Damon Scott: The Shelby Golden Lions defeated the Wallace-Rose Hill Bulldogs 55-34 for the 2A State Championship at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Saturday. Damon Scott, a 1993 Orange High graduate and Cedar Grove native, is the running backs coach for the Golden Lions. In his sophomore season, Scott was the tailback for the most successful Orange football team of the 1990s. In 1991, Orange went 9-3 and defeated Hillside 14-8 in overtime on the final night of the regular season at North Carolina Central University to clinch a playoff spot, which was limited to 32 teams in 4A football (the highest of four classifications). Scott scored the game-winning touchdown for the Panthers, which included future Orange softball coach Eddie Davidson at fullback and current Granville Central men’s basketball coach Mike McDaniel at linebacker. The following week, Orange journeyed to Greenville and defeated J.H. Rose 23-6 in the opening round of the 4A State Playoffs. Scott was the leading rusher in the game. That was Orange’s only state playoff win of the 1990s and still the last time the Panthers won a playoff game when only four state champions were crowned in North Carolina football. After graduating from Orange, Scott became a I-AA (now Football Championship Subdivision) All-American running back with Appalachian State. He was a member of Appalachian’s 1995 Southern Conference championship team, which finished the regular season 11-0. The Mountaineers started the year with a win at Wake Forest and eventually defeated a Marshall squad led by Randy Moss on a snowy night at Edwards Stadium in Huntington, WV. In that 1995 season, two-thirds of Appalachian’s starting backfield consisted of Orange High graduates: Scott was at tailback for Coach Jerry Moore. The quarterback was Scott Satterfield, now the head coach at the University of Louisville. In his Mountaineers career, Scott rushed for 3,800 yards. He was inducted into the Appalachian State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.

Emerson Talley: The most successful season in the history of Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer came to an end in the Final Four of the NCAA Division II tournament. #1 Grand Valley State defeated the Bears 3-0 at Weidner Field in Colordo Springs, CO. The Bears end the season 12-6-5. It was the first time ever that Lenoir-Rhyne made the Final Four. Talley, who is the all-time leading scorer in Cedar Ridge women’s soccer history, finished her freshman season playing in eight games for the Bears, starting two.

Connor Crabtree: The Richmond Spiders men’s basketball team returned to action by beating Toledo 72-69 at the Robins Center on Saturday. Crabtree came off the bench for the Spiders and played 18 minutes. He scored eight points off 3-of-6 shooting from the field. He went 1-of-2 from 3-point range. He also grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists. On Sunday, the Spiders defeated Northern Iowa 60-52 at the McLeod Center in Cedar Rapids, IA. Crabtree played three minutes for the Spiders against the Panthers. Richmond is 6-4 and is on a three-game winning streak. Crabtree will return to North Carolina next weekend. The Spiders will travel to Charlotte to face N.C. State at the Spectrum Center for the Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout on Friday.

Joey McMullin: Sandhills Community College easily defeated the Pfeiffer junior varsity team 115-79 in Misenheimer on Monday night. McMullin came off the bench to score 12 points in 20 minutes for the Flyers. McMullin shot 6-of-9 from the field. He also grabbed three rebounds and dished out three assists. Sandhills has now won three in a row. The Flyers are 8-4 overall. Thus far in his first season with Sandhills, McMullin is the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging 13.2 points per game. He’s also second on the team in field goal percentage at 52.7%. The Flyers will return to action to face Shooting for Greatness Academy on Wednesday in Pinehurst.

Orange junior guard Jada Reed had a career-high 12 points in the Lady Panthers 62-16 win over Riverside at Panther Gymnasium on Friday night. Reed scored the game’s first field goal with a 3-pointer in the opening minute, which put the Lady Panthers ahead for good. Most memorably, Reed hit a 45-footer from midcourt at the third quarter buzzer to put Orange ahead 44-16. Aaliyah Harris led Orange with 13 points. Reed played several games on the varsity squad during her freshman year, and joined the varsity full-time during the pandemic shortened season last winter. Reed’s favorite players to watch are Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and guard Skyler Diggins of the Phoenix Mercury. Orange will take a two-game winning streak into its next conference game, which is coming up Tuesday night against Western Alamance. The Lady Panthers have two more home games next week, which will be its final games before Christmas. Orange hosts East Chapel Hill on Thursday, then returns to Central Carolina Conference action against Walter Williams on Friday in Hillsborough.

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.

What do you do the morning after you’ve coached a volleyball team to its first 3A State Championship?

In Fiona Cunningham’s case, you continue coaching.

Though the jubilation of Cedar Ridge’s victory over North Iredell for the 3A State Championship at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh was still vibrant within her body, Cunningham attended a private session in Chapel Hill hours later on a Sunday morning.

Cunningham, in her second year at Cedar Ridge, has been named the Central Carolina Conference Volleyball Coach of the Year. This season, in a league that was the toughest in the 3A East Region, Cunningham led the Red Wolves to a perfect 12-0 record and its second straight conference title. The Red Wolves set a school record with 31 wins and became the first female team in Cedar Ridge history to win a state championship.

Through two years as head coach at Cedar Ridge, Cunningham has a 40-3 overall record, 20-0 in conference games.

Three Cedar Ridge players were named to the All-Central Carolina Conference team: junior outside hitter Cameron Lloyd, junior Cameron Lanier and setter Julie Altieri.

In addition, Orange had three players named All-Conference: senior outside hitter Ella Van Tiem, sophomore Ella Wimsatt and sophomore libero Sadye Porter.

Lloyd was named the 3A State Player of the Year by the North Carolina Volleyball Coaches Association last month. Curiously, Northwood sophomore Asia Thigpen was named the Central Carolina Conference Player of the Year, though she wasn’t included on the NCVBCA 3A All-State team.

Lloyd set a single-season school record for kills with 360. Early in the season, Lloyd was honored for surpassing 500 career kills. She was also 2nd on the team with 65 aces and registered 239 digs (also 2nd on the team). Lloyd’s final kill of the season was on match point against North Iredell, which set up a wild celebration at Reynolds Coliseum with hundreds of Cedar Ridge fans in attendance.

Lanier joined Lloyd on the NCVBCA 3A All-State team. She was second on the squad with 245 kills. Lanier also finished with 39 blocks, which was second on the team behind sophomore Addie Reid. Lanier had a season-high 16 kills against Northwood on September 28 in Hillsborough. Lanier had a six-game string of double-digit kills, starting with Person on August 31. In the state championship match, Lanier had 12 kills, seven digs, two blocks and an ace against the Raiders. Lost in the celebration of winning the state championship was the fact that Lanier also surpassed 500 career kills.

Altieri, in her third year as a starter, constantly kept opposing teams off-balance by being a left handed server who notched several milestones of her own. She set a single-season record with 717 assists. Against Eastern Alamance on September 9, she surpassed 1,000 career assists. Altieri concluded the season with 1,499 assists. Currently, Altieri is playing her first season of high school basketball. On Monday, Altieri assisted on a game-winning shot by senior Phoenix Smith as Cedar Ridge defeated Northern Durham to end a 26-game losing streak.

For Orange, Van Tiem led the Lady Panthers with 117 kills. She had a season-high 19 kills in a 3-1 win over Southern Alamance in Graham on September 1. Van Tiem had six games with double-digit kills, including eleven kills against Western Alamance on September 23.

Wimsatt, another outside hitter, was second on the team with 104 kills. She also had 151 digs, which was second on the team. Against Southern Alamance on September 22, Wimsatt had a season-high 15 kills, 26 digs and two blocks. Wimsatt had eleven kills and six digs against Western Alamance on October 11.

Porter led Orange with 299 digs. She also had eleven aces, which was second on the team behind Caitlin Carden’s 21 aces. Porter had a season-high 48 digs against Southern Alamance on September 1, and later had 35 digs against the Patriots on September 22 in Hillsborough. She had seven games with over 20 digs this season for an Orange team that defeated West Johnston in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. It was the Panthers first postseason win under head coach Kelly Young.

After leading the Cedar Ridge men’s soccer team in scoring, junior striker Chris Mendez has been named to the All-Central Carolina Conference squad.

Mendez was one of four Cedar Ridge players honored. Also voted to the All-Conference team was goalkeeper Benjamin Weaver, senior co-Captain Alex Jackan and wingback Issac Anderson.

Orange placed two players on the All-Conference team: junior midfielder Darius Corbett and Tucker Gaddy. The Panthers were also honored with the league’s Sportsmanship Award.

This season, Mendez led Cedar Ridge with 13 goals and 29 points. On September 15, Mendez scored two goals in a 4-1 victory over Orange in the opening leg of the Hillsborough Derby at Red Wolves Stadium. Mendez scored Cedar Ridge’s second goal off an assist from Jesus Quirez-Rivera and blasted the ball into the net from eight yards away. In the second half, Mendez notched the brace after he stuck in a rebound after a save by Orange goalkeeper Connor McMurtry.

Mendez ended the season with a hat trick in Cedar Ridge’s 6-0 win over Eastern Alamance on October 26, which put the Red Wolves on the verge of making the state playoffs for the first time since 2016. Cedar Ridge likely was the first team out of the field of 64 when the playoff field was unveiled in October.

Weaver was the starting goalkeeper for all 20 of Cedar Ridge’s games this season. After moving to North Carolina form Pennsylvania, Weaver was inserted into the starting lineup by first year Red Wolves’ head coach Chauncey Brummell. He posted his first clean sheet in a 9-0 win over Clover Garden School on August 25. In the opening tilt against Orange, Weaver kept the Red Wolves in the lead midway through the second half when he blocked a shot by Corbett from the penalty spot after the Panthers had narrowed Cedar Ridge’s lead to 2-1. Weaver posted three more shutouts in the regular season.

Jackan was the senior leader who developed a reputation as a strong defensive midfielder. He had two goals in 2021, including a marker in an 8-1 victory over Person on September 23 in Hillsborough.

Anderson had a season-high two goals against Person in Hillsborough. He was chosen as the player of the game in a rugged game against Williams, where the Bulldogs pulled out a 2-0 win. Anderson also had goals against East Chapel Hill and Clover Garden School.

For Orange, Corbett scored eight goals and one assist. He had a hat trick in Orange’s opening win of the season, a 9-0 victory over Henderson Collegiate at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Corbett also notched a hat trick in a 4-3 loss at Southern Durham on September 24. Corbett scored the final goal with seconds remaining in regulation as Orange defeated Graham 4-1, a game where the Panthers exploded for four goals in the final 16 minutes.

Gaddy, a junior, was a strong defense presence for the Panthers, who finished 7-12-1 overall under head coach Palmer Bowman. Gaddy had an assist in Orange’s 4-1 victory over Eastern Alamance on September 29 in Hillsborough. The Panthers concluded the season with a 9-2 victory over the Eagles in Mebane on October 25.

Western Alamance’s Ian Bacchus was named the Central Carolina Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Baccus scored 22 goals as the Warriors, despite finishing 2nd in the CCC, won the 3A State Championship.

Walter Williams’ Ty Thompson was named the CCC Defensive Player of the Year. Williams’ Jeremy Krist was the CCC Coach of the Year.

It was the second time in three years that a team from Alamance County won the 3A men’s soccer state championship. Williams captured the 2019 crown.

After he scored 41 points in the opening game of his senior season, it would be easy for Jerec Thompson’s teammates on the Orange men’s basketball team to let him carry the load down the stretch of tight games.

But that’s not the recipe for success.

Instead, against Carrboro on Tuesday night at Panther Gymnasium, it was another Thompson that came through with the biggest play of the game.

With the game tied 56-56 with 2:26 remaining, Thompson did a flashy crossover to shake Carrboro point guard Ti’von Bird, then drilled a 3-pointer to put Orange (2-3) ahead for good. Joshua Jackson hit enough free throws in the final minute as Orange pulled out a 61-58 victory over Carrboro for the Panthers first home win of the season.

Jerec Thompson finished with 27 points, including 21 in the first half. Ethan Stutts led Carrboro (3-1) with 19 points, but was scoreless in the final quarter.

J.J. Thompson had all nine of his points off three-pointers in the final five minutes of regulation.

“That’s not unexpected,” said Orange coach Darryl Britt. “We’ve been preaching for J.J. to do this type of thing the whole time. Luckily he knocked them down tonight. I hope in the future, we won’t have to push him so hard because everybody is going to try to take J.T. (Jerec Thompson) away at times like that.”

After J.J.’s crossover three-pointer, Carrboro’s L.J. Riggsbee scored off a rebound and was fouled by Orange’s Ryan Moss with 2:08 remaining. But Riggsbee missed the subsequent free throw that would have tied the game and the Jaguars didn’t score again.

Thompson’s 3-pointer turned out to be the final field goal of the game. Jackson, who finished with nine points, made three big three throws in the final minute. Carrboro had several chances to even the game in the waning minutes, but Jerec Thompson and Darius Corbett came up with crucial rebounds after Jaguars misses from the field. With under a minute remaining, Carrboro forced a steal and broke out in transition set to tie the game, but the Jaguars were called for traveling.

Orange didn’t trail in the first half, but its largest lead was seven. After Jackson opened the game with a 3-pointer, Thompson drained consecutive 3-pointers in the first quarter, including one from 30-feet to put Orange in the lead for the remainder of the half. Jackson was fouled on a 3-pointer on the subsequent possession, and made two free throws.

Stutts scored 15 points in the first half for the Jaguars. Carrboro had three chances to even the game in the second quarter, but the Panthers came up with stops on every trip.

Riggsbee put the Jaguars ahead in the third quarter after two free throws.

Tuesday’s game was the start of a five-game homestead for Orange. They will host Riverside on Friday night.

WOMEN’S GAME: ORANGE 68, CARRBORO 36

Two Orange women’s players had career-highs as the Lady Panthers defeated Carrboro 68-36 on Tuesday night.

Senior guard Samantha George put up 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field, including both of her 3-point attempts. Last Thursday, George had a career-high of 19 points in a win over the North Carolina School of Science and Math in Durham.

Another senior guard, Nikayla Whitted, added eleven points and six steals. Whitted, who played at Gravelly Hill Middle School, reached double-figures for the first time in her career.

Senior point guard Aaliyah Harris added 18 points as Orange improved to 3-2. Jarmil Wingate added eight points.

It was the first home game of the season for Orange. The Lady Panthers opened the season with road trips to Graham, Chapel Hill, Durham and Pittsboro.

Not only did the Orange men’s basketball team win its first home game of the season on Tuesday night. They became the first team to defeat Carrboro this season. The Panthers held off the Jaguars 61-58 at Panther Gymnasium. Senior guard J.J. Thompson save his best for last, scoring all nine of his points off three 3-pointers in the final five minutes. The biggest came with 2:26 remaining when Thompson drilled a 20-footer following a sweet crossover that shook the Jaguars point guard. Senior guard Joshua Jackson hit three big free throws in the final minute as Orange improved to 2-3. Jackson started with five points in the opening quarter. Senior guard Jerec Thompson led all scorers with 27 points, including 21 in the first half. Orange will return home to face Riverside on Friday night in Hillsborough.