Orange High School

The Orange women’s basketball team defeated East Chapel Hill behind the strongest game of the season from center Marshea Byrd on Tuesday night. Byrd tied her season-high of ten points as the Lady Panthers bounced back from a tough loss to Eastern Alamance to improve to 4-3. Orange is under first-year head coach Joshua Underwood. He inherits an experienced team that returns all five starters from last year. Byrd was a starter on last year’s team, which reached the state playoffs and finished 13-13. Orange began the Central Conference campaign with wins in each of its first three games last year and was the only team in the league to defeat Western Alamance, who claimed the conference title. On November 25, Byrd scored ten points as Orange defeated Southern Lee 58-46 in Hillsborough. Orange shot 49% from the field in the win over the Cavaliers. In October, Byrd was named the Homecoming Queen at halftime of Orange’s win over Cedar Ridge. Byrd has been a varsity player for three seasons. Orange will face Western Alamance in a crucial conference game on Friday night in Hillsborough. Over Christmas break, the Lady Panthers will face Southeast Alamance in Haw River to start play in the Southeast Alamance Holiday Hoops Invitational on December 27. The Lady Panthers will also play in the tournament on December 28 and 30th.

Orange women’s basketball center Marshea Byrd discusses win over Southern Lee

The Orange women’s basketball team defeated East Chapel Hill behind the strongest game of the season from center Marshea Byrd on Tuesday night. Byrd tied her season-high of ten points as the Lady Panthers bounced back from a tough loss to Eastern Alamance to improve to 4-3.

In a period of rebuilding for the Orange wrestling program, the Panthers had two freshmen lead them to its biggest sign of progress this season.

Jordan Barbee won all five of his matches while Markus Thomas earned wins in four matches as Orange won the Rumble in the Jungle championship at Carrboro High School on Saturday. The Panthers won all five of its dual matches for its first team championship since the 2022-2023 season.

Orange’s closest match came against Ashley, based out of Wilmington. With two matches remaining, the Screaming Eagles led 38-29 after Carson Lane edged out Orange’s Adrian Sierra at 132 pounds. After Orange senior Braden Crawford earned a forfeit win at 138 pounds, Thomas pinned Elijah Allinen in 52 seconds to secure a 41-38 win for the Panthers.

Orange overcame an 18-0 deficit after the Eagles scored pins in the opening three matches. Sophomore Conner Harward secured the Panthers’ first win with a technical fall over Liam Morrow 15-0. It was the first of five straight Orange victories that included bonus points. Barbee pinned Arturo Cuellar in 1:03 at 190 pounds. Senior Jayden Medley pinned Aidan Weilarcher in 52 seconds. At heavyweight, sophomore Eli Clayton pinned Cason Walker in 1:49.

In all five of its dual matches, the Panthers had competitors in each of the 13 weight classes, which was enough to defeat Bartlett Yancey 51-27. Orange earned five forfeit wins over the Buccaneers. At 138 pounds, Albert Fuentes earned his first varsity win, a pinfall over Jaray Pugh in 3:33, which opened the dual match. Thomas followed with a pin of BY’s Jamir Woods in 29 seconds. After the Buccaneers won three straight matches to take a 15-12 lead, Harward earned a 13-7 decision over Jeshua Garland to even the dual match. After Barbee earned a forfeit win, Medley pinned Tayson Watlington in 35 seconds.

Orange also defeated Greensboro Page 65-12, where they scored pins in four of the opening five matches. Sierra opened with a victory over Joshua Rivera in 1:27. Sierra, a senior, is 11-10 with nine pins this season. Crawford pinned Alan Hoang in 32 seconds. Crawford has the top win percentage on the team so far with a 12-4 record with eight pins.

In a 46-28 victory over Southern Nash, senior Max Molinar earned his first pin of the season at 106 pounds. Molinar defeated Jesus Monroy in 1:11.

Barbee finished the day with four pins. He defeated Southern Nash’s Ryland Robinson in 5:56; Leesville’s Road’s Jesse McArthur in 2:49 and Page’s Luke O’Reilly in 1:33.

The Panthers closed out the day with a 42-27 victory over Leesville Road. At 165 pounds, Andrew Pavalonis started the dual match with a 9-7 win over Milo Wegmann. Brady Mcadams, Medley, and Logan Scarantino all scored pins for the Panthers.

Orange will be in the Eagle Invitational in Mebane this weekend.

Cougar Duals: Senior Ryan Rakouskas came away with five wins as Cedar Ridge finished 3-2 as a team during the Cougar Duals at Apex High School on Saturday.

Competing at 157 pounds, Rakouskas pinned four of his five opponents to improve to 25-2. He leads the team with 19 pins this season.

The Red Wolves ended the day with wins over Northern Durham (66-13), Wllow Spring (53-27) and Apex 41-30. Hoggard edged the Red Wolves 40-39. Topsail also knocked off the Red Wolves 58-15.

Red Wolf senior Alejandro Briones won all five of his matches. He earned a decision over Hoggard’s Thomas Ponce 10-3. Briones also pinned Charles Strickland of Topsail in 2:50. Briones is 26-4 with 15 pins this season.

At 120 pounds, Favio Jaramillo came away with four victories on the day, including a pin over Kellan Needle of Apex. Jaramillo also earned a 9-4 decision over Topsail’s Jacob Pope. Jaramillo ended the day with a forfeit victory over Willow Spring to improve to 25-5.

Senior Pierce Prescod pinned Hoggard’s Corban Barton, his 12th pin of the year. Prescod, competing at 126 pounds, started the day with a technical fall over Ans Issa of Apex 18-2. Prescod is 26-4.

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MEBANE: After losing to Orange three times last season, it appeared the odds were stacked against Eastern Alamance from contending for the Central Conference championship this year.

The Eagles lost three starters due to graduation. Their top returning scorer and rebounder, Jordan Matthews, suffered a broken foot during the summer and could be lost for the season.

Orange arrived to the Tal Jobe Gymnasium in Mebane on Friday night fresh off a road win at Chapel Hill, a team that had defeated Eastern Alamance by 28 points on December 6.

But the Eagles utilized a 1-3-1 zone to stymie Orange from 3-point range and Eastern senior guard Javier Tinnen wouldn’t let his team lost to their nearby rival for a sixth straight time.

Tinnen scored 15 points while freshman Mason Murphy scored 24 points as the Eagles outscored Orange 25-12 in the fourth quarter to upset the Panthers 66-60 in the Central Conference opener for both teams.

Orange didn’t hit a 3-pointer in the second half and was just 5-of-20 from downtown. Kai Wade led Orange with 18 points while sophomore Hector Garrido added nine points and 15 rebounds. Orange (5-2, 0-1 in the Central Conference) lost to Eastern Alamance for the first time since February 2, 2022.

Orange led 49-43 going into the fourth quarter, but the Eagles got a surprise boost from sophomore Xavier McPherson, who was called up from the junior varsity team for his first varsity game and scored eleven points, all in the second half. McPherson drained two 3-pointers, including one that gave the Eagles the lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Tinnen finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.

Orange senior Michael Clark scored nine points in the opening quarter, all off 3-pointers. The Panthers built a 12-point lead in the first half based off a 54-38 rebounding edge, plus the Eagles missed its first six three throws. Wade finished with a double-double with 18 points and eleven rebounds. Clark came away with 13 points and ten rebounds.

Orange will return home to face East Chapel Hill in a nonconference game on Tuesday night.

Women’s basketball: Eastern Alamance 37, Orange 34:

In a strange game, Eastern Alamance earned its second win of the year behind Ayila Trollinger’s 16 points.
Orange led 6-2 at the end of the first quarter despite not sinking a field goal. In fact, Orange scored just two field goals in the entire first half and still led 14-5 at halftime.

Senior Evelyn George led all players with 19 points. With four seconds remaining, the Eagles led 37-34 when Orange’s Addie Atkins tied up Selaya Rogers, giving the ball to Orange on the possession arrow. George had a clean look from 3-point range to tie it up and appeared to be hit on the arm by an Eagle, but there was no call as the buzzer sounded.

After being limited to two field goals in the first half, the Eagles exploded to start the second half. Marion Scott scored all nine of her points in the third quarter. Trollinger drained four 3-pointers in the second half, included one that was banked in that put the Eagles ahead 27-20 at the end of the third quarter.

Atkins and George sparked a late comeback for the Lady Panthers. Atkins knocked down a 20-footer while George scored seven points in the fourth quarter. Alexis Stephens added her only field goal of the game. The Eagles’ succeeded in slowing the game down to its own, half-court plodding pace. Only three Orange players scored field goals as the Eagles won its Central Conference opener.

The Eagles defeated Orange for the third straight time. Last year, Orange defeated Eastern Alamance in the Southeastern Alamance Holiday Tournament.

Orange will host East Chapel Hill, a former conference rival, in Hillsborough on Tuesday night.

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Orange and Chapel Hill remains a deep rivalry in men’s basketball. On Tuesday night, the Panthers defeated the Tigers 65-58 at Chapel Hill Gymnasium. It was the Panthers first win over Chapel Hill since 2019. Xandrell Pennix finished with 19 points, the fourth time in six games he’s led the Panthers in scoring. Junior Kai Wade, who played all 32 minutes, finished with 12 points. Wade sank from huge free throws in the final three minutes after the Tigers whittled a 15-point lead down to five points in the fourth quarter. Wade’s uniform was drenched with sweat at the end of an intense, draining game against a longtime rival. Sophomore Hector Garrido had a career-high 14 points, including 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Garrido drained two early shots in the third quarter to push the Panthers out to a 15-point lead which the Tigers couldn’t erase. It was a huge rivalry win for the Panthers, who had lost five straight games to Chapel Hill. Even more impressively, the Panthers won without starting forward Michael Clark, who was sick. Wade led Orange with 32 points in its season-opening win over Voyager Academy. The Panthers will start Central Conference play with a trip to Mebane on Friday night. They will face Eastern Alamance at Tal Jobe Gymnasium in a game you can hear on Hillsboroughsports.com.

Orange basketball’s Xandrell Pennix, Kai Wade & Hector Garrido discusses win at Chapel Hill

Orange and Chapel Hill remains a deep rivalry in men’s basketball. On Tuesday night, the Panthers defeated the Tigers 65-58 at Chapel Hill Gymnasium. It was the Panthers first win over Chapel Hill since 2019. Xandrell Pennix finished with 19 points, the fourth time in six games he’s led the Panthers in scoring.

CHAPEL HILL–Before the Orange men’s basketball team could start on its mission to repeat as the best team in the Central Conference, they had to prove they were the best team in all of Orange County.

That meant beating Chapel Hill, something they haven’t done since February 8, 2019.

On Tuesday night, a determined, gritty group of Panthers didn’t trail in the second half and handed the Tigers its first loss of the season.

Sophomore Hector Garrido came up with a career-high 14 points to power a 7-0 run to open the second half, building a 15-point deficit the Tigers couldn’t erase as Orange won 65-58. It ended the Panthers five-game losing streak to its longest in-county rival.

Senior Xandrell Pennix added 19 points, including some pressure-packed free throws down the stretch. Chapel Hill coach Rodney Carter, who apparently attended the Dean Smith College of Extending Games Down the Stretch, masterfully cut into the Panthers deficit behind 15 points from senior forward Jason Krieg.

Chapel Hill entered the game 5-0, winning all of its games by double-figures. Their tightest contest had come against Walter Williams last week, a 65-50 win where they led 36-27 at halftime.

“We wanted this one,” said Orange coach Derryl Britt. “To be honest with you, I knew we hadn’t beaten these guys in years. But that really wasn’t a motivating factor. History is exactly what it is–history. Where we are, currently, and where they are. That’s why we needed this win. We need to stack wins against good teams.”

In years past, Chapel Hill would utilize its size to intimidate Orange teams, some of them even more talented that the current squad. In the early minutes on Tuesday night, Garrido and center Jalen Crayton blocked shots against the Tigers’ starting five, sending a loud and clear message that it was game on.

Nonetheless, the Tigers knocked the Panthers back with an early run from Juice McIlwaine, who scored seven points as Chapel Hill built a 17-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. As Orange was mired in some early shooting woes, Garrido carried the way offensively with six points.

Following the first half quarter breaks, Orange’s backcourt of Kai Wade, Freddy Sneed and Pennix took control of the game defensively. None of Chapel Hill’s starters scored in the second quarter, while Wade and Pennix drained 3-pointers. Ethan Ellis’ drained a trey with 3:37 remaining in the first half to give Orange a 21-20 advantage, remarkably one they wouldn’t surrender for the rest of the game. After Sneed knocked down two free throws in the final minute, Wade banked in a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give the Panthers a 32-24 lead going to the locker room.

While Chapel Hill appeared motivated coming out of the locker room, it was Orange who made the shots. Sneed stole the ball on the Tigers’ opening possession, leading to Pennix driving into the paint and dished it off to sophomore center Jalen Crayton who scored a lay-in. Pennix stole the ball on the next Chapel Hill trip, Garrido rebounded a miss and laid it in against a taller Tiger team, leading to an immediate time out.

Crayton finished with nine blocks, a career-high

Wade stripped Chapel Hill guard Niko Davis of the ball following the timeout. Then Wade sent a drive-and-kick pass to Garrido, who buried a 3-pointer from the wing to put the Panthers ahead 39-24.

Krieg almost single-handily kept the Tigers in the game, scoring seven of their nine points in the third quarter. The Tigers narrowed its deficit down to five points behind three-pointers from McIlwaine and Makhai Manning, but Pennix and Wade drained enough free throws down the stretch to keep the Panthers ahead.

Orange will start its Central Conference campaign with a trip to Eastern Alamance on Friday night.

ORANGE 65, CHAPEL HILL 58

ORANGE: Kai Wade 14, Xandrell Pennix 19, Freddy Sneed 9, Jalen Crayton 4, Hector Garrido 14, Robert Smith 2, Ethan Ellis 3

CHAPEL HILL: Niko Davis 7, Wesley Krieg 2, Max Upchurch 7, Juice McIlwaine 12, Jason Krieg 15, Mahkai Manning 10, Sam Zimmerman 5

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