For the Orange men’s basketball team, the Central Conference regular season started with a wild comeback win in Graham. It ended on Friday night with another wire-to-wire win, this time in Mebane. Cole Cloer scored 31 points as the Panthers defeated Eastern Alamance 79-74 at Tay Jobe Gymnasium. Orange roared out to a 21-3 lead. Sophomore point guard Kai Wade scored seven of Orange’s first nine points. The Eagles, playing on its senior night, made a big charge and actually narrowed its deficit to six points by halftime. Orange junior Xandrell Pennix came up with an incredible three-point play midway through the fourth quarter as he banked in a shot off a behind-the-back drive to the basket while getting fouled by A.J. Weaver. With senior Ryan Honeycutt injured, junior forward Freddy Sneed came up with ten points as the Panthers won the Central Conference regular season championship by three games. Orange will play in the Central Conference Tournament on Tuesday. The top seed, the Panthers will receive a bye into the semifinals and will await the winner of Walter Williams vs. Person. Regardless of the result between Person and Williams, Orange will play at Person High School Tuesday night at 7;30. Orange hasn’t won a conference tournament since February 2016.