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Comeback wins don’t come much more special than what the Orange men’s basketball team pulled off on Thursday night. Trailing 28-9 in the second quarter, the Panthers shot 11-of-14 from the field in the third quarter to stun Person 67-65 in Roxboro. The Rockets came into the game with a 13-0 record. Senior Xandrell Pennix scored 19 points, scoring ten points in the third quarter to lead the comeback. Another senior, Michael Clark, added eleven points, including two 3-pointers in the third quarter. Clark also had a lay-in with 12 seconds remaining off a gorgeous pass from Hector Garrido that put the game away. It was a crucial win for Orange, who tied the Rockets for first place in the Central Conference. Senior Ethan Ellis drained a huge 3-pointer after Person took a 63-60 lead midway through the fourth quarter. From there, the Rockets were held scoreless in the final 3:50 of regulation until the very end. Orange sophomore Kamal Smith scored a career-high nine points, all of 3-pointers. Two of them came in the third quarter. Pennix is now at 894 career points as he plays the final games of his Orange career. Orange will continued a 10-game road swing when they travel to Graham to face Southern Alamance on Tuesday night.

Orange basketball’s Xandrell Pennix, Michael Clark and Kamal Smith discuss comeback win at Person

Comeback wins don’t come much more special than what the Orange men’s basketball team pulled off on Thursday night. Trailing 28-9 in the second quarter, the Panthers shot 11-of-14 from the field in the third quarter to stun Person 67-65 in Roxboro. The Rockets came into the game with a 13-0 record.

Photo by Ben McCormick of the Courier Times

ROXBORO–The Funky Freight Train rolled through Roxboro.

That’s what Derryl Britt told his Orange men’s basketball team at halftime on Thursday night for inspiration. It didn’t matter that Person, coming in with a 13-0 record,  led 33-24 at halftime. At one point, Orange trailed 28-9.

Britt had faith and he needed it.

He had no way of knowing his starting point guard would sit for much of the second half because of foul trouble in a game that would likely determine Orange’s fate of winning a second consecutive Central Conference championship.

Even without Wade, Britt’s mantra that the train was coming proved true.

The Panthers (12-4) shot 11-of-14 from the field in the third quarter, keyed by Xandrell Pennix scored ten of his 19 points in the frame. Trailing by nine going into the second half, Orange led 54-45 at the end of the third quarter.

Showing a new level of grit in the midst of ten consecutive road games, Pennix scored the game-winning field goal on a driving lay-up with 2:47 remaining as Orange defeated Person 67-65 inside a feverish Rockets Gymnasium on Thursday night. The Panthers held Person scoreless in the final 3:58 aside from a meaningless 3-pointer from Quante Bowman with two seconds remaining.

By that point, Orange senior Michael Clark had sewed up the game on a lay-in off a perfectly delivered backdoor pass from center Hector Garrido.

Now, the race in the Central Conference is wide open entering the final eight games of the regular season. Person, Orange and Eastern Alamance are tied in the loss column for first place in the league. Orange is 4-1 in the league, while the Eagles and the Rockets are each 2-1.

How big was coming back from a 19-point deficit to beat an undefeated Person team in Roxboro?

“Aside from winning the conference tournament championship here last year, I’d put it right behind it,” Britt said. “We’ve had some milestone wins in my seven years here, but not as big as this. We knew that we were going to be in the mix with Person for the conference championship. For those guys to be undefeated and for us to come into this building, it’s gratifying.”

Last February, Orange defeated Person and Eastern Alamance in Roxboro to win the Central Conference Tournament.

Even though Orange erased a 19-point deficit in less than seven minutes of game time, the odds of the Panthers winning seemed to grow against them as the night progressed. Wade picked up his third and fourth fouls with 6:34 remaining in the third quarter after receiving a technical foul, singled out for taunting on a night where the trash talk between the two rivals flowed like champagne on New Year’s Eve.

Orange sophomore center Jalen Crayton, who finished with eight blocks, fouled out with 6:07 remaining in the fourth quarter.

In a heated game, it was a night of attrition. Person’s Lance Clarke, their leading scorer, was hampered throughout the second half. As Pennix scored the game-winning layup, Clarke came down wrong on his right leg and had to be carried off the floor by his teammates. He didn’t return.

Bowman led Person (13-1) with 19 points.

In the fourth quarter, the Rockets went on a 12-0 run with Tae Winstead scoring six straight points. Clarke scored off a lay-in off a feed from Jashawn Graves to put Person  ahead 60-59 with 4:32 remaining. Clarke scored in transition of a pass from Bowman, which would be the Rockets final field goal before the waning seconds. Orange’s Ethan Ellis banked in a crucial 3-pointer from 25 feet to tie the game at 62-62.

Over the next 4:26, Orange’s defense forced four turnovers and Person miss three shots from the field and two free throws with Clarke being worked on the Rockets bench.

Pennix and Freddy Sneed combined to scored ten consecutive points to open the second half. Sneed’s only 3-point attempt put the Panthers’ ahead 34-33 with 6:34 remaining in the third quarter. After Person’s DaeJon Hodge dropped in a lay-in to tie the game at 39, Orange scored on five straight possessions, including 3-pointers from sophomore Kamal Smith and Michael Clark. Later, Clark dropped in a lay-up to put the Panthers ahead 53-43.

Person used hot shooting from Clarke and seven offensive rebounds to take a 20-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Clarke score seven points in the first quarter while Bowman added six. The Rockets went on a 13-0 run in the gap between the first and second quarters with Bowman’s layup putting the Rockets ahead 28-9 with 5:44 remaining in the first half.

Orange slowly ate away at the lead in the final five minutes of the first half after Clarke picked up his second foul. Wade and Pennix drained consecutive shots from downtown. Wade made a pull-up jumper for the final field goal of the first half to get Orange’s deficit down to 33-24.

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The Orange men’s basketball team claimed its eighth straight win over crosstown rival Cedar Ridge 63-41 at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Tuesday night. Early in the third quarter, Cedar Ridge led 23-22, but Orange went on a 18-6 run to put the game away. Orange’s Ethan Ellis drained a 3-pointer as the first half expired to put Orange ahead 22-18, which was its largest lead of the game at that point. Orange’s defense held the Red Wolves without a field goal in the second quarter. A big part of that was sophomore Jalen Crayton, who finished with seven points and five blocks. Crayton, the younger brother of 2024 Orange graduate Lily Crayton, found himself manning the middle after the transfer of Mason Robinson from Greensboro Day School last summer. Crayton has continued to make progress for a different type of Orange squad compared to last year’s conference championship team. This Panther team is driven defensively by guard Kai Wade, Xandrell Pennix and Freddy Sneed. Last week, Ellis hit two crucial 3-pointers in Orange’s win over Williams in Burlington. It was the Panthers fifth straight win over Williams and their third straight in Burlington. Orange will continue a busy week wit a trip to Roxboro to face rival Person in a crucial Central Conference battle on Thursday night.

Orange’s Jalen Crayton and Ethan Ellis discuss win over Cedar Ridge

The Orange men’s basketball team claimed its eighth straight win over crosstown rival Cedar Ridge 63-41 at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Tuesday night. Early in the third quarter, Cedar Ridge led 23-22, but Orange went on a 18-6 run to put the game away.

Since her freshman year, Evelyn George has gone about things her own way with the Orange women’s basketball team.

She’s never been the most physically imposing or boisterous. But she has been remarkably consistent as the Lady Panthers have reached the 3A State Playoff each of the last four years.

Very quickly during her senior year at Orange, George has had the landmark moments in her career add up. Last Friday, she registered her 20th career double-double in Orange’s 58-41 win at Williams, the Lady Panthers first victory in Burlington since 2018.

On Tuesday night, George became the first Lady Panther to score 1,000 career points in six years. True to form for one of the most consistent finishers in school history, George surpassed the milestone off a lay-in assisted by Maura McMurtry.

George is the first Orange player to score 1,000 points since Lauren Cates, a three-point ace who graduated in 2019. Cates was a member of Orange’s last conference championship team in 2016-2017.

George finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals as Orange (7-6 overall, 2-2 in the Central Conference) defeated Cedar Ridge 47-22 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. After Cedar Ridge freshman Elliott Wisenfeld scored on a lay-in assisted by Kassidy Tolliver, Orange went on a 12-2 run. The Lady Panthers limited the Red Wolves to three field goals in the first half.

Orange senior Kyla Mehl had a career-high five points during the early spurt that put the game away. Natalie Robertson and Marshea Byrd had field goals to close out the first quarter as Orange shot 5-of-8 from the field in the opening eight minutes.

George opened the second quarter by sinking a jumper, then created a steal off full-court pressure and scored off a lay-in.

Cedar Ridge, who swept the regular season series from Orange last year, was led by Wisenfeld with six points. The Lady Panthers defense sunk its claws into the Red Wolves defensively. Cedar Ridge shot just 13% from the field.

Senior Shannon Murphy added eight points for Orange, while senior center Marshea Byrd added six points and seven rebounds.

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This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is freshman women’s basketball center Kassidy Tolliver. In December, Tolliver scored 12 points to lead the Red Wolves over Durham School of the Arts 54-31 at Sykes Gymnasium in Durham. On a young Cedar Ridge team that lost its top two scorers from last season, Tolliver has taken the reigns right away this season. Just eight games into her high school career, Tolliver is Cedar Ridge’s leading scorer. Tolliver has been playing basketball since her sixth grade year at Gravelly Hill Middle School, where she played alongside her current teammate Kennedi Fearrington. Against Eno River Academy, Tolliver scored 15 points as the Red Wolves defeated the Bobcats 41-25 in the first-ever game between the Hillsborough schools. Against Person on December 20, Tolliver grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds. Cedar Ridge won its first Central Conference game of the season on Friday night over Southern Alamance. Tolliver scored nine points, grabbed seven rebounds and forced eight steals. Tolliver has become a regular starter for the Red Wolves in her freshman season. She aims to keep improving as Cedar Ridge aims to reach the state playoffs for the second straight year. This week, Cedar Ridge will play three games over four days. They will host Orange on Tuesday, then host Chatham Central. On Friday night, the Red Wolves will travel to Mebane to face Eastern Alamance at Tal Jobe Gymnasium.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Kassidy Tolliver

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is freshman women’s basketball center Kassidy Tolliver. In December, Tolliver scored 12 points to lead the Red Wolves over Durham School of the Arts 54-31 at Sykes Gymnasium in Durham.

In a Central Conference women’s basketball chase filled with experienced teams, Cedar Ridge is playing more freshmen in its regular rotation than seniors.

On Friday night, two rookies paved the way for the Red Wolves first conference win of the season.

Kennedi Fearrington tied her career-high with eleven points while Kassidy Tolliver added nine points as the Red Wolves held off Southern Alamance 37-29 at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Friday night. Junior James Watson added nine points for the Red Wolves (4-5, 1-1 in the Central Conference).

Tolliver and Fearrington were teammates with the Gravelly Hill Middle School team the past three years, as well as several travel teams.

Southern Alamance outrebounded the Red Wolves 38-23. Sarah Kathryn Maness led all scorers with 15 points.

With the Patriots leading 14-12 at halftime, the Red Wolves scored eleven consecutive points starting with back-to-back 3-pointers from Watson and Elliott Wisenfeld. After Fearrington scored on a lay-in after a feed from Ava Smith, Watson drained another 3-pointer off a skip pass from Fearrington. In the final seconds of the quarter, Tolliver scored off a pass from Fearrington to give Cedar Ridge a 25-18 lead going into the final stanza.

Cedar Ridge forced eight Southern Alamance turnovers in the third quarter.

Maness keyed a late Southern Alamance charge. With 1:37 remaining, she made two free throws to cut the Red Wolf lead to 33-27. Maness stole the ball off an inbounds pass and scored on a lay-in with 1:321 remaining. Fearrington put the game away on a breakaway lay-in off a pass from Fearrington.

Cedar Ridge didn’t trail in the first quarter after Wisenfeld scored on a 3-pointer on Cedar Ridge’s first possession. Tolliver scored off a steal by Fearrington to cap a 7-2 Red Wolf run to start the game. Southern Alamance’s Emory Gilley scored a jumper off a pass from Maness to give the Patriots its first lead at 11-10. Maness drained a 3-pointer just before halftime to give Southern Alamance the lead going into the locker room.

Men’s Basketball: Southern Alamance 51, Cedar Ridge 49: In a game with 16 lead changes, Southern Alamance built a 48-39 lead and held on for dear life to beat the Red Wolves on Friday night.

Drayden Brewer paced a balanced Patriot attack with 12 points as Southern Alamance won despite shooting 29% from the field. The Patriots grabbed 18 offensive rebounds.

Cedar Ridge sophomore Jordan Jacobson led all scorers with 17 points, shooting 3-of-8 from 3-point range. Red Wolf senior Braeden Wilbourn added 13 points.

Jacobson knocked down a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining in the first half to tie the game 27-27 at halftime. Cedar Ridge center Jack Kelsey, who finished with six blocks, scored off a pass from Jacobson to give the Red Wolves a 31-29 lead, but that would be the home team’s last lead. Southern Alamance went on a 12-2 run keyed by Brewer, who sank consecutive 3-pointers. Southern Alamance’s Riley Warren, who finished with ten points and eleven rebounds, assisted on Brewer’s second three-pointer that put the Patriots ahead 41-32.

Cedar Ridge (5-8, 0-2) chipped away at the Patriot lead in the final five minutes. Southern Alamance was held without a field goal for 4:46 as Jacobson drained back-to-back 3-pointers which reduced the Patriots lead to 48-45 with 1:56 remaining. Warren scored a crucial lay-in off a pass from Brewer with 1:01 remaining. Cedar Ridge’s Tripp Beasley got free on the wing, took a skip pass from Jacobson and scored another 3-pointer to cut the Red Wolf deficit to 50-48.

Brewer split two free throws with 20 seconds remaining. With Cedar Ridge trailing 51-48, Kelsey grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed shot, which led to Wilbourn hitting one free throw. On the subsequent inbounds pass, Beasley stole the ball from Brewer. In a wild scramble at the finish, Wilbourn got free for a 3-point attempt which bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded.