CREEDMOOR–It was a blackout in a blue house.
Facing the top player in the Big 7 Conference in South Granville’s Lilah Penigar, the Orange women delivered possibly its best team performance of the year to maintain its share of first place in the Big 7 Conference.
For the second straight game, junior Lily Wilson surpassed her scoring career-high. On Saturday against Carrboro, she nipped it. On Monday night, she obliterated it.
Wilson finished with 25 points, including five 3-pointers, as the Lady Panthers scored 14 consecutive points in the first quarter to run past South Granville 71-50 at Vikings Gymnasium. Orange (14-6, 9-1 in the Big 7) is now tied with Seaforth for first place in the Big 7 with two games remaining in the regular season.
Wilson’s previous career high was 13 points against Carrboro.
After she registered 42 points against Orange on January 9, Penigar led the Vikings with 41 points on Monday. Orange led Panthers 42-22 at halftime, but Penigar single-handily brought the Vikings back within striking distance late in the third quarter. After she sank two free throws, Orange’s lead was reduced to 51-41 with 2:12 remaining.
The Lady Panthers had been in a drought from distance early in the third quarter, but it suddenly ended when Maura McMurtry and Lily Wilson combined to hit three 3-pointers in a span of 80 seconds to push the Orange advantage back up to 60-41 to finish the frame.
After Penigar scored the opening field goal to give the Vikings its only lead of the game, Natalie Roberson triggered a 14-0 run when she scored off a lay-in following an offensive rebound. McMurtry drained two 3-pointers in the opening quarter as Orange used its 1-2-2 zone full court press to create four turnovers. Sophomore Kassidy Tolliver and freshman Mia Albright scored in transition as orange pushed its lead to 14-2.
Albright would finish with eleven points.
Vikings senior Avery Wilson, who was one of three South Granville players to score, finished with seven points.
Orange will play its fourth game in five days against J.F. Webb in Hillsborough on Tuesday night. With a win, Orange will likely set up a showdown with Seaforth that will determine the Big 7 regular season championship on Thursday in Pittsboro.
It was senior night for South Granville (11-7, 7-2). Wilson, Piper Van Ningen, and Precious Ranking were honored before the game.
Men’s Basketball: South Granville 75, Orange 49
Just four weeks ago, Orange controlled South Granville in a convincing win in Hillsborough, its first over the Vikings since 2007.
It couldn’t have been more different on Monday night.
Jaiden Beal scored 15 points while Travel Hayes added 14 as the Vikings cruised to a wire-to-wire 75-49 victory over the Panthers.
Under the direction of former Orange High linebacker and assistant football coach Mike McDaniel, the Vikings full-throttle, high speed transition attack ran laps around the Panthers, building a 32-point lead early in the third quarter to end the Panthers four-game winning streak.
South Granville (11-8, 7-2) remain one game behind Seaforth for first place as they travel to Pittsboro to face the Hawks on Tuesday night.
Orange (8-13, 7-3) fell out of contention for the Big 7 regular season championship. Junior Jalen Crayton led the Panthers with 14 points.
Hayes scored off a lay-in on the opening basket of the game, the first of his eight points in the opening quarter. The Vikings led 22-9 after six points from D.J. Hicks. Orange senior J.T. Gray sank an early 3-pointer, the Panthers only field goal in the opening five minutes.
To open the third quarter, the Vikings’ Jaiden Bent drained three consecutive 3-pointers, each seemingly with a higher arc than the other with the gym roaring louder with each conversion.
The Panthers got its only flow on offense late in the third quarter, with Cratyon scoring eight of his 14 points in the frame.
Orange will host J.F. Webb on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.
