Apropos on senior night, it was Orange’s only two seniors who led the Panthers to its first outright conference championship since 2005.

Connor Crabtree and Logan Vosburg each had 18 to propel Orange past J.F. Webb 72-56 at a sultry Jim King Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

Orange finishes the regular season 18-5 and takes the Big 8 regular season championship with a 11-1 record. The Panthers will have a bye into the semifinals of next week’s Big 8 Tournament, and won’t play again until Wednesday against an opponent to be determined.

While eight days off sounds excessive, the Panthers could use the rest. Tuesday marked Orange’s seventh game in 14 days, which may explain the Panthers’ sluggish start against the Warriors (4-17, 2-9). Webb bounced out to a 20-15 lead after Kenneth Veney came off the bench to score nine points in the opening ten minutes. Kendall Baskett added eight in the first half for the Warriors, and finished with a team-high 12.

“We like to play fast,” said Orange Coach Greg Motley, who was honored in pregame for his 20th anniversary as Orange coach. “We were playing kind of slow. We tried to change defenses and picked up the tempo as the game went on. Down the stretch, I thought we opened it up a little bit.”

Orange used its patented full-course press to finish the first half on a 12-0 run, creating four turnovers that became eight points. It started when Vosburg scored on a reverse layup. Crabtree stole the subsequent inbounds pass, leading to a Mitch Portman tip-in to give Orange a 34-33 lead. As Orange pressed, Vosburg created another turnover, leading to a breakaway lay-in by Crabtree. Webb committed a 10-second violation on its next possession, and Veney picked up his third foul moments later. He only scored one point in the second half. Portman sank two free throws and Crabtree scored on a lay-in after another Orange steal to give the Panthers a 40-33.

Orange was never seriously threatened in the second half, pushing the lead to 60-40 midway through the fourth quarter. Portman finished with ten points, while Joey McMullin and Eli Haithcock each had eight.

Before the game, Vosburg received a commemorative game ball for scoring his 1,000th point last week.

“I didn’t know that were doing that,” said Vosburg. “I knew I had 1,000 points, but I didn’t know that was going to happen. That’s one I’m going to remember.”

Orange is assured the top seed for the Big 8 Conference going into the state playoffs, regardless of how the Big 8 Tournament plays out. Recent projections from WRAL show Orange will likely receive the #1 seed for the Mideast, meaning Orange will host playoff games as long as they keep winning.

For now, Orange has eight days off, which Motley views as a blessing and a curse. How will he handle it?

“I don’t know,” said Motley. “We don’t want to be off that long, I’ll put it that way. At the same time, hopefully it will let us rest a little bit. Logan and Connor play a bunch of minutes.”

ORANGE 72, WEBB 56

WEBB: Unique Heggie 4, Shamar Coachman 2, Kendall Baskett 12, Solomon Serba-Davis 8, Shadarius Wilkerson 6, Kenneth Veney 10, Shurone Harris 6, Tyrone Clark 3, Jordan Barnette 5.

ORANGE: Mitch Portman 10, Connor Crabtree 18, Joey McMullin 8, Logan Vosburg 18, Eli Haithcock 8, Morgan Paschall 4, Kendall Whitted 5, Treshon Richardson 1.

On Tuesday night, the Orange Men’s Basketball team earned its first outright conference championship since 2005 by beating J.F. Webb 72-56. Coach Greg Motley was honored before the game for coaching Orange for 20 years.

Orange Coach Greg Motley Talks Winning the Big 8 Regular Season Title & Senior Night

On a night where he was honored during his 20th season as Orange Coach, Greg Motley led the Panthers past J.F. Webb 72-56. It’s Orange’s first outright conference championship in 12 years.

On senior night, Logan Vosburg scored 18 points as Orange clinched the Big 8 Regular Season Championship, beating J.F. Webb 72-56. Vosburg recently passed 1,000 points for his Orange career.

Orange senior Logan Vosburg Discusses Winning the Big 8 Regular Season Titl

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After the best start in Orange girls basketball history, the Lady Panthers suffered its first loss of the season on Friday night. Northwood defeated Orange 63-60 behind 18 points from Kristian Eanes. Orange will face Webb on Tuesday night in Oxford. With a victory, the Panthers will clinch the outright Big 8 Championship.

Orange Coach B.J. Condron Discusses Loss to Northwood

After a school record 22-game winning streak, Orange absorbed its first loss of the season on Friday night. Northwood defeated the Panthers 63-60. Orange is now 22-1 headed into its regular season finale on Tuesday at J.F. Webb.

Sometimes if you look hard enough, you can find the exact moment when a high school athlete grows into a man.

Those are the moments that has kept Bobby Shriner coaching the Orange High wrestling team for 27 years. On Thursday night, the latest growing moment was as clear as day.

Heavyweight Daylan Alston trailed Swansboro’s Patrick Peterson 6-4 with :20 remaining. Less than two weeks ago at the Havelock duals, Alston defeated Peterson 7-3 as Orange rolled to a 44-13 victory. At this moment, that was the last thing on Alston’s mind.

Peterson got on Alston’s back trying to ride out the victory, which would have narrowed the Orange lead to 27-21 with two matches remaining. Warming up for Swansboro: Nick Butler, the #1 ranked 106 pounder in the state.

A funny thing happened before Butler could take the mat to potentially put Swansboro in a position to tie…Daylan Alston became a man. Actually, he became THE man.

Peterson rode too high on Alston’s back, leading to an easy switch and reversal. Suddenly, Peterson’s back was on the mat with Alston’s 275-pound frame on top of him bending his right arm back. After a brief struggle, the referee slammed his arm to the mat. Alston had scored the pin with five seconds remaining in the third period.

Orange had gone from potentially having its season end to advancing to the regional final, which would prove to be anticlimactic.

All because of Daylan Alston’s growing moment.

“It was a crazy, crazy match,” said Shriner.

Orange forfeited the final two matches in the regional semifinal to defeat Swansboro 33-30 at Gray’s Creek High School in Hope Mills. Less than an hour later, the Panthers defeated Gray’s Creek 40-24 to earn its ninth regional championship, its fifth in 3-A.

The Panthers will wrestle 3-A Western Regional Champion Piedmont in Monroe on Saturday at 6. Our live radio coverage on HillsboroughSports.com begins at 5:45 with Jeff Hamlin and Larry Smith.

Against the Bears, the Panthers put the match out of reach with four straight pins. Following Caleb Brimmer’s 8-7 victory over the Bears’ Jalen Keith to put Orange ahead 13-6, Josiah Ramirez scored his second pin of the night at 170, easily finishing off Leo Walsh in :39. Braden Homsey followed with another pin at 182. At 195, Jamar Davis pinned Dylan Porter at 1:38. Then Payton Wilson, who received football scholarship offers from Georgia and Michigan State this week, finished off Tony Tyndal in :51, which clinched the championship.

While Orange makes its ninth trip in 27 years to a dual state championship match, Piedmont is making its fourth. The previous three appearances were as a 2A team. Piedmont (also nicknamed the Panthers) claime the 2012 2A state championship over Croatan 41-22, after previously losing in to the Cougars in ’10 and ’11.

Piedmont (29-1) stunned Enka in the Western Regional Finals on Thursday night in Newton. It was the Jets’ first loss of the year.

Among the standout bouts scheduled for Saturday’s championship will be at 152, where Piedmont junior Matt Price faces Orange’s Charlie Fitzpatrick. Price is ranked #1 in the state, while Fitzpatrick is #3.

At 170, Ramirez (#7) faces Piedmont’s Mathis Strickland (#8).

Alston, ranked tenth among heavyweights, is slated to face Piedmont’s Luis Oropesa.

Cedar Ridge has ended its Big 8 regular season slate, and while much of the season has been disappointing, its future was on full display in Oxford on Friday night.

Freshman Mekai Collins scored 14 points while junior Dmonte Kinney added 12 as the Red Wolves ended a three-game losing streak, beating J.F. Webb 65-55.

Another freshman, B.J. Freeman, added 10 points and grabbed crucial rebounds as the Red Wolves pulled away late for its first and only conference win of the season.

Cedar Ridge will finish the regular season next Friday at Roxboro Community School. Then they will venture into the Big 8 Tournament against an opponent to be determined on February 13.

Leading 42-41, Webb (4-16, 2-8) opened the fourth quarter with a 5-0 run. Kendall Baskett three-point play with 7:13 remaining gave Webb a 47-41 lead, their largest of the game.

Battling against the Warriors’ 2-3 zone, Khalil Crawford started the comeback with a three-pointer. After Collins split a pair from the foul line to narrow the Webb lead to 47-45, B.J. Freeman found Khalil Barnett for a lay-up to tie the game.

On the subsequent possession, Collins stole the ball from Warriors center Shemar Coachman and scored on a breakaway with 4:15 remaining.

Collins rebounded an miss by Kenneth Veney and found Barnett on a no-look pass to extend the Red Wolves lead to 49-45.

After a field goal by Webb’s Serba Davis, Cedar Ridge’s B.J. Freeman scored on a lay-in. Freeman rebounded the subsequent missed free-throw, then found Tahjai Hill-Wells for another layup. Freeman then put the game on ice after Barnett found him on an inbounds pass wide open at the other end of the floor, beating the Warriors press.

Cedar Ridge completed a season-sweep of the Warriors. The Red Wolves prevailed 69-52 on January 25.

CEDAR RIDGE: Dmonte Kinney 12, Khalil Barnett 8, Terrence Crawford 5, Tahjai Hill-Wells 4, Mekai Collins 14, Khalil Hill 8, Colby Cashaw 4, B.J. Freeman 10.

J.F. WEBB: Unique Heggie 4, Shurone Harris 9, Kendell Baskett 16, Serba Davis 7, Kenneth Veney 6, Shaddarius Wilkerson 13.