Orange Men’s Basketball

Crayton racks up double-double in Orange basketball’s rout of Southern Alamance, will host Eastern Alamance for share of league title on Friday

Senior night was going to be emotional enough for Orange men’s basketball.

There will be eight seniors honored, including starters Xandrell Pennix, Freddy Sneed and Michael Clark, all of whom have been varsity players since they were freshmen.

Now, there will be more on the line. A share of the Central Conference regular season championship.

On Friday, Orange will host Eastern Alamance in Hillsborough. If Orange wins, they will finish 10-2 and claim at least a portion of the league title for the second straight year.

It will be a rematch of the Central Conference opener back on December 13 in Mebane, where the Eagles surprised the Panthers with a 1-3-1 zone in the second half. Orange shot just 33% from the field in a 66-60 loss. The Eagles ended a six-game losing streak to the Panthers behind freshman Mason Murphy scoring 24 points. Senior guard Ja’vier Tinnin finished with 15 points.

By the time Friday rolls around, it will have been nearly two months to the day after their initial meeting and both teams have added new dimensions. Orange center Jalen Crayton, who went scoreless in Mebane, has become more assertive offensively and have only improved with his finishing ability and free throw shooting.

Eastern Alamance has sophomore Hunter Eichmann, whose father Sean played at Orange in the mid-1990s and whose grandfather was a trigonometry and geometry teacher at Orange, as well as being the biggest Philadelphia Flyers fan in school history. Eichman played sparingly against Orange in the previous meeting, but has become a constant contributor for the Eagles. He is averaging 12 points per game and scored 22 points in a win at Person on January 14.

Following a difficult loss to Person on February 4, Orange bounced back to rout Southern Alamance 84-47 on Friday night in Hillsborough. It was Orange’s fifth wire-to-wire win in its last six games.

Crayton scored a career-high 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, his first career double-double. Junior guard Kai Wade paced all scorers with 19 points and eight rebounds.

With the win, Orange improved to 17-6, officially surpassing its win total from last year when they finished 16-12.

Kamaal Smith added a career-high 13 points as Orange improved to 9-2 in league play. Orange is tied with Eastern Alamance and Person for first place in the loss column in the Central Conference.

Orange’s fullcourt pressure hampered the Patriots throughout the night. The Panthers forced 22 steals and created 31 turnovers in all. They limited Southern Alamance (4-18, 1-9) to 27% shooting from the field.

Orange started the game on a 9-0 run. Pennix, who finished with six points to put his career total at 972 points, swished a 3-pointer to force a Southern Alamance timeout. Freddy Sneed forced consecutive steals, both of which led to field goals. Sneed found Crayton for a lay-in to put the Panthers ahead 13-2. Smith ended the first quarter with a 3-pointer off a feed from Sneed.

Jasiah Allen led Southern Alamance with 13 points.

Orange had a three-game winning streak come to an end against Person on February 4. The Rockets, who blew a 19-point lead to Orange in a 67-65 Panther win in Roxboro on January 9, got 18 points from senior Lance Clarke.

Orange led the majority of the game against Person in Hillsborough, building a 31-22 advantage with 5:53 remaining in the third quarter after Sneed scored on a lay-in. Clarke, who was held to three points in the first half, erupted for eleven points in the third quarter. Clarke hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the Rockets ahead 37-36 with 1:39 remaining in the third quarter. It was Person’s first lead since it was 8-7 late in the first quarter.

Person’s Tae Winstead scored on a stickback bucket with 1:51 remaining in the game. Clarke drained two free throws with nine seconds remaining to give Person the game-winning points.

Sneed scores career-high 21 points as Orange men’s basketball rolls over Walter Williams 72-54

Finally, Orange men’s basketball came home on Tuesday night.

For Freddy Sneed, it wasn’t just another home game. Along with his classmates Xandrell Pennix, Michael Clark and Ethan Ellis, it’s the start of a stretch run that started when they were freshmen, where times were hardly glamorous.

Following ten consecutive games on the road, Sneed scored a career-high 21 points as Orange defeated Walter Williams 72-54 at Panther Gymnasium on Tuesday night. Junior point guard Kai Wade added 21 points as the Panthers maintained its share of first place in the Central Conference, still tied in the loss column with Eastern Alamance.

Sneed played regularly with Pennix as freshmen in 2021-2022 on an Orange team that finished 8-17. Now, they’re gunning for a second straight Central Conference regular season championship.

It was Orange’s fourth wire-to-wire win in five games. As usual, the Panthers offense jump started its defense. The Panthers started the game on a 7-0 run, triggered by a 3-pointer from Wade. On the subsequent possession, Pennix poked the ball away from Williams’ Colby Elliott, then dumped the ball to Sneed for a breakaway lay-in.

Orange would increase the lead to 43-29 after two free throws by Wade in the second half, but the Bulldogs made a charge in the third quarter. Elliott drained three consecutive 3-pointers, followed by another shot from downtown by point guard Cavion Stokes. That reduced Orange’s lead to 47-41 with 1:11 remaining in the third quarter.

That would be the final 3-pointer for the Bulldogs. Wade made four free throws, followed by a 3-pointer from Clark from 26-feet, which he claimed was the deepest shot of his career. Orange would push its lead to 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Elliott led the Bulldogs with 28 points, the only Williams player in double figures.

Orange Panther of the Week: Michael Clark

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior forward Michael Clark. This season, the Orange Panthers are off to the best start since Derryl Britt became the head coach in 2018 even though they lost Coleman Cloer, the top-ranked junior in North Carolina, last season. Clark has delivered with leadership from the very beginning of the season, when he scored a career-high 23 points against Voyager Academy in the season-opener. Clark has been a varsity performer since his freshman season, when he scored 13 points against Southern Alamance in his first varsity game. Later on in his freshman year, he scored 17 points against Northwood. As Cloer and Mason Robinson left the team last summer, Clark has filled in every conceivable role possible. He had a double-double of 13 points and ten rebounds against Eastern Alamance on December 13 in Mebane. On January 7, Clark had 14 points in a victory over Cedar Ridge.Against Wakefield, Clark scored 18 points in a 64-59 win in the Southern Alamance Holiday Invitational Tournament. Orange is in contention for its second straight Central Conference regular season championship and Clark has been an invaluable commodity over the past four seasons. He scored a lay-up that sealed Orange’s win over Person in Roxboro on January 9, a game where the Panthers roared back from a 28-9 deficit to win. He will continue his senior season when the Panthers face Person in a crucial game on Tuesday night in Hillsborough.

Orange Panther of the Week: Michael Clark

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior forward Michael Clark. This season, the Orange Panthers are off to the best start since Derryl Britt became the head coach in 2018 even though they lost Coleman Cloer, the top-ranked junior in North Carolina, last season.

Orange men’s basketball’s Kai Wade & Jalen Crayton discuss win at Western Alamance

The Orange men’s basketball team is back home after ten consecutive games on the road. The Panthers defeated Western Alamance 79-57 on Friday night in Elon to finish the long stretch 7-3. Kai Wade scored 23 points as the Panthers maintained its share of first place in the Central Conference. Wade exploded for 18 points in the first quarter, included a 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to push the Panthers to a double-digit lead. Orange sophomore center Jalen Crayton continued to be a dominant force inside, finishing with six points. Orange defeated Western Alamance for the seventh consecutive time. Wade was one of three Panthers in double figures. Senior Xandrell Pennix added 12 points as he continues his march to 1,000. Senior Freddy Sneed added 14 points. Orange returned home on Tuesday night and defeated Walter Williams 72-54. Orange remains tied in the loss column with Eastern Alamance for first place in the Central Conference with four games remaining. Orange is looking for its second consecutive regular season championship. The Panthers have used a mixture of steady outside shooting and dominant defense to pave the way for 15-5 record, its best-ever start under head coach Derryl Britt. Orange will have its final four regular season games all at home. They will host crosstown rival Cedar Ridge on Friday night at Panther Gymnasium.

Orange men’s basketball’s Kai Wade & Jalen Crayton discuss win at Western Alamance

The Orange men’s basketball team is back home after ten consecutive games on the road. The Panthers defeated Western Alamance 79-57 on Friday night in Elon to finish the long stretch 7-3. Kai Wade scored 23 points as the Panthers maintained its share of first place in the Central Conference.

Coming home–Wade scores 23 points, Orange ends 10-game road swing with win at Western Alamance; George scores 22 for Orange women in loss to Warriors

ELON–From McLeansville to Creedmoor to Burlington to Hillsborough to Roxboro to Graham to Reidsville to Elon.

All told, it’s been ten consecutive games away from home for the Orange men’s basketball team since they last played inside Panther Gymnasium on December 20. Five of them were conference games and the team knew before Christmas the long stretch would make or break their hopes of winning a second consecutive Central Conference regular season championship.

The Panthers are now set for the stretch run tied with Eastern Alamance for first place.

On Friday night, Kai Wade scored 23 points to lead a wire-to-wire 79-57 win at Western Alamance on the Coach Evans Court. From the time Wade fired a 18-footer that kicked high off the back iron and fell through the net, it was possibly Wade’s finest performance of the season.

Senior Xandrell Pennix added 12 points, placing him at 932 career points as Orange improved to 14-5. Freddy Sneed added 14 points for the Panthers, who are 7-1 in the Central Conference. Orange has defeated the Warriors seven consecutive times.

In its last home game, Orange rolled past Western Alamance 73-48. The rematch on Friday held the potential for more intrigue because Warriors guard James Newton didn’t play against the Panthers in Hillsborough. Newton, who has committed to play football at Gardner-Webb, was in South Carolina for the Shrine Bowl.

Newton had a huge scoring game in the Warriors upset of Eastern Alamance on January 3. On Friday night against Orange, he was limited to ten points, going scoreless in the second half.

After Newton banked in a 3-pointer to cut Orange’s lead to 8-6, Wade and Pennix responded with consecutive 3-pointers. Newton found Matt Huffman for a lay-in, but Hector Garrido found Jalen Crayton for a monster stuff directly in the face of Camden Oliveira.

Sneed increased Orange’s lead to 18-13 after a strip and steal, but Oliveria responded with a 3-pointer. Wade took the drama out of it when he drained a 27-foot 3-pointer as the quarter wound to a close to give the Panthers a 27-16 lead.

Newton scored an early 3-pointer in the second quarter, but the Warriors had an inability to cash in second-chance points that could have kept the game close. The Panthers shot out to a 9-2 run to put the game away. Wade finished the first half with 18 points.

In the fourth quarter, senior Ethan Ellis drained two 3-pointers. Kamaal Smith would finish with seven points.

Orange will face Walter Williams tonight (Tuesday) to start a string of five consecutive home games to conclude the regular season.

Women’s Basketball: Western Alamance 60, Orange 48: 

Orange played Western Alamance to its closest conference game of the season, but the Warriors claimed its 18th consecutive win against a Central Conference opponent. Looking for its second consecutive league title, senior Allie Sykes led the Warriors with 18 points.

Orange’s Evelyn George scored 22 points. It was her fifth 20-point game of the season and the 13th of her career.

The Warriors didn’t trail but Orange played a much more competitive contest than their previous matchup on December 20. In the fourth quarter, Orange center Marshea Byrd had a personal 10-0 run for Orange.

Once again, the Warriors excelled with 3-point shooting. Emma Johnson finished with 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. Sykes knocked down four 3-pointers as Western Alamance improved to 14-2 overall, 6-0 in the Central Conference. The Warriors snapped the Lady Panthers six-game winning streak.

Western Alamance’s bench outscored Orange 10-5.

Orange falls to 10-7, 4-3 in the Central Conference. The Lady Panthers will return home to face Walter Williams on Tuesday (tonight) in Hillsborough. It will be the start of a two-game homestand for Orange women’s basketball. On Friday night, they will host crosstown rival Cedar Ridge.