The Orange men’s basketball team had an exciting finish to the regular season on Thursday night. The Panthers defeated Seaforth 40-39 in Pittsboro to conclude the regular season. Seaforth, which had already captured the Big 7 Conference regular season championship, lost at home for the first time since November 21 and only the second time all year. Junior Hector Garrido scored the game-winning free throw with :2.9 remaining. Garrido, who leads the Panthers with 13.9 points per game, finished with ten points as the Panthers tied Webb for third place to finish the Big 7 regular season. Senior J.T. Gray had two huge steals in the final two minutes. The first, with 1:55 remaining, put the Panthers ahead 39-33. The other came in the waning second with the game tied at 39-39 when he knocked it away from Seaforth’s Cole Davis, which led to Garrido’s game-winning point. Gray finished with eleven points. The Panthers handed Seaforth just its second conference loss and on the Hawks’ senior night, no less. Orange will venture into the Big 7 Conference Tournament against crosstown rival Cedar Ridge at Panther Gymnasium on Monday night. Tipoff time will be around 7:15 after the women’s game. The winner of Orange vs. Cedar Ridge will face Seaforth on Tuesday night in Pittsboro.
