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As expected, the Orange boys basketball team earned the #1 Mideast seed for the 3-A State Playoffs when the field was unveiled on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers, 20-6 overall, will face Gray’s Creek in the opening round on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

Gray’s Creek (9-12) finished 5th in the Cape Fear Valley Conference. The Bears enter the playoffs following consecutive losses to Lee County and Terry Sanford.

Orange (20-6) captured the top overall seed from the Mideast after winning the Big 8 regular season championship. However, Southern Durham defeated Orange 87-75 on Friday night for the Big 8 Tournament Championship. It was the Panthers’ most lopsided loss of the season.

The winner of the Orange-Gray’s Creek game will face the winner of South Johnston-Southern Guilford on Thursday night. South Johnston finished 5-5 in the Two Rivers Conference, tied for 2nd with Western Harnett. Southern Guilford tied with East Forsyth for the Mid-Piedmont Conference Regular Season Championship.

The Panthers were greatly aided by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s ruling that allowed teams to remove four nonconference losses to its overall record. The ruling was made after Hurricane Matthew extended football season, which left basketball team across the east shorthanded once November rolled around.

Orange lost three of its first five to Leesville Road, Millbrook and Rolesville, all games where regular contributors like Ryan Sellers, Morgan Paschall, and Eli Haithock were out because of football. Since then, the Panthers are 18-3, including sweeping Southern Durham in the regular season.

The playoffs in basketball are a funny thing. There’s really no opponent film available for a coach to study and create a scouting report. Coming off its most lopsided loss of the season, Coach Greg Motley will simply try to focus on Orange.

“You never know how a loss will affect a team,” said Motley. “Sometimes, it can help you. Sometimes it can hurt you. I think with our kids and our leadership, they’ll bounce back.”

Leading scorer Connor Crabtree had a season-high 42 points against the Spartans on Tuesday night.

The tournament field can be viewed here. 

Playoff games are scheduled for this week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Orange is the 2nd overall seed in the east, behind only Northern Nash (ranked #1 in 3-A by the Associated Press). That means if Orange keeps winning this week, they’ll host games in the next round.

It’s a 64 team field, just like the glory days of the NCAA Tournament.

Orange is one of four Big 8 teams to make the state playoffs. Perhaps the juiciest potential 2nd round matchup in the entire tournament is Eastern Guilford vs. Southern Durham. The Spartans, riding a eight-game winning streak where they’ve won by an average margin of 21 points, host Western Guilford on Tuesday night. Eastern Guilford hosts Smithfield-Selma.

Chapel Hill will travel to Nash Central. Northern Vance, which took Orange to double overtime in the Big 8 Semifinals last Wednesday, travels to Terry Sanford.

You would think that winning your first 22 games of the season and sweeping the regular season and postseason championship in the Big 8 Conference would lead to a favorable state playoff draw for the Orange girls basketball team.

Apparently, you would be wrong.

The Lady Panthers wound up with the #2 Mideast seed once the bracket was finally released on Sunday afternoon. Orange will host 10-10 West Brunswick of the Mideastern 4A/3A Conference on Tuesday night in Hillsborough. The Trojans finished fifth in the Mideastern this season with a 4-8 record. Of West Brunswick’s 10 wins, three came against teams with winning records. Their biggest win of the season was on January 9, when they defeated Topsail 34-30. Topsail would go on to finish third in the Mideastern, the highest among 3-A teams (New Hanover and Hoggard, both 4-A squads, finished first and second, respectively).

The potential 2nd round is where the rub comes in. If Orange advances, they host Havelock or Southern Guilford. Havelock is 22-3 and tied for the Coastal Conference championship with Jacksonville, the #1 seed for the East. The Rams split the season series with Jacksonville, taking the opener 66-56 on January 13. The Cardinals came back to win 60-59 on February 7, and defeated Havelock again in the Coastal Conference tournament championship game 58-53.

In other words, Havelock was one point away from earning the top seed in the east, and 2nd seed overall. Last week’s loss put them as a 12-seed.

While some projections had Orange receiving the #1 seed in the Mideast, it was Northern Guilford who took that accolade. Both Northern Guilford and the Panthers finished the season with one loss, but Northern Guilford’s loss came in a nonconference game. Orange’s only loss of the regular season was to conference rival Northwood.

The game time for Orange-West Brunswick will be announced on Monday afternoon.

The Cedar Ridge Lady Red Wolves are also headed to the state playoffs. CRHS will travel to Clayton to face the Cleveland Rams on Tuesday. Cedar Ridge (13-13) advanced to the semifinals of the Big 8 Tournament last week, beating J.F. Webb 50-43 behind 25 points from Carrie Davis. Madison Wardlow added ten.

Before Christmas, Cedar Ridge won six of seven, including conference wins over Chapel Hill and Northern Vance. A 45-43 win over Webb on February 3 proved pivotal in making the postseason.

Davis, a senior, leads the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game.

The Big 8 will be well represented when the state playoffs begin on Tuesday. Conference rivals Northwood and J.F. Webb will meet in Pittsboro. Plus, Jacksonville will host Southern Durham, which was among the final teams to make the tournament.

When B.J. Condron took over the Orange girls basketball team, they went 2-24 his first season.

A conference championship within four years seemed as realistic as Zoolander 2 taking home an Academy Award next month

Many of Condron’s freshmen on that team are seniors now. Eight of them play regularly in his ten-lady rotation, and they did something on Friday night that hasn’t been accomplished at Orange since Limp Bizkit was fashionable.

Win a conference tournament.

The Panthers defeated Northwood 58-34 at Jim King Gymnasium for the Big 8 Tournament Championship. Kaylen Campbell scored 23 points to lead the Panthers, who will earn the #1 seed for the Mideast in the 3A State Tournament.

Campbell scored 12 points in the second half, eight in the fourth quarter when Orange outscored Northwood 21-6.

“She found a way to drive to the basket,” said Condron. “She found some holes in their defense and did a good job finishing.”

The Panthers are 24-1 and avenged its only loss of the season.

Two weeks ago, Northwood defeated Orange 63-60 by shooting 47% from the field. On Friday, the Chargers shot only 26% and we held to six points in the decisive fourth quarter.

Jazlyn Watson finished with 12 points, including a critical three-pointer in the third quarter. Mia Davidson registered ten points and added on to her unofficial league lead of creating 50-50 balls by deflecting them from opponents after rebounds.

“I think the odds improve to 90% in her favor,” said Condron. “She’s gonna get it. We understand softball is her sport, but she’s a good enough sport to dedicate her heart to both.”

Orange struggled out of the gates, failing to score in the first 4:06. Northwood led 6-0 before Campbell scored on an acrobatic lay-in while being knocked to the floor by Chandler Adams. Davidson scored Orange’s final four points of the stanza, but Northwood led 10-7.

Orange held Northwood to one field goal in the second quarter, while Campbell scored six points in the frame while Watson added five to give the Panthers a 19-14 halftime lead.

Orange outscored Northwood 22-6 in the fourth quarter, including seven points from Lauren Cates, who canned a key three-pointer in the early minutes of the final stanza.

“It’s only a matter of when with Lauren,” said Condron. “She’s gonna hit her shot. I was impressed with her defense. That’s an area where she struggles sometimes.”

For good measure, senior Adalyn Fleming banked in a three-pointer for the game’s final basket.

The last time Orange won a conference tournament in girls basketball is believe to have been 1997.

The Lady Panthers will return to action to host the opening round of the 3A state playoffs on Tuesday night. It will be the first game of a doubleheader, leading up to a boys state playoff game. Time and opponent will be determined on Saturday.

For the second straight year, Payton Wilson will go for a state championship at 22o pounds. He’ll have company.

Josiah Ramirez will wrestle for the 170 pound state championship at the Greensboro Coliseum. Both Orange High wrestlers won their matches on Saturday in the 3A state championships.

Wilson scored two more pins to improve to 45-0 on Friday to advance to the state championship match. He defeated Ravon Kirkland of Anson County in the quarterfinals in 2:58. In the semifinals, Wilson scored another pin, beating Eastern Regional Champion Jason McDonald of West Craven in 2:23. Wilson now has 27 pins this season.

On Saturday evening at 5, Wilson faces Dan Louba of Hickory Ridge for the state title. Louba, who won the Midwest Regional Championship last weekend, pinned Chapel Hill’s Joseph Cannon in 4:37 to advance to the championship match.

In 2016, Wilson lost to Latham Bumgarner of North Gaston 10-4 in the state championship match.

Wilson’s state championship match may determine which team takes the individual championship. Orange goes into the final day of the state tournament with 74.5 points. Hickory Ridge is in 2nd with 69.5. North Henderson is 3rd with 56.

At 170 pounds, Ramirez edged Jacary Bethel of West Brunswick in the semfinals 3-2. In the quarterfinals, Ramirez knocked off Jonathan Hilton of North Lincoln 4-2. Ramirez, a junior, is now 53-4. He will face Midwest Regional Champion J.C. Ciaramella of Marvin Ridge for the state championship. Ciaramella is 44-3 after pinning Austin Mosly of King’s Mountian in 4:00.

At 182, junior Braden Homsey defeated Joel Kanagay of Sun Valley 8-4 to advance to the semifinals. However, Tyrie Houguton of Weddington pinned Homsey in 5:20. Homsey will start competing in the consolation rounds on Saturday morning.

Several Panthers hold out hopes of placing in the top five in their respective weight classes. At 106, Mitchell Askew is still alive in the consolation round after beating North Henderson’s Kyle Randall 9-7. After advancing to the quarterfinals on Thursday, Askew lost to Southern Guilford’s Jalen White 11-1 on Friday morning.

At heavyweight, Havelock’s Destin Flloyd defeated Orange’s Daylan Alston 13-6. Alston bounced back in the consolation rounds to beat Concord’s Isaac Cochran 8-4.

Since dropping his opener at 145, Avery Jenkins has won two straight. He pinne Andrew Capul of Marvin Ridge in 2:00, edged Josh King of Northern Guilford 6-2.

The Southern Durham Spartans defeated Orange 87-75 to win the Big 8 Tournament Championship on Friday night. Orange was led by Connor Crabtree’s 44 points, but the Spartans got 27 points from Antonio Daye to end a 3-game losing streak to the Panthers.

No Title

The Spartans took the Big 8 Tournament Championship by beating Orange 87-75 on Friday night at Jim King Gymnasium. Orange will still be the #1 seed in the Mideast for the 3-A State Tournament.

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There was a bit of sadness on Wednesday when Orange wrestling held its final practice of the year inside the grappling training room. In Orange Coach Bobby Shriner’s perfect world, there would be more practices and less dual meets because then he gets a chance to teach.

However, the results on the opening day of the 3-A Indvidual State tournament in Greensboro brightened the Panthers spirits.

Along with Orange’s success, Cedar Ridge’s Devin Beck advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Dylan Porter of Gray’s Creek via pinfall in 2:52. Beck will face Southern Durham’s Matthew Darby in the quarterfinals at 182.

For starters, six Panthers captured their opening matches on day one of the 3-A State Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum. At 220, Payton Wilson maintained his undefeated season by scoring a technical fall over Tanner Klutely of Hunter Huss 20-5. Wilson, now 41-0 on the year, will face Raven Kirkland of Anson County on Friday.

Junior Heavyweight Daylan Alston advanced to the quarterfinals via injury default over James Boyd of Morganton Freedom in 1:03. Alston, now 38-8, faces undefeated Destin Flloyd of Havelock in the round of eight.

On the other end of the weight spectrum, Mitchell Askew scored Orange’s first pin of the day, finishing off David Jacob of Rocky Mount in 3:38. Southern Guilford’s Jalen White awaits Askew in the state quarterfinals. Askew, a junior, is now 41-10 on the season.

In his state championship debut, sophomore Levi Anderson notched a major decision over Ethan Workman of Central Cabarrus 12-4. Anderson, who won the 3A Mideast Regional Championship last weekend in Eden and is now 35-10, will wrestle Morgan King of North Henderson on Friday. King edged Linton Holmes of Wilson Fike 2-1 in the 1st round.

At 180, Regional runner-up Braden Homsey pinned John Kanipe of Fred T. Foard in 5:48. Next up for Homsey will be Joel Kangay of Sun Valley, who upset 3A Eastern Regional Champion Kendall Frazier of Havelock 4-2. Frazier went into the match 26-3.

Josiah Ramirez, coming off his own regional championship last weekend, started the state tournament strong by pinning Vyshaun Richardson of Southern Nash in 1:36. Ramirez improves to 49-6 and takes on Jonathan Hilton of North Lincoln in the quarterfinals.

Orange leads the 3-A team standings with 22.5 points, while North Henderson has 22.

The state championships will conclude on Saturday.