There was a theme to the Orange Panthers boys basketball season: climbing uphill.

When school started in August, Coach Greg Motley knew, in a perfect world, that his starting five was set. Eryk Brandon-Dean would be the senior point guard, balancing a transition offense with a steady half-court game anchored on the front line by returning center Logan Vosburg and forwards Connor Crabtree and Daniel Mulligan.

But it isn’t a perfect world.

By know, anyone who has read this website knows Brandon-Dean never saw the court this season for Orange. He suffered a torn ACL playing football against Southern Durham, a cruel fate since the Spartans have been Orange’s main rival on the gridiron and the hardwood since becoming conference rivals in 2012.

Brandon-Dean was the player Motley could least afford to lose. Crabtree, Vosburg and Mulligan could get themselves in position to score, but who would convey the ball to them? Who would lead Orange’s vaunted transition game that carried them to the brink of the 2014-15 Big 8 regular season championship? And where would the backcourt points come from?

In retrospect, the answers came with time. Crabtree wasn’t simply a low post scorer in the same vein as Vosburg. He was the most unique of prep players. Someone who could be the tallest player on the floor while creating his own shot off the dribble, presenting matchup nightmares for opposing teams the same way Kevin Durant does for Oklahoma City.

The backcourt situation took time. Motley used a revolving door of guards in early losses to East Chapel Hill, Sanderson and Northern Durham searching for the right combination. December’s Holiday in the Pines tournament would ultimately prove to be the starting ground for Reggie Bradsher and Cameron Cavanaugh, who started the remainder of the season.

That tournament would also pave the way for Orange’s best basketball of the season. After a 3-7 start, including an opening round loss to Richmond County (105-96, where Crabtree  would amass 43 points), the Panthers finished the season 15-3.

The biggest stepping stone may have been the most low key. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Panthers faced 2-A squad Goldsboro at the famed Sykes Gymnasium on the campus of the Durham School of the Arts. At that point, the Cougars were one of only four undefeated teams in the entire state, regardless of classification.

Orange came away with an 85-69 victory, leading for much of the second half. Crabtree scored 28 points, while Vosburg added 17 points and 15 rebounds.

Unfortunately for Orange, the regular season success didn’t lead to a regular season championship. Again, Southern Durham found a way to top the Panthers, winning 81-62 on January 29th to all but sew up the Big 8 crown.

But there was always the Big 8 Tournament. Whether it was the PAC-6, the Carolina 6, the Tri-State or the Big 8, conference tournaments have always been the hardest hurdle to climb for Orange. It had been 31 years since they won the 1985 3-A Mid State Tournament title, it’s last conference tournament championship.

After rolling to home victories over Northwood and Cedar Ridge, the Panthers faced Southern Durham again at Chapel Hill High School. As opposed to the previous game against Southern, the Panthers got off to a strong start, leading 18-11 lead behind three pointers from Cavanaugh and Crabtree.

True to form, the Spartans came back and led 45-36 early in the third quarter. But Mulligan played the game of his life, scoring a career-high 27 points as Orange closed the game on a 32-20 run to finally get the elusive victory over the Spartans 68-65.

In the state playoffs, Orange would defeat Triton 74-39 despite the Hawks scoring the game’s first nine points. Crabtree led the way again with 26 points while Vosburg added 16.

For the second straight year, Havelock would end the

There was something about Cedar Ridge’s final six weeks of the season that indicated they wouldn’t let their season end without a fight in the state playoffs.

Indeed, that turned out to be the case against Rocky Mount.

Peyton Pappas scored 35 points while Jacob Thomas 24 as the Red Wolves defeated 81-77 on Tuesday night in Rocky Mount.

It was clear someone from the Rocky Mount coaching staff watches the Los Angeles Clippers regularly, because the Gryphons fouled after every made basket down the stretch. Unfortunately for Rocky Mount, there were no DeAndre Jordan’s on the Red Wolves roster.

Thomas and Pappas sank pressure free throws in the final minute to preserve the Cedar Ridge lead. When Rocky Mount had a chance to tie with a 3-pointer late, Pappas knocked the ball away from Rocky Mount’s Emmanuel Spruill at midcourt to put CRHS into the second round.

Cedar Ridge, seeded 17th, will face the number one seed in the 3A East bracket, Eastern Alamance in Mebane. The Eagles, who defeated C.B. Aycock on Tuesday night in the first round, are 26-1. It’s only loss came against Burlington Cummings on January 30th 69-61.

It was Cedar Ridge’s first state playoff victory since February 26th, 2010, when the Red Wolves competed as a 2A team and made it to Eastern Regional semifinals under the program’s first head coach, Jim Pappas.

Cedar Ridge is now 19-9, the most wins for the program since going 25-3 in 2009-10.

The Gryphons, who earned the top seed from the Big East Conference, ends the season 7-17.

Lots of players stepped up in the 2nd half of Orange’s win over Triton. But in the first half, when the Panthers struggled offensively, Chandler Compton came off the bench for six vital points. Coach Greg Motley discussed the important factors in Orange’s sixth playoff victory in the last three years.

Greg Motley (and a guest) Discuss Orange’s Win over Triton

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Crabtree scored 26 points as the Panthers won a game in the state playoffs for the third straight year, 74-39 over Triton.

Connor Crabtree talks Orange’s win over Triton

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For the first time since Greg Motley became coach of Orange Basketball in 1998, the Panthers won a conference tournament by beating Southern Durham 68-65 on Friday night.

Greg Motley Discusses Orange’s Big 8 Tournament Title

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With Southern Durham’s defense taking the ball out of Connor Crabtree’s hands, Orange wouldn’t have captured its first postseason tournament championship in modern history without a 27 point game from Daniel Mulligan.

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The Orange basketball team got huge contributions from Daniel Mulligan, Logan Vosburg and Connor Crabtree in the scoring column in Friday’s victory over Southern Durham, but Demares Drummond and Reggie Bradsher were instrumental in handling the ball against the Spartans’ fierce defense. They discussed the victory after the game at Chapel Hill High.

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After winning ten of its last eleven, there was more than hope within the Cedar Ridge basketball camp that Wednesday night would be the night they could gain the elusive win over Orange in the Big 8 Semifinal.

There was not only proof they could play with anyone. They could beat anyone. They had won 10 of its last 11. They defeated Southern Durham less than three weeks ago, still the only team in the Big 8 to accomplish that this season. The very next night, Southern blew out Orange 81-62, despite losing leading scorer J’Tori Christmas 80 seconds into the game with an injured ankle.

All of that hope dissipated within seconds at Orange High Gymansium on Wednesday night.

The Panthers defeated the Red Wolves 76-62 in the Big 8 Semifinals at Jim King Gymnasium. With the win, the Panthers will face Southern again, this time for the Big 8 Championship on Friday night at Chapel Hill High School. Game time will be 7:30. You can hear the game on Hillsboroughsports.com.

There was some good news for the Red Wolves. Southern defeated Northern Vance 83-54, meaning Cedar Ridge will make the 3-A state playoffs as the third seed from the Big 8. The announcement of the state playoff field will be made on Saturday.

With the win, Orange improves to 16-8. Cedar Ridge drops to 17-8.

Peyton Pappas opened the game with a transition layup off a blocked shot by Jacob Thomas. It was Cedar Ridge’s only lead of the game. Not only that, but only one other CRHS player aside from Jacob Thomas scored a field goal in the first half, a Khalil Barnett jumper in the second quarter long after the Panthers had established a double-digit lead.

As usual, Orange’s Connor Crabtree was the X factor, finishing with 28 points. He hit consecutive 3-pointers in the first quarter, and finished with 10 points in the opening stanza. Daniel Mulligan, who ended with 11 points, scored on a reverse layup with :40 remaining to put Orange ahead 21-10 to finish the first quarter.

Thomas kept Cear Ridge in the game during the second quarter with nine points. He finished with 23. But after Cameron Cavanaugh hit a three-pointer, followed by Logan Vosburg’s spinning lay in that put Orange ahead 27-15, the Red Wolves never got the deficit below ten points again.

The Cedar Ridge transition games was slowed by the Panthers. Pappas finished with 12 points, but eight of those came from the foul line.

“Once he gave up the ball, we tried to keep him from getting it back. We know he handles the ball well in transition, and we tried to limit that tonight.” Orange coach Greg Motley.

Now, Orange focuses on something that’s been elusive: a conference tournament championship. Since Motley became head coach of Orange in 1998, the Panthers have never won one.

To do it, they’ll have to defeat a Southern Durham team that won the last Big 8 Tournament championship in 2014 against Orange. In the same building where they won it two years ago (Last year’s tournament was cancelled because of snow).

The victory by Orange means the Panthers will be the 2nd-seed from the Big 8 conference, which likely means a home game in the opening round of the playoffs.

Cedar Ridge: 10 15 19 18 = 62

Orange: 21 20 16 19 = 76

Cedar Ridge: Peyton Pappas 12, Khalil Barnett 8, Shane Evans 2, Jonathan Hall 2, Jacob Thomas 22, Terrrence Crawford 8, Colby Cashaw 1.

Ornage: Cameron Cavanaugh 3, Reggie Bradsher 5, Alex Long 5, Connor Crabtree 28, Daniel Mulligan 11, Logan Vosburg 21, Marquise Phelps 1, Jace-Jordan Cornell 2.