The King of Kings Invitational wasn’t just Orange’s fourth tournament team championship this season. It also gave a possibly preview of what several Panthers could face in the individual state championships next month.

Last Saturday, Orange captured the King of Kings Championship with 209.5 point at Olympic High School in Charlotte. Northwestern High, out of Rock Hill (SC), finished 2nd with 139.5. Dixon High came in 3rd with 124.5.

Braden Homsey earned his fifth championship of the season at 195 pounds in dominant fashion. In three matches, Homsey earned a pin and two technical falls, including the championship match against Zatay Lindsey of Southern Durham 17-1. In the quarterfinals, Homsey pinned Joshua Vickers of Rutherfordton-Spindale Central in 1:55. Homsey punched his ticket to the semifinals with a 19-4 technical fall over Malcolm Grandison of Hopewell. Homsey is now 26-0 on the season.

After a runner-up finish at Eastern Alamance and third-place finishes in the Jim King Invitational and the Tiger Invitational, senior Gavin Wiggins earned his first championship of the season at the King of Kings. Taking the championship at 126, Wiggins squeezed out a 10-8 decision over Ethan Workman of Charlotte Latin School. Wiggins defeated Preston Scarborough of Central Academy of Technology and Arts 6-5 in the semifinals. Wiggins improved to 24-4.

The tournament also marked the first loss of the season for senior Josiah Ramirez, who fell in the championship match to John Carmella of Marvin Ridge 5-2. Ramirez scored two pins leading to the championship match, putting away Austin Brown of Central Cabarrus in 1:07 and Chase Hamlin of Northwestern in 2:00. Carmella and Ramirez are the two top-ranked wrestlers at 182 in the state, according to Kombatready.com. It was Ramirez’s first loss after 27 consecutive wins to start the season.

At 120, Justin Hutchins finished 2nd, his best performance yet in a tournament. Hutchins was pinned by Corey Smith of Dixon in the championship match. Hutchins earned his way to the title match by defeating Dylan Kelly of Marvin Ridge 7-5 in the semifinals. Hutchins pinned Aman Ellis of Olympic in 1:15.

Senior Bailey Hawkins finished runner-up at 132. Hawkins pinned Hunter Padgett of Dixon in :55 in the quarterfinals, then defeated Jordan McKinney of Northwest Cabarrus 6-2. Ethan Workman of Central Cabarrus claimed a 13-4 major decision over Hawkins in the finals. Hawkins is currently ranked 5th in 3A at 132 with a 26-4 record by Kombatready.com.

Daylan Alston claimed 2nd at heavyweight, boosting his record to 28-4. Alston pinned Michelle Elguero of Central Cabarrus in :11, then pinned DeAnthony Barnhardt of Northwest Cabarrus in 4:39. Thomas Hudson of Dixon pinned Alston in 5:10 for the championship.

Levi Anderson also finished 2nd at 138. He was narrowly defeated in the championship match by Nathan Buchanan of Central Cabarrus 2-1. Anderson had the longest road of any Panther to reach the finals. In the opening round, he pinned Southern Durham’s Demetrius Moore in :21, followed by another pinfall victory over Marvin Ridge’s Dheeraj Pannem in 1:10. In the semifinals, Anderson earned a major decision over Shemar Washington of Northwestern 13-4.

Mitchell Askew (113), Luke Riley (145) and Trey Jones (170) finished third in their respective weight classes.

Now, Orange enters the final week of the regular season looking to close out another Big 8 Conference Championship. After being inactive last week because of 11 inches of snow in Hillsborough, the Panthers senior night meet against Southern Durham was postponed. On Wednesday, Orange travels to Northern Durham for its first conference match against the Knights since 2001. Orange Wrestling Coach Spencer Poteat is trying to arrange the Southern Durham match to be contested at Carmichael Arena at UNC on Friday, but that won’t be finalized until Monday at the earliest. Orange is 16-0 overall, 5-0 in the Big 8.

Cedar Ridge boys basketball coach Clay Jones joked last week that, if his team defeated Hillside, he would have to beg his players to practice again for the rest of the season.

Perhaps he wasn’t joking. The Red Wolves, who have practiced one time since December 21st, came into the Hillside game on a two-game winning streak, its longest of the year. Then they nearly knocked off the Hornets, falling 60-59. Khalil Barnett led the Red Wolves with 19 points, while Mekai Collins added 15..

Damon Sanders paced Hillside with 20.

Trying to find a rhythm has been a struggle for both of Hillsborough’s basketball teams since the holidays.

For Orange, the Panthers started 2018 with a loss to Pinecrest on January 2nd, then didn’t play for a week because of winter weather. A game against Northwood was rescheduled for this past Saturday, forcing Orange to play three games in four days last week. Chapel Hill defeated the Panthers 59-55 at Tiger Gymnasium, despite the fact that Chapel Hill guard Elijah Haynes missed the game because of an ankle injury suffered during the South Granville Holiday Tournament. Mitch Portman led Orange with 17 points. The Tigers, who started the game on a 10-3 run, fended off a late Orange run with clutch free throws from Max Connelly, who finished with 16 points. A.J. Thompson added 15.

Chapel Hill defeated East Chapel Hill 59-45 on Tuesday night to remain atop the Big 8 at 8-0. Connolly paced CHHS with 18 points. Once again, Haynes didn’t play.

On Friday, Southern Durham handed Orange its fourth straight loss, 77-56. The Spartans, who led by 38 at one point, received 18 points from Jayvis Harvey. Orange was held to six points in the second quarter, was led by 18 points from sophomore Machai Holt, a career-high.

It was Orange’s first four-game losing streak since the 2012-13 season, a streak that ended on Saturday with a 43-37 victory over Northwood.

Orange is now 7-9, 3-3 in the Big 8. In the new look Big 8 Conference, the panthers are 4th in the league behind three teams that could be dangerous in the state tournament. Chapel Hill is undefeated, while Southern Durham is 4-1 and Northern Durham is 3-1.

With another winter storm anticipated Wednesday, the Panthers’ game scheduled at Northern Durham has already been postponed. Orange is slated to play at East Chapel Hill on Friday.

Cedar Ridge is supposed to host Northwood on Friday, but that game is at risk with the pending snowstorm. The Red Wolves already have had to postpone a game against Northern Durham from the first week fo 2018 that still hasn’t been rescheduled.

Whenever the Red Wolves resume its season, its clear for the most consistent offensive performers have been. On top of his 15 points against Hillside, Collins scored 20 in a 66-61 victory over Warren County, preceded by 17 points in the Red Wolves win over East Chapel Hill, which ended a nine-game losing streak.

Two matches in two nights couldn’t stop Orange Wrestling perfect record.

The Panthers defeated Chapel Hill 60-15 on Thursday night at Orange High, meaning Orange is two wins away from winning its 16th consecutive conference championship. The Panthers, now 16-0, face Southern Durham next Wednesday in Hillsborough before taking on Northern Durham on January 24.

Orange registered seven pins to defeat the Tigers. Avery Jenkins victory at 160 over Jack Davenport in 2:56 put the match out of reach. The Panthers won the match in the heavier weight classes, reeling off four straight pins. After Jenkins’ victory, Trey Jones pinned Bryan Ramirez in 3:38. At 182, Josiah Ramirez remained undefeated by pinning Milan Aghaiepour in :48. Braden Homsey mainined his unblemished mark with a :39 pin of Daniel Gonzales. Heavyweight Daylan Alston received a forfeit win to start the night.

At 145, Luke Riley pinned Bryan Lopez in 2:46. Kessel Summers edged Ta’Vonne page 13-7 at 106. Mitchell Askew pinned David Cureton in 4:34.

The most competitive match of the night came at 120, where Zin Maung edged Justin Hutchins 6-4 in overtime.

Bailey Hawkins, who has won two individual championships this year, pinned Erick Islas-Hernandez in 2:51. Gavin Wiggins wrapped up a technical fall, 15-0, at 132.

With another conference championship possibly on the horizon, Orange will venture to Charlotte this Saturday for the King of Kings Tournament at Olympic High School.

Making a trip to the border of Virginia, the Cedar Ridge Boys Basketball team came away with its 2nd win in 24 hours.

Mekai Collins scored 20 points as the Red Wolves outscored Warren County down the stretch to defeat the Eagles (7-8) 66-61 on Wednesday night. After losing nine in a row, Cedar Ridge has now won consecutive games for the first time since December 2015, when they defeated Northern Vance and Granville Central just before Christmas.

Cedar Ridge put three players in double figures. Khalil Barnett added 14 points while Terrence Crawford added 12. Andrew Altieri came off the bench to score eight points.

The Eagles, who led 31-30 at the half, were led by 22 points from sophomore guard Andrew Smith. Sa’veyon Alston added 15.

Wednesday’s game wsa an make-up game from a contest that was supposed to be played last week, but was postponed because of winter weather.

Cedar Ridge will try for its first three-game winning streak since early December 2015 when they face Hillside at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Friday night. The tripleheader starts with the JV boys game at 4:30, followed by the girls game at 6. The boys game is slated to start at 7:30.

If the Orange Wrestling team wins its 16th consecutive conference championship, it will come under unique circumstances.

Since joining the Big 8 Conference, the Panthers’ two toughest competitors have been Northwood and Chapel Hill. Orange was supposed to face the Chargers last week, but the winter weather forced a delay to Tuesday night—-24 hours before the Chapel Hill match.

Orange climbed the first hurdle with relative ease on Tuesday night, beating Northwood 58-18 in Pittsboro after racking up six pinfalls and two technical falls. Trey Jones ensured another Orange win by pinning Northwood’s William Lane in :35, the second of four consecutive Panther pins that sewed up victory.

Kissel Summers opened the night with a major decision at 106 over Carson Richard 11-0. At 113, Mitchell Askew scored the first technical fall over Adam Wasmuth 16-0. That was followed by another major decision, where Justin Hutchins defeated Jamison Davis 9-1 at 120. Gavin Wiggins scored the first pin of the night at 126, putting Anthony Brinitzor’s shoulders to the mat in 1:22.

Senior Bailey Hawkins earned a technical fall over Grant Ray 15-0. At 145, Levi Anderson got a win with a major decision over Carter Stallings 13-1.

After Northwood’s Hunter Guinean and Jony Mazurek scored pins to narrow Orange’s lead to 28-12, Orange scored four consecutive pins to put the hay in the barn. Avery Jenkins pinned Montgomery Allgood in :57. After Jones’ victory, Josiah Ramirez ran his undefeated record to 29-0 with a pin of Hsemay Day in 1:03. Braden Homsey also remained undefeated by pinning Hunter Kingel in 1:58.

At heavyweight, Daylan Alston scored another pinfall victory, defeating Ben McGaughnea in 2:42.

Orange is now 15-0 and will host Chapel Hill tonight at 6.

It hasn’t shown in the win-loss record, but the Cedar Ridge boys basketball team has worked since early summer to try to make a daunting schedule in the Big 8 more manageable.

On Tuesday night, the hard work finally paid off.

Mekai Collins scored 16 points as the Red Wolves defeated East Chapel Hill 47-43 at Wildcats Gymnasium. The victory ended the Red Wolves’ nine-game losing streak and was its first win since November 17 against Jordan-Matthews.

Cedar Ridge is now 2-10, 1-3 in the Big 8. The game was the first-ever conference matchup between the two teams.

The Red Wolves opened the game on a 14-5 run. Terrence Crawford added 15 points, while Eddie Altieri added six.

Justin Tucker led East Chapel Hill (3-9, 0-4) with 15 points. He was the only Wildcat in double figures.

Cedar Ridge will be right back in action tonight with another road game at Warren County. Tuesday’s victory over East was Cedar Ridge’s first game of 2018. They will return home on Friday to host Hillside.

The snow is off the ground, school is back in session, and the race to determine the Big 8 Girls Basketball Regular Season Championship appears to be as wide open as ever.

The only thing that seems certain is Cedar Ridge will be right in the thick of it.

The Red Wolves defeated East Chapel Hill 42-27 on Tuesday night at Wildcats Gymnasium. Madison Wardlow paced all scorers with 18 points as the Red Wolves improved to 3-1 in the Big 8, 9-5 overall. Cedar Ridge is tied with Hillside for 2nd place in the conference. The two teams will meet Friday at Cedar Ridge.

Jacori Walton added five points for the Red Wolves, who led 19-9 at halftime and were never seriously challenged in the second half. Yolanda Simpson and Logan Woody also scored five points each for Cedar Ridge, who played for the first time since beating Southern Vance on December 21.

No East Chapel Hill player got in double figures. Kayla Characklis paced the Wildcats with nine points. The Red Wolves held East to only four field goals in the entire second half.

Cedar Ridge will travel to Warren County tonight. Last week’s game against Northern Durham was postponed because of winter weather. A makeup date has yet to be announced.

CEDAR RIDGE: Yolanda Simpson 5, Tori Dalehite 1, Logan Woody 5, Madison Wardlow 18, Taylin Jean 3, Natalia Paray 4, Jacori Walton 5, Brianna Torain 2, Grace Davies 3.

EAST CHAPEL HILL: Kayla Characklis 9, T’Kiyah Reeves 5, Alex Mauney 6, Grace Vincent 2, Katie Characklis 2, Shoshana Halev 2, Victoria Baldwin 1.