Orange Men’s Basketball

ELON–At the start of a grueling stretch of eight games across 13 days, Orange men’s basketball coach Derryl Britt said his goal was to have his team playing its best basketball by tournament time.

Not only has Orange delivered on that goal, but they’ve now won their first postseason tournament game since 2017.

At the same time, senior guard Jerec Thompson joined an exclusive club.

In his 70th career varsity game, Thompson scored 29 points to cross the 1,000 point barrier when he sank a free throw early in the third quarter against Western Alamance on Monday night. He became the first Orange player since Joey McMullin in 2020 to score 1,000 points.

Thanks in part to several underclassmen, Thompson’s career will see another game.

Junior A’mare Morgan scored on a lay-in with 1:23 remaining that proved to be the margin of victory as the Panthers defeated Western Alamance 56-53 in the quarterfinals of the Central Carolina Conference Tournament on Monday night at Coach Erma Evans Court in Elon.

Orange will face CCC regular season champion Northwood in Pittsboro on Wednesday night at 7:30. The top-seeded Chargers received a bye into the CCC semifinals.

With the game tied 51-51, Morgan took an entry pass from junior guard Kaleb Barnhardt. Western Alamance’s Dayvone Collins knocked the ball free in the paint, but Morgan used his muscle to pick it up, lay it in and draw a foul on Nick McGhee. The subsequent free throw bounced in after it clipped the front rim.

The Warriors’ Kristopher Barnwell sank an 18-foot jumper to cut Orange’s lead to 54-53 with 1:00 remaining. After Orange was called for traveling, the Warriors got the ball back with a chance to take the lead, but Thompson stole a pass into the paint with :24 seconds left.

Eventually, Thompson wound up at the foul line with :14 remaining and sank both free throws. Barnwell’s 3-point attempt to tie the game at the horn banged off the back of the rim and into the arms of Orange freshman Xandrell Pennix.

It was Orange’s first postseason win since they defeated Triton 67-47 in the third round of the 3A State Playoffs on February 25, 2018.

Western Alamance, who never trailed in beating Orange 56-50 on February 5 in Elon, played without starting point guard King Dorsey, who broke a bone in his hand last week. Aside from a few cameos from various reserves, the Warriors rotation was limited to six players.

With its season on the line, Orange showed tournament emotion from the very beginning. Every made shot, pass deflection, defensive stop and rebound triggered a collective roar from the Orange reserves seated on the bench as well as a healthy contingent of Panther fans who drove in from Hillsborough.

Orange got some friendly bounces early to jump out to a 12-5 lead. J.J. Thompson found Thomas Loch for a lay-in, which was followed by a jumper from Loch that hopped three times on the rim before falling through the twine. After Barnwell and Eric Wagoner scored consecutive field goals, Jerec Thompson drained a 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to put Orange ahead 15-9.

From the time Darius Corbett picked the pocket of a Western guard and scored on a lay-in to open the second quarter, the Panthers had possibly its best four-minute sequence of the season. Jerec Thompson added two free throws after Isaiah Seymour created a steal. After Barnwell drained two free throws, Thompson drilled a stepback 3-pointer to put Orange ahead 22-11.

Seymour added two free throws, then Thompson drained a 25-footer, then hit another 3-pointer to push the Panther advantage to 28-12, the largest lead of the game.

Western’s Brooks Allred started a comeback with five consecutive points, including the Warriors’ only 3-pointer of the game. Eric Wagoner followed with a 15-foot jumper. McGhee ended the half with a stickback lay-in at the first half buzzer to cut Orange’s lead to 32-26.

McGhee opened the second half with a lay-in and was fouled by Pennix. Allred cut Orange’s lead to 33-30 after a 15-footer. Barnwell had three consecutive field goals to give the Warriors a 36-33 with 5:43 remaining in the third quarter.

The Warriors built its lead to five points after a lay-in from Dayvon Collins before Orange’s J.J. Thompson drained a huge 3-pointer to cut it to 38-36. Orange’s Freddy Sneed made two huge plays in the final minute of the third quarter. Sneed scored on a lay-in after Morgan found him on a jump pass to tie the game. As Western held for one shot in the waning seconds, Sneed picked Allred’s pocket at midcourt and dribbled down the floor as the clock ran down to lay it in before the buzzer sounded to put the Panthers ahead 40-38.

ORANGE 56, WESTERN ALAMANCE 53

ORANGE: Jerec Thompson 29, Xandrell Pennix 4, J.J. Thompson 3, Isaiah Seymour 4, Thomas Loch 4, Freddy Sneed 4, Darius Corbett 3, A’mare Morgan 5.

WESTERN ALAMANCE: Kristopher Barnwell 18, Brooks Allred 13, Dayvone Collins 4, Eric Wagoner 9, Nick McGhee 6, Eric Hardy 2, Gabe Bennett 1.

The Orange men’s basketball team has won a game in a postseason tournament for the first time since 2017. On Monday night in Elon, Orange defeated Western Alamance 56-53 in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Junior Amare Morgan scored on a lay-in with 1:23 remaining, which proved to be the game-winning points. Freshman Freddy Sneed came off the bench to score four crucial points during a period of the game where the Warriors had come back from 17 points down to go ahead by five points. Both Morgan and Sneed were called up to the varsity team after Thanksgiving and have made an impact with the Panthers. Sneed scored nine points in his second varsity game against East Chapel Hill on November 30. The last time the Panthers won a postseason tournament game, it was the 2017 3A State Playoffs when they knocked off Triton 67-47 to advance to the state quarterfinals. Orange will get a shot at Northwood once again, this time in the Central Carolina Conference semifinals in Pittsboro. The Chargers swept the season series from Orange, beating the Panthers 78-62 on February 4 in Hillsborough. The Panthers will travel to Pittsboro on Wednesday night at 7:30.

For the second straight game against Cedar Ridge, a first-year varsity player led the Orange men’s basketball to victory. On Wednesday night, it was Isaiah Seymour. On Saturday afternoon, it was freshman Xandrell Pennix. In just his tenth varsity game, Pennix led all scorers with 15 points, leading the Panthers back from an eleven point deficit with 6:27 remaining to a 57-53 victory. Orange finished the game on a 18-3 run in the final six minutes. On three consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter, Pennix drained three 3-pointers, the last of which put the Panthers within 50-48 wit 3:44 remaining. Pennix is one of several first-year varsity players who have made a major impact since joining the team since Christmas. Junior Amare Morgan and freshman Freddy Sneed have also greatly helped the Panthers at various points this year. This was the second time this year that Pennix scored in double figures. He also had 13 points against Walter Williams on January 25 in Burlington. Orange will travel to Western Alamance in the opening round of the Central Carolina Conference Tournament on Monday night at 7 o’clock. The winner will face Northwood in the semifinals on Wednesday.

There’s an old legend in rock n’roll lore than Jerry Lee Lewis was once so mad about not closing a concert that Chuck Berry was headlining, he played “Great Balls of Fire” to finish his set, dosed his piano with gasoline contained inside a Coke bottle, lit it on fire, stormed offstage and told Berry “Top that, Chuck.”

In his final game at Orange High, Jerec Thompson wasn’t as confronational, but he did set the nets on fire.

On the day he turned 18 years old, Thompson scored 40 points, one shy of his career-high. It was enough for Orange to defeat Eastern Alamance 77-68 on Friday night in Hillsborough.

Thompson, who scored 20 points in each half, had his eighth game this year with at least 30 points.

Orange (6-16, 2-9 in the Central Carolina Conference) has won back-to-back games for the first time this year. They will conclude the regular season against Cedar Ridge on Saturday afternoon at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

It was the final game inside Orange Gymnasium for Thompson, J.J. Thompson, Joshua Jackson and Hunter Burch. Jerec, J.J. and Jackson grew up playing together at Orange Middle School as well as the Mid-State Magic AAU team.

“We knew we needed a win,” Jerec Thompson said. “We came out and did it tonight. It hasn’t really hit me yet (that this was his last game at Orange) but I’m sure sometime soon it will.”

Last week, the Eagles flattened Orange 80-57 in Mebane after the Eagles bolted ahead to a 9-0 lead and never trailed. Senior guard Caleb Gerlach scored 15 points, but was held to eight points on Friday.

The Eagles had another quick start on Friday night, opening with a 15-6 lead. But Orange went on an 10-1 run in the final 2:18 of the first quarter. Thompson had five points during the spree, including a 3-pointer that rolled in after a lap around the rim. Junior Thomas Loch sank a seven-footer from the baseline with :02 remaining in the quarter.

Thompson got a birthday bounce on the opening jumper of the second quarter, which triggered the Panthers to take a 22-16 lead. The Eagles marched right back with a 8-2 run with A.J. Weaver tying the game with a stickback bucket. McCawely gave the Eagles the lead with a free throw, then sank a 3-pointer to put the Eagles ahead 28-24.

Orange ended the half by scoring the final 13 points of the half, starting with a 3-pointer from Xandrell Pennix, followed by another trey by Thompson. J.J. Thompson made two free throws, while Thompson scored on a lay-in off a strip and steal. Thompson added two more free throws to finish with 20 at the half.

Orange increased its advantage to 48-34 after a tip-in by Isaiah Seymour, but Eastern’s Maurice Hooper shot the Eagles right back into the game. Hooper, who barely played in the first half, hit three consecutive 3-pointers to in a two-minute span to slash the Panther lead to 48-43. Pinnix drained a crucial three-pointer to alleviate the damage.

Seymour finished with ten points, his second straight game in double figures.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: EASTERN ALAMANCE 43, ORANGE 42 OT

The Orange women’s basketball team played its closest game of the season against Eastern Alamance, and it nearly led to a storybook finish for one of its most accomplished players.

Trailing 41-39 in overtime, senior Aaliyah Harris came down the lane and scored on a lay-in while fouled by Kyra Helton to send the crowd into a frenzy. Harris made the free throw to put Orange ahead 42-41 with :26.3 remaining.

Eastern Alamance’s Amiyah Evans was fouled at the other end of the floor by Evelyn George. Evans sank two free throws for the margin of victory.

Harris got a final shot with three seconds remaining, but the attempted back shot was a tad too hard as the buzzer sounded. Orange senior Samantha George scored 16 points, while Harris added eleven.

Hali Watkins, who scored the final field goal of the first half for the Eagles to surpass 1,000 points in her career, led the Eagles with 16 points. Evans finished with eleven points.

Orange (13-7, 5-6 in the Central Carolina Conference) will finish in 4th place in the CCC. The Lady Panthers will host Western Alamance on Monday in Hillsborough for the opening round of the Central Carolina Conference Tournament.

MEN’S BASKETBALL: ORANGE 77, Eastern Alamance 68

EASTERN ALAMANCE: Kasen McCawley 10, Michael Reaves 12, Caleb Gerlach 8, Antonio Pugh 14, Maurice Hooper 12, A.J. Weaver 6, K.J. Cleary 2, Adrian Sykes 4.

ORANGE: Jerec Thompson 40, J.J. Thompson 2, Isaiah Seymour 10, Thomas Loch 4, Amare Morgan 2, Joshua Jackson 2, Darius Corbett 3, Hunter Burch 4, Freedy Sneed 2, Xandrell Pennix 8.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: EASTERN ALAMANCE 43, ORANGE 42 OT

EASTERN ALAMANCE: Kyra Helton 7, Amiyah Evans 11, Hali Watkins 16, Makayla Thompson 7, Nicole Hester 2

ORANGE: Samantha George 16, Katelyn Van Mater 2, Jarmil Wingate 8, Aaliyah Harris 11, Evelyn George 5.

Jerec Thompson left an indelible memory in his final game at Orange High School. On this 18th birthday, Thompson scored 40 points as Orange defeated Eastern Alamance 77-68. It was the eighth time this year that Thompson has scored over 30 points in a game. He fell one point shy of is career high, which was 41 points against the North Carolina School of Science and Math on December 2. It was the final home game for Jerec Thompson, J.J. Thompson, Joshua Jackson and Hunter Burch, who all grew up as teammates playing at Orange Middle School (when it was called Stanford Middle School) and on the Mid State Magic AAU team. This was the first time all year that Orange has won back-to-back games. The Panthers will go for a three-game winning streak this afternoon against Cedar Ridge in the regular season finale at Red Wolves Gymnasium. This will be the second game in four days between the Panthers and the Red Wolves. Orange defeated Cedar Ridge 53-48 on Wednesday at Orange.

Not since the days of Logan Vosburg has the Orange men’s basketball team had a reliable low-post scorer.

It’s something that head coach Derryl Britt has struggled to find since the day he arrived in Hillsborough in 2018. Though he’s had teams filled with perimeter threats to rain in 3-pointers, sometimes at will, there’s hasn’t been a steady force in the paint.

On Wednesday night, junior Isaiah Seymour finally filled that void.

Seymour, who had not been in double figures through the first 18 games of the season, scored a career-high 18 points to push Orange past Cedar Ridge 53-48 in the first meeting between the two teams this season at Panther Gymnasium.

Orange (5-16, 1-9 in the Central Carolina Conference) ended an eight-game losing streak to pick up its first win of the calendar year 2022. They also ended a four-game losing streak to Cedar Ridge.

The Red Wolves (4-13, 1-9), playing for the second time in two nights, were led by junior Colton Taylor, who finished with 17 points.

It was Orange’s first win over Cedar Ridge since February 1, 2019.

“Isaiah played well,” Britt said. “I’ve been waiting on it all year. At this point, with the way our season has gone, I just want a win. The kids deserve a win. Of course, they want to play Cedar anytime they play, just like they want to beat us. It’s good to beat our crosstown rival, but the picture is much bigger than just beating Cedar.”

Cedar Ridge took the lead at 31-30 with 2:58 remaining in the third quarter after Rawlins Taylor scored on a jumper from the middle of the lane. Orange’s Ryan Moss rebounded a miss by Amare Morgan for a stickleback bucket to put Orange ahead 32-31 with 1:24 remaining in the third quarter, which triggered a 10-0 Panther run.

Seymour started the fourth quarter with a reverse layup, then Thompson intercepted an inbounds pass to score on a breakaway layup. With 6:18 remaining, Seymour picked up a miss by Joshua Jackson, scored on a finger roll and was fouled by Cedar Ridge’s Cameron Harper. Thompson added another lay-in to push Orange’s lead to 40-31.

Just it when it appeared that Orange would be set to roll to a long-awaited victory, Cedar Ridge senior Garrett Ray wouldn’t let his team go quietly. Ray took a pass from Colton Taylor and drained a 3-pointer, then blocked a shot by Seymour, leading to a transition opportunity where Ray knocked down another trey. Within seconds, Orange’s lead was reduced to 40-37.

Once again, Seymour came up big when the Panthers needed offense, rebounding a miss by senior Hunter Burch and scored off the glass.

In the final four minutes, Cedar Ridge steadily made up ground at the foul line. Rawlins Taylor sank two free throws after drawing a foul on Seymour. Cedar Ridge had a chance to tie after a miss by Thompson, but Darius Corbett knocked the ball away from the Red Wolves’ Neco Clark. Corbett fed Seymour for a lay-in. Orange freshman Xandrell Pennix stole the subsequent inbounds pass and found Seymour again for another basket that sent the Orange student section into a frenzy.

After some cold shooting early, Colton Taylor found the range for the Red Wolves with two three-pointers in the opening quarter. Cedar Ridge led 15-11 after Neco Clark scored on a lay-in late in the opening frame.

The Red Wolves played a box-and-one to defend Jerec Thompson, who averages 25.1 points per game. With Colton Taylor defending him the majority of the game, Thompson didn’t hit a 3-pointer and scored nine points.

Thompson, J.J. Thompson, Burch and Joshua Jackson were honored on senior night before the game.

Cedar Ride will host Orange in a rematch on Saturday at 1PM.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: ORANGE 55, CEDAR RIDGE 5

On her senior night, Orange’s Aaliyah Harris scored a career-high 24 points as the Lady Panthers improved to 13-6, 5-5 in the Central Carolina Conference. Another senior, Haley Reynolds, had a career-high seven points.

MEN’S BASKETBALL: ORANGE 53, CEDAR RIDGE 48

CEDAR RIDGE: Colton Taylor 17, Garrett Ray 16, Neco Clark 7, Rawlins Taylor 6, Kamill Harrsion 2.

ORANGE: Jerec Thompson 9, J.J. Thompson 3, Hunter Burch 5, Thomas Loch 2, Amare Morgan 9, Isaiah Seymour 18, Ryan Moss 2, Darius Corbett 2, Xandrell Pennix 1.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: ORANGE 55, CEDAR RIDGE 5

CEDAR RIDGE: Julie Altieri 2, Cameron Copeland 1, Angelica Carbajal 2.

ORANGE: Samantha George 9, Aisha Caron 2, Haley Reynolds 7, Jarmil Wingate 2, Aaliyah Harris 24, Evelyn George 7, Katelyn Van Mater 4.

On a night when Orange needed someone to step up against its crosstown rival, junior Isaiah Seymour turned in the biggest performance of his career. Seymour scored a career-high 18 points as the Panthers defeated the Red Wolves 53-48 on Wednesday night at Orange High Gymnasium. Seymour scored eight points in the second quarter. With Orange clinging to a 3-point lead late, Seymour hit a driving lay-up that paved the way for the Panthers to end a four-game losing streak against the Red Wolves. Senior Hunter Burch, who started for Orange, got a critical stickback shot to fall with under four minutes remaining to push Orange ahead by nine. The Panthers earned its first win since December 30 and its first victory of the Central Carolina Conference season. The Panthers will play its final home game of the season against Eastern Alamance on Friday before starting play in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament.