It’s the final game before Christmas break for Orange tonight, and it serves as a litmus test going into the Holiday Tournament at Pinecrest. The Panthers face Northern Vance, which is off to a 2-0 start in the Big 8 after a win on Tuesday against Cedar Ridge.
Orange is 1-0 in conference play, but have dropped two games this week against Riverside and Northern Durham, arguably the two best teams in the 4-A PAC-6 Conference. Of a more immediate concern for the Panthers is point guard, which has been the case since September.
Returning starter Eryk Brandon-Dean was lost for the season after a torn ACL suffered in a football game against Southern Durham. On Tuesday night, starter Demares Drummond suffered a shoulder injury after colliding with teammate Daniel Mulligan. Drummond didn’t return, and didn’t play the following night in a 67-54 loss to the Knights.
Coach Greg Motley is already down to his third quarterback in Reggie Bradsher, who came off the bench to score 12 points against Riverside. Orange is 2-5 going into tonight’s game.