamecock Opener at the University of South Carolina on January 17 & 18.

Marvin Jones: The North Carolina Central junior finished 2nd in the high jump in the Liberty Kickoff indoor track & field event in Lynchburg, VA on Saturday. Jones had a jump of 2.05 meters. Tequann Claitt of Indiana Tech finished first with a jump of 2.21 meters. Jones’ performance was one of five top-5 finishes for the Eagles last weekend. Central will continue its indoor season on Friday and Saturday in the Camel City Invitational. The meet will take place at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem.

Braden Homsey: Washington & Lee defeated the Division III Ferrum wrestling team 21-18 on Saturday in the W&L Student Activities Pavilion in Lexington, VA. Homsey scored a major decision for Ferrum. Wrestling at 197 pounds, Homsey defeated Brad Basham 12-1. It’s been a solid sophomore season for Homsey, who is now 19-7 with one pin.

Jamar Davis: The 2018 Orange High graduate has qualified for the long jump in the 2020 ACC Indoor Track & Field championships. On Saturday, Davis had a jump of 23’11” at the Gamecock Opener in Columbia, S.C. He finished 5th. Davis’ teammate, freshman Chris Alexander, won the event with a leap of 25’02.50″. In the triple jump, Davis finished 2nd. He had a leap of 50’03.50″, behind only Marc McCoy of Bethune-Cookman. Davis has also qualified for the ACC Championships in the triple jump. While Payton Wilson has been named to the All-Decade team by the Raleigh News and Observer, Davis’ resume at Orange may have been the most versatile in school history. He qualified for the Penn Relays in track & field, winning the North Carolina High School Athletic Association MVP for the 3A State Championship meet. Davis won four state championships. He also won the leading scorer for the Orange men’s soccer team his senior year, leading them to a victory in the state playoffs. Plus, he was a wrestler for three years, where Orange won three Big 8 Conference and two 3A Eastern Regional Championships. Alternating between 182 and 195 pounds, Davis went 73-28 with 40 pinfall victories.

Marvin Jones:  Former Cedar Ridge star Marvin Jones won the high jump event at the JDL January College Kickoff in Winston-Salem on Saturday. Jones leaped 2.06 meters for North Carolina Central for the victory. It was Central’s first event since winter break. In December, Jones finished 2nd in JDL Kickoff Classic. He has now qualified for the MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championships in Landover, MD starting February 20.

Icez Barnett: On Monday, the Division II Chowan women’s basketball team lost to North Greenville 73-59 inside Hayes Gymnasium in Tigerville, S.C. Barnett came off the bench to score two points and grab five rebounds in eight minutes. She also fouled out. Chowan is now 3-14, 3-10 in Conference Carolinas.

Kaylen Campbell: The Division III Trinity women’s basketball team is on a three-game winning streak and is 12-4 overall. On Friday, the Bantams defeated Wesleyan (Connecticut) 77-58 in Silloway Gymnasium in Hartford, CT. Campbell came off the bench to play 13 minutes and had two points, two assists and one rebound. In a 61-52 victory over Babson on January 14 in Babson Park, MA, Campbell had two points in ten minutes. She added two assists and two rebounds.

Lauren Cates: On Saturday, the Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team defeated USC Salkehatchie 81-63 in Raleigh. Cates started for the Eagles and scored 14 points off 5-of-8 shooting. She was 2-of-4 from 3-point range. On January 15, Wake Tech romped past Brunswick Community College 77-43, its seventh win in eight games. Cates scored ten points. She was 3-of-6 from the field with two 3-pointers. On January 13, Wake Tech defeated Caldwell County College & Technical Institute, Cates scored three points. Wake Tech is 12-4, 7-3 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. They host Spartanburg Methodist on Thursday. The Eagles are tied for 2nd in Region X with Bryant & Stratton. Catawba Valley Community College, who defeated Wake Tech earlier this month, is in first place in the region with a 6-0 record.

Alvis Whitted: The 1993 Orange graduate is headed to the NFC Championship game. Whitted, the wide receivers coach for the Green Bay Packers, was on the sideline as Green Bay held on to defeat the Seattle Seahawks 28-23 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Sunday night in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. Whitted was a wide receiver and ran track & field for three seasons at Orange. He was a 4A State Champion in the 100 and 200 meters. Whitted was a member of the 1991 Orange team that went to the 2nd round of the 4A State Playoffs. At N.C. State, he played wide receiver/kick returner for Coach Mike O’Cain. Whitted is the last Orange Panther to play in a bowl game, where he suited up as a kick returner in the Wolfpack’s 28-24 win over Mississippi State at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Whitted is also the only Orange Panther to play in the Super Bowl. He played special teams for the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. Whitted started his coaching career at Orange under Dickie Schock. From there, he went on to Millsaps College, a Division III team in Jackson, Mississippi. He joined Rick Neuheisel’s staff at UCLA in 2011 before starting a seven-year stint as wide receivers coach at Colorado State. Whitted met Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur during a predraft workout at Colorado State with Michael Gallup, one of three All-Americans that Whitted coached in Fort Collins. Green Bay faces San Francisco for the NFC Championship next Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.

Icez Barnett: Barnett, a freshman with the Division II Chowan women’s basketball team, returned to action on January 8 in a 73-67 loss to Mount Olive. Barnett played two minutes and grabbed one rebound. She didn’t play on Saturday as King defeated the Hawks 68-52 at the Helms Center in Murfreesboro. Chowan is 3-11, 3-7 in Conference Carolinas Thus far in her freshman season, Barnett has played ten games. In 80 minutes, she has scored six points and 17 rebounds.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech Community College women’s basketball team returned to action with a 94-19 destruction of Fayetteville Technical Community College on January 8 in Raleigh. Cates had the best shooting game of her college career, going 6-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. She finished with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists. On Saturday, Catawba Valley Community College defeated Wake Tech 80-57 to end a four-game winning streak. The Eagles are 9-4, 5-3 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Braden Homsey: The Division III Ferrum wrestling team advanced to the championship of the Virginia Duals at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA. Kutztown, ranked #16 in Division III, defeated the Panthers 19-13 in the final on Saturday afternoon. Homsey, wrestling at 197 pounds, defeated Anthony Emig 13-11.

In the semifinals, Ferrum upended Waynesburg 29-10. Homsey claimed a 9-6 decision over Dan Verhovsek. In the quarterfinals on Friday, Ferrum advanced past Alderson Broaddus 34-11. Homsey earned a major decision by beating Alex Eaton 15-3. This season, Homsey is 19-7 with one pin.

The Panthers are 5-2 this season.

Ferrum returns to action in the Builder Open next Saturday in Virginia Beach, VA.

With competition mounting in a deep Big 8 Conference, the Orange women’s basketball team had no time for upset bids in its opening game against Cedar Ridge.

Last January, the Red Wolves shocked the Lady Panthers 44-37 at Red Wolves Gymnasium, an early conference loss that set Orange back in its futile attempt to catch Hillside for the Big 8 Championship.

On Tuesday night, Orange junior Jala Rainey scored Orange’s first 13 points–then didn’t score again. It was just as well as she received plenty of help in the final 24 minutes.

Guard Samantha George had a career-high ten points to push the Lady Panthers past the Red Wolves 61-34 at Panther Gymnasium. Freshman Erin Jordan-Cornell registered nine points and six rebounds as the Lady Panthers (8-3, 2-1 in the Big 8 Conference) won its fourth straight.

Nadia Oswald led the Red Wolves with 13 points, her fourth game in double figures this season. Senior Tori Dalehite returned to the lineup for the Red Wolves after suffering an injury to her right foot in November.

Orange sophomore Mary Moss Wirt missed her seventh straight game with an injured right leg suffered against Carrboro on December 12. Wirt, who averaged 4.1 points per game as a freshman, figured to carry a heavier offensive load this season after the graduation of leading scorers Ices Barnett and Lauren Cates from last season’s 19-7 squad.

Without her, Orange has relied on sophomore point guard Aaliyah Harris for points. Coach B.J. Condron also wants Jordan-Cornell’s 5-foot-11 frame to step to the forefront with Wirt’s status in question.

“We’ve been emphasizing that,” said Orange Coach B.J. Condron. “We feel like she does a good job of getting open, but we don’t do a good job of seeing her. Sometimes we force it when it’s not there. She does a good job of finishing down low.”

Catherine Coyle and Oswald scored consecutive field goals in the opening minutes to give Cedar Ridge a 4-2 lead, but Rainey’s 3-pointer off a feed from Harris put Orange ahead for good. The Lady Panthers finished the first quarter on a 16-5 run and led by double digits from that point forward.

It was among the deepest Orange’s efforts of the season. Of the ten players who suited up, eight scored. Freshman Katelyn Van Mater also had a career-high eight points. Junior Cheyenne Mann had six points, one short of her career-mark set against Bartlett Yancey on December 27.

As Orange prepares for Northern Durham on Thursday night, Condron is set to play without Wirt for the foreseeable future, if not the rest of the way.

“I think slowly, they’re getting used to it,” said Orange coach B.J. Condron. “The rotation changes and you have to go deeper into our bench. People are getting more comfortable playing.”

Cedar Ridge (1-10, 0-3) will travel to Granville Central on Wednesday night. Then they host Northern Durham on Friday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

After Orange’s trip to Northern, the Lady Panthers will host a Chapel Hill team that defeated Northwood on Tuesday night. The Tigers’ win created a six-way tie for first place in the loss column. Northwood is 3-1, while East Chapel Hill, Southern Durham, Orange and Chapel Hill are 2-1, while Vance County is 1-1.

ORANGE 61, CEDAR RIDGE 34

CEDAR RIDGE–Catherine Coyle 2, Nadia Oswald 13, Jacori Walton 5, Takia Nichols 4, Tori Dalehite 4, Phoenix Smith 6.

ORANGE–Aaliyah Harris 7, Jala Rainey 13, Jarmil Wingate 3, Erin Jordan-Cornell 9, Samantha George 10, Katelyn Van Mater 8, Brenna Mehl 6, Cheyenne Mann 5.

3-POINTERS: CEDAR RIDGE (Oswald). ORANGE 3 (Harris, Rainey 2)

FOULED OUT—Coyle, Walton, Lloyd.

The Orange women’s basketball team claimed its fourth straight victory on Tuesday night. The Lady Panthers defeated Cedar Ridge 61-34 at Panther Gymnasium. Sophomore Aaliyah Harris had seven points and seven assists. Her classmate, Jarmil Wingate, added six rebounds as Orange improved to 8-3 on the season. It was Orange’s seven straight game without star shooting guard Mary Moss Wirt, who was injured against Carrboro on December 12. Despite the loss of its best outside shooter, the Lady Panthers finished fifth in the Eastern Alamance Holiday Hoops Tournament on December 26-28 in Mebane, winning its final two games against Riverside and Bartlett Yancey. The Lady Panthers will journey to Northern Durham to face the Lady Knights on Thursday night at 7:30 at Poe Gymtorium.