Orange Women’s Basketball

Featuring Josh Jackson, Jimmy Rogers, Carson Bradsher, Caitlin Carden and Maddie Bartlett

Colin Guentensberger: The former Orange High linebacker celebrated his 19th birthday by suiting up for the Appalachian State football team on Saturday. Appalachian defeated UAB 31-17 to win the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. It was the Mountaineers fifth straight bowl victory since joining the Football Bowl Subdivision officially in 2015. Since becoming eligible to play in bowl games after emerging from the Football Championship Series in 2015, Appalachian is 5-0 in bowl games and has four Sun Belt Conference championships. Guentensberger spent his freshman season in Boone as a walk-on. Though he didn’t play this season, Guentensberger is the first former Orange Panther for a bowl game since Alvis Whitted, who was a kick returner for N.C. State in the 1995 Peach Bowl. The Wolfpack defeated Mississippi State 28-24 at the Georgia Dome.

ASU’s win concluded an whirlwind period for Appalachian players, fans and staff alike. The day after winning the Sun Belt Conference championship over the University of Louisiana, reports circulated that former head coach Eliah Drinkwitz would leave for Missouri. Former Appalachian player Shawn Clark was named the new head coach of the Mountaineers last week. Guentensberger was the 2018 Orange football player of the year. A starting linebacker, he was second on the team in tackles. He also was 2nd on the team in receptions.

Icez Barnett: The Division II Chowan women’s basketball team defeated Converse 64-56 at the Weisiger Center in Spartanburg, S.C. last Thursday. Barnett came off the bench for two minutes of action. The Hawks ended a five-game losing streak and improved to 2-4 in Conference Carolinas. Last Tuesday, Barton hammered the Hawks 79-56 at Wilson Gym in Wilson. Barnett played five minutes and grabbed one rebound. So far in her college career, Barnett has played nine games. She had a season-high 20 minutes against UNC Pembroke on November 30. Barnett scored four points against North Greenville on November 23. Chowan will return to action on January 2 when they host Converse.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech women’s basketball team has won five of its last six. The Eagles defeated Bryant & Stratton College last Wednesday in Raleigh. Cates scored eleven points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field. She was 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Cates also had five rebounds and three assists. On December 14, Wake Tech defeated Southwest Virginia 89-75. Cates scored 13 points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field, all from 3-point range. The Eagles are 8-3 overall, 4-2 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. Cates is second on the team in scoring with 10.9 points per game. She’s shooting 40% from 3-point range.

Jamar Davis: The N.C. State indoor track & field team started its season in the Gamecock Opener in Columbia, S.C. on January 17-18. Davis will start his sophomore season in Raleigh. During his freshman campaign, Davis was a second-team All-American in the triple jump for indoor track. In the outdoor season, Davis finished 2nd in the Raleigh Relays in the long jump with a distance of 23’11.75″. He qualified for the NCAA Championships after a 51’5″ leap. Davis finished sixth in the ACC Championships in the triple jump.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is point guard Aaliyah Harris. The Orange women’s basketball team is 4-0. Harris has established her career-high twice this season at a time when the Panthers are trying to replace its top two scorers from last year. She scored 17 points in a 47-39 win over Southern Alamance in Graham on December 6. Last Thursday, Harris had 21 points, including 13 in the 4th quarter, as the Lady Panthers held off Carrboro 53-49 at Jaguars Gymnasium. She was pressed into scoring duties for Orange after Harris’ fellow guard, Mary Moss Wirt, was injured in the second quarter. Of the 17 points Orange scored in the 4th quarter against Carrboro, Harris scored 13 of them.Orange will start play in the Big 8 Conference on Tuesday night at East Chapel Hill starting at 7.

Natalie Chandler: UNC junior Natalie Chandler was named the winner of the 2019 NCAA Elite 90 Award for Women’s Soccer during the Tar Heels’ trip to the Final Four last weekend. The Elite 90 Award is given to the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA championships. Chandler has a 4.0 GPA as a health policy and management major. She is the fourth UNC women’s soccer player honored with the Elite 90 Award. Chandler was a two-time captain of the Orange women’s soccer team. She was named All-State in 2016 and 2017. She was the school valedictorian in 2017, as well as the Big 8 Conference Player of the Year. UNC reached the national championship match, where they fell to Washington State in penalty kicks.

Payton Wilson: During the N.C. State football team’s season-ending banquet last week, Wilson was honored with the Bill Cowher Award, given to the Linebacker of the Year. He was also honored with the Iron Wolf Award, an honor given to a player who returned from injury. As first responded by PackInsider.com, Wilson was the first freshman for N.C. State to lead the Wolfpack in tackles since 1988, and only the second rookie in team history since tackles started being recorded as a statistic in 1977. He finished with 69 tackles and five tackles for loss, despite starting only one game.

Marvin Jones: The North Carolina Central Eagles started its indoor track & field season at the JDL Kickoff Classic in Winston-Salem last Saturday. Jones, who graduated from Cedar Ridge in 2017, finished 2nd in the high jump at 2.05 meters, or 6 feet and 8.75 inches. Last spring, Jones captured the high jump championship at the Mt. Olive Final Qualifier. He finished 4th in the MEAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship on May 2. Jones also claimed the championship of the Charlotte 49ers Classic last March. He has also run in the 200 meters for the Eagles.

Braden Homsey: The Division III Ferrum wrestling team returned from Thanksgiving break with a 39-9 win over Southern Virginia at Swartz Gym on Tuesday. Homsey, wrestling at 197 pounds, defeated Matt Speelman 6-0. It was the Panthers’ final match before Christmas. Homsey is 10-3 on the season. Ferrum returns to action in the Citrus Invitational Tournament in Orlando on December 29-30.

Kaylen Campbell: The Division III Trinity women’s basketball team returned to action last weekend. The Bantams defeated Stevens Institute of Technology 80-62 at Oosting Gymnasium in Hartford, CT. Campbell came off the bench and had four points and two rebounds in ten minutes of action. Last Thursday, Trinity romped past Connecticut College 60-38 at Luce Fieldhouse in New London, CT. Campbell played 16 minutes. She finished with two points and five rebounds. Trinity has won eight in a row and will travel to Farleigh Dickinson University-Florham on Monday.

Lauren Cates: The Wake Tech Community College Eagles’ women’s basketball team returned to action this week. The Eagles defeated Johnson & Wales University 65-59 in Raleigh. Cates scored eleven points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. A game scheduled for last weekend against Patrick Henry Community College was canceled. Wake Tech is 6-3, 3-2 in Region X. Cates is the 2nd-leading scorer for Wake Tech with 10.7 points per game. She’s shooting 31.7% from 3-point range. Wake Tech travels to Southwest Virginia on Saturday.

In what may have been a first in program history, the Orange women’s basketball team didn’t allow a point in the final 18 minutes of regulation in a game. The Lady Panthers rolled past South Granville 51-6 on Tuesday night to improve to 3-0. Junior forward Jala Rainey made the first start of her high school career and scored nine points, the most since the end of her freshman year when she scored 15 against Northern Durham. Rainey had a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. Senior Grace Andrews led Orange with ten points. Orange will wrap up the week on Thursday against Carrboro, then venture into Big 8 Conference play next Tuesday against East Chapel Hill in Hillsborough.

Orange sophomore guard Aaliyah Harris scored a career-high 17 points as the Lady Panthers defeated Southern Alamance 47-39 in Graham on Friday night. In the second half, the Lady Panthers were held to two field goals, but Harris went 4-of-4 from the foul line to help Orange pull out its second win of the season. It was just the second time in Harris’s career that she scored in double figures. Last year, she put up 12 points in a 55-48 win over Franklinton in the Granville Central Holiday Tournament. She scored nine points against Granville Central in the season opener on Tuesday. Orange hosts South Granville on Tuesday in Hillsborough. You can hear that game starting at 6 on Hillsboroughsports.com.