Photo by Jacques Morin
It would be inaccurate to say Jalen Crayton was in midseason form in his return from a two-week break on Friday night.
Rather, it was a new form of dominance.
Crayton tied his career-high in scoring and rebounding with 20 points and 19 rebounds as the Panthers defeated Durham School of the Arts 77-53 on Friday night. Crayton also tallied eight blocked shots, narrowly missing his second triple-double of the season.
It was Orange’s first game in two weeks after the barrage of winter weather. Due to numerous schedule adjustments, it’s the start of a gruelling stretch to finish the regular season where the Panthers will play five games over six days, including a crucial trip to South Granville on Monday.
Orange (7-12, 6-2 in the Big 7 Conference) junior Hector Garrido finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds and four assists. On his senior night game, J.T. Gray had 19 points, two short of his career-high.
DSA (7-14, 2-8) received a courageous performance from guard Tony McDonald, who led the Bulldogs with 20 pounds despite limping most of the game.
The presence of Crayon and Garrido led to Orange outrebounded the Bulldogs 56-36. The Panthers had 21 offensive rebounds.
Gray scored 15 points in the first half, including two 3-pointers as Orange opened with a 10-4 lead. Junior Weston Cheek drained another shot from distance to increase the Panther advantage to 17-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Orange led 40-24 at halftime, but the Bulldogs gained momentum in the second half behind Justin Robert, who scored eight of his ten points in the third quarter. Roberts and McDonald hit consecutive 3-pointers to slice the Panther lead to 51-42.
Immediately, Cheek responded with a crucial 3-pointer, which started eleven consecutive Orange points. The Panther lead never sank below double-digits again.
Garrido shot 11-of-16 from the free throw line and secured his fourth consecutive double-double, and his eighth overall this season.
Women’s basketball: Orange 61, Durham School of the Arts 22
A strange sequence just four minutes into the game spelled doom for Durham School of the Arts against Orange on Friday night. Bulldogs junior guard Faith Yon was ejected in the opening quarter after she drove to the basket and made contact with Orange guard Mia Albright. When no foul was called, Yon said something to the official, who immediately gave her a technical foul and ejected her, which led to a brief delay after Yon and her parents loudly protested.
On January 21, Yon scored 36 points in a loss to Orange.
Without Yon, the Bulldogs were without its top ball handler and scorer, leaving them almost helpless against Orange’s 1-2-2 zone full court press. The Bulldogs committed 37 turnovers.
Orange’s seniors Maura McMurtry, Alexis Stephens, Natalie Roberson, Kyla Mehl, Addison Atkins and Payton Borland were all honored between games of the doubleheader. Fittingly, McMurtry, Stephens and sophomore Kassidy Tolliver each scored eleven points to lead Orange.
DSA’s Kaylen Mumford led all scorers with 17 points, including the opening 3-pointer of the game which gave the Bulldogs its only lead of the game.
Orange scored just one field goal in the opening four minutes, looking like a team that hadn’t played a game in two weeks. After Yon’s ejection, Orange scored 15 unanswered points with Roberson draining a 3-pointer to put the lead at 13-3. The lead would remain in double-digits for the rest of the game. Orange junior Lily Wilson knocked down a 3-pointer to end the first quarter.
The Lady Panthers built its lead to as much as 39 points after a free throw by McMurtry put the Lady Panthers ahead 61-22 with 1:39 remaining. McMurtry finished with nine steals, seven assists and five rebounds. Orange forced 28 steals, including six from Roberson.
Tollier has scored in double-figures in eleven consecutive games.
The Lady Panthers will host Carrboro on Saturday afternoon at 12:30 in Hillsborough.
