At first glance, there may not be much difference between Orange’s men’s basketball team from last year and this year’s.
Are they bigger? To the contrary. With Zyon Pettiford not playing this year, the Panthers are without its starting center from 2018-19. Are they faster? In a word, no. Mekai Collins was Orange’s starting point guard last season, but he returned to Cedar Ridge over the summer.
is Orange tougher? In every sense, the answer is yes.
As Orange forges into its Big 8 Conference slate off a 75-70 win over Carrboro on Thursday night at Jaguars Gymnasium, the Panthers are 5-1, halfway toward its total win total from all of last season.
Joey McMullin, despite fouling out in the final minutes, led the Panthers with 24 points. Machai Holt and Jason Franklin each had 17 points.
Carrboro was led by T.K. Paisant with 31 points. Jared Porter, the Jaguars’ leading scorer, had 18 points.
With the game tied at 54 with 6:00 remaining, Orange held the Jaguars scoreless on four consecutive possessions. The Panthers drained six straight free throws from Franklin, Holt and Jerec Thompson to build a 60-54 lead with 4:12 remaining.
Holt gave Orange a 69-62 lead off a three-point play as he scored off a lay-in while fouled by Carrboro’s Jack Morgan. McMullin fouled out on the subsequent play, but Paisant missed both free throws.
Orange led 71-62 after Jerec Thompson got his only field goal of the second half off a feed from Holt with 1:23 remaining.
Carrboro nearly erased the entire deficit within seconds. It started when Paisant drained a three-pointer on the next possession.Taylor stole the ball back from Franklin with 1:12 remaining, and Paisant rebounded a missed 3-pointer by Porter and scored on a lay-in while fouled by Franklin. Paisant missed the free throw, but Carrboro’s Ethan Stutts got the offensive rebound and found Porter, who nailed a 3-pointer with :46.2 remaining to cut Orange’s lead to 71-70.
J.J. Thompson hit two free throws with :37.2 remaining. Carrboro, with a chance to take the lead, had its chances dashed when Franklin poked the ball away from Paisant at midcoast, then dove on the floor. Paisant was called for a foul, and Franklin hit both free throws.
Orange women 53, Carrboro 49
The Orange women’s basketball team had to deal with adversity as they remained undefeated in a 53-49 win over Carrboro.
Sophomore staring guard Mary Moss Wirt injured her left leg early in the second quarter and didn’t return. Without her fellow guard in the backcourt, sophomore Aaliyah Harris set a career-high with 21 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter.
Harris was the only Lady Panther in double figures as Orange improved to 4-0.
Carrboro, who came into the game on a four-game losing streak, led early in the fourth quarter after a three-pointer from point guard Madison Wieboldt. Briana Campbell led the Jaguars (1-5) with 4 points.
Orange scored the first four points, but without Wirt, the Lady Panthers offense struggled to get into a flow. Carrboro reserve Brooke Fields served as the point of the Jaguars 1-2-2 full court press, which caused plenty of Orange turnovers. Fields finished with 12 points off the bench.
The Orange women will travel to East Chapel Hill for its Big 8 Conference opener on Tuesday. The Panther men’s team will be at home to face East in Hillsborough on Tuesday.
Orange 75, Carrboro 70
ORANGE: J.J. Thompson 6, Jerec Thompson 6, Jason Franklin 17, Joey McMullin 24, Machai Holt 17, Tucker Miller 2, Kendrell Brooks 3.
CARRBORO: Jared Porter 18, T.K. Paisant 31, Ethan Stutts 4, Tim Rogers-Neal 4, Elijah Feaster 2, L.J. Riggsbee 2, Jack Morgan 7, Jackson Taylor 2.
ORANGE (W) 53, Carrboro 49.
ORANGE: Aaliyah Harris 21, Mary Moss Wirt 5, Grace Andrews 5, Jarmil Winkte 4, Erin Jordan-Cornell 2, Jala Rainey 6, Samatha George 4, Brenna Mehl 6.
CARRBORO: Ananya Saravanan 2, Briana Campbell 14, Karis Andrade 4, Riley Croasmun 7, Nichole Noel 2, Madison Wieboldt 6, Brooke Fields 12, Jameeah Purefoy-Thaxton 2.