Orange Women’s Basketball

Following its best finish in eight years, three Orange women’s basketball players have been named All-Central Conference.

Senior forward Evelyn George, junior guard Maura McMurtry and senior center Marshea Byrd were named to the All-Conference team.

George was named All-Conference for the third consecutive year. For the second year in a row, George led the team in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game. She was also the leading rebounder on the team with 8.4 per game. George surpassed 1,000 career points in the Lady Panthers win over Cedar Ridge on January 7. She became the first Orang women’s player with 1,000 points since Lauren Cates, who finished her career with 1,043 points in 2019. This season, George finished with 12 double-doubles. On November 25 against Southern Lee, George finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds and seven steals in a 58-46 Lady Panthers victory. George started the year by scoring 20 points and grabbing eleven rebounds in a win over Garner. While there has never been an official triple-double in Orange women’s basketball history, George nearly had one against Reidsville when she amassed 19 points, nine rebounds and eight steals.

George set her career-high of 26 points against Chapel Hill on December 10. Against conference opposition, her season-high was 25 points in a win against Williams on January 3. George, whose older sister Samantha graduated in 2023 and also played basketball at Orange, committed to Guilford College last month.

For the first time since 2017, Orange reached a conference tournament championship game after beating Cedar Ridge and Eastern Alamance in the Central Conference Tournament.

After finishing second in the Central Conference to eventual 3A State Champion Western Alamance, Orange defeated Swansboro 50-33 in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. It was the first time since 2017 that the Lady Panthers won a state playoff game.

For the second year in a row, McMurtry was named to the All-Conference team. McMurtry’s presence on offense was most noticeable when she was absent from the lineup during a stretch in late January. Without their most experienced point guard, the Lady Panthers went from a 58-41 win over Williams in Burlington to a 61-53 loss to the Bulldogs in Hillsborough. McMurtry returned to the lineup the following week and Orange closed the regular season with six consecutive wins.

McMurtry scored a career-high 21 points in a thrilling double overtime game against Southeast Alamance on December 27 in the Southeast Alamance Holiday Hoopla Tournament. The Stallions would pull out a 74-72 win over Orange. Southeast Alamance would go on to win the 2A State Championship in only it second year.

McMurtry scored 13 points in Orange’s senior night win over Eastern Alamance on February 14, another thrilling game where senior Shannon Murphy hit two free throws with one second remaining to pull out a 64-63 win.

Byrd was the starting center for the Lady Panthers on her third year on the varsity. She averaged 6.4 points per game. Against Southern Lee, Byrd had ten points and ten rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Against Western Alamance on January 24, Byrd finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds as the Warriors won 60-48. It was the closest game that any Central Conference team gave Western Alamance this season. In her final regular season home game, Byrd finished with seven points and six rebounds in the win over the Eagles.

Byrd also had eleven points in the victory over Williams in Burlington.

The Lady Panthers were led by first-year head coach Josh Underwood, an Orange graduate who guided the Panthers to an 18-10 season, the most wins in a season for Orange since the 2018-2019 season. Yet it was Walter Williams Jason Cheek who was named the Central Conference Coach of the Year.

Western Alamance’s Allie Sykes was named the Central Conference Player of the Year.

Regardless of the sport, there’s nothing certain when the state playoffs roll around.

It’s unclear if Tuesday night’s win by the Orange women’s basketball team was the final home game for its six seniors. But if it was, they went out playing some of their best basketball.

Facing a Swansboro team whose only two losses since Christmas came against Coastal Conference champion Croatan, Orange put together a wire-to-wire win in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs.

The 16th-seeded Orange Lady Panthers defeated #17 Swansboro 50-33 in Hillsborough to advance to the second round of the 3A State Playoffs. The Lady Panthers will face #1 seeded Terry Sanford in Fayetteville on Friday night. Terry Sanford rolled past West Johnson 60-13 in the opening round to improve to 24-3.

After being eliminated in the opening round of the state playoffs each of the past four years, Orange won a state playoff game for the first time since 2017, when they defeated Havelock in Hillsborough.

Orange improved to 18-9. It’s the most wins in a season for Orange since 2018-2019, a squad led by Icez Barnett and Lauren Cates that went 19-7. They were the last Lady Panther team to host a game in the state playoffs, falling to Eastern Alamance in the opening round.

Orange point guard Maura McMurtry led the Lady Panthers with 16 points. McMurtry shot 5-of-8 from 3-point range despite picking up her third foul with 4:36 remaining in the second quarter.

After amassing 24 double-doubles in her career , Evelyn George fell just short of #25. But she did flirt with a triple-double, coming away with a stat line of 13 points, seven rebounds, eight steals and five assists in what was likely her final home game. George surpassed 1,000 points against Cedar Ridge last month. She now has 739 career rebounds.

Swansboro (14-7) was led by Addison King, who finished with eleven points and nine rebounds.

The Pirates committed 30 turnovers, the most forced by Orange this season. The Lady Panthers had 19 steals, including five by senior center Marshea Byrd.

It was the first state playoff win for first-year Orange head coach Josh Underwood. On his staff is assistant Kaylen Campbell, who was a senior guard who scored 21 points in the Lady Panthers previous playoff win against Havelock eight years ago.

Orange opened the game on a 8-2 run with Byrd scoring a stickback shot from point-blank range, followed by a 3-pointer from George assist by classmate Shannon Murphy. McMurtry sank back-to-back 3-pointers, both assisted by George, to push the Lady Panther lead to 11-4. After a theft by George of a pass thrown by King, McMurtry dropped in a perfect pass to George between a double team. George scored on a lay-in from the right block while getting fouled by King for a 3-point play, pushing the Lady Panther lead to 14-4.

Swansboro’s Gianna Fandino shot the Pirates back into the game with consecutive 3-pointers, the final one assisted by Kendall Hackworth to cut the Orange advantage to 17-13 at the end of the first quarter.

Hackworth drained a 3-pointer to open the second quarter to cut the Orange lead to 18-16, which was the closest the Pirates would get to tying the game. Orange steadily pulled away, not only another Swansboro field goal for 3:33. Byrd scored on a 3-point play, taking an entry pass from George and scored from under the basket as she was hacked by Brooke Brady.

In the second half, King hit a running one-hander to reduce Orange’s lead to 29-24, but Alexis Stephens captured a pass from Addie Atkins for a lay-in while getting fouled. Stephens 3-point play put Orange head 35-24 with 4:37 remaining in the third quarter. George’s 3-pointer with 2:04 remaining in the frame kept the lead in double digits for the remainder of the game.

Orange senior Bryce Jones hit two free throws late in the fourth quarter in likely her final home game.

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There will be one final basketball doubleheader at Orange High this winter.

A difficult non-conference schedule led to the Orange men’s basketball team hosting a state playoff game for the second straight year.

The Orange women’s basketball team will host a state playoff game for the first time since 2019.

On Sunday, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association released the seeding for the state men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Orange, which finished in third place in the Central Conference, received a #13 seed. The Panthers will host #20 C.B. Aycock in Hillsborough on Tuesday night in the opening round of the 3A State Tournament.

The Orange women, which reached the Central Conference Tournament championship game, received a #16 seed. The Lady Panthers will face Swansboro, the #17 seed from the Costal Conference in the opening round.

The Orange men’s team jumped ahead of Eastern Alamance in the final regular season RPI rankings released by the NCHSAA on Sunday morning. The Panthers played six games against teams that won their respective regular season conference championships. They defeated Voyager Academy, who finished 12-0 in the 1A Triangle North Athletic Conference, in the season-opener. They also won at Chapel Hill, which finished 3rd in the DAC Conference, and was one of only two teams to defeat Central Conference champion Person.

Though Eastern Alamance swept the regular season series from Orange to tie Person for a share of the conference regular season title, the Eagles also lost to Chapel Hill (65-37), Mt. Zion Christian Academy, whom the Panthers defeated 60-56 on November 22. The Eagles also dropped a game to Western Alamance, a squad the Panthers handily swept.

Most intriguing of all for Orange is the potential second-round matchup. The winner of Orange-C.B. Aycock will face either Person or Currituck County. The Panthers have played Person three times, with the total margin of victory being five points. On January 9, Person led 28-9 in Roxboro, but Orange roared back with its best outside shooting game of the season in a stunning 67-65 win in Roxboro.

On February 4, Person defeated Orange 53-52 in Hillsborough. Last Tuesday, Person’s Tyler Wilson scored on a stickback bucket at the buzzer to lift the Rockets over the Panthers 55-53.

Person (25-2), seeded #4, had both of its regular season losses come in a span of five days during January. They have avenged losses to Orange and Eastern Alamance this month and defeated both teams to win the Central Conference Tournament last week.

C.B. Aycock and Orange have one common opponent this season. East Wake, the champions of the Quad County Conference, defeated Orange 57-54 on December 27 in the South Granville Holiday Invitational when Jamal Tayborn hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer in Creedmoor.

C.B. Aycock split the season series with East Wake. The Golden Falcons defeated East Wake 79-67 on December 20, just before the Warriors game against Orange. East Wake won the rematch 61-57 in Wendell.

C.B. Aycock is undefeated in February and takes an eight-game winning streak into the state playoffs. They haven’t lost since January 29.

Most likely, Tuesday will be the final home game for Orange seniors Xandrell Pennix, Freddy Sneed, Michael Clark, Ethan Ellis, Conrad Graham, Jamari McDaniel, Barrett Liner and Ian Wilson.

The Orange women’s basketball team surpassed Eastern Alamance in the final two weeks of the season to earn a home date in the state playoffs. Senior Shannon Murphy hit two free throws with one second remaining to push the Lady Panthers past Eastern Alamance 64-63 on February 18 in Hillsborough. Last week, the Panthers routed the Eagles 54-36 at Western Alamance to reach the title game of a conference tournament for the first time since 2017.

The winner of Orange-Swansboro will face either top-seeded Terry Sanford or #32 West Johnston.

Swansboro finished the regular season with five straight wins, including two victories over West Carteret in a span of eleven days to wind up in second place in the Coastal Conference. The Pirates (14-6) finished behind Croatan.

Orange (17-9) had a season-best six-game winning streak come to an end against Western Alamance in the Central Conference Tournament championship game in Hillsborough on Saturday. In all likelihood, it will be the final home game for Orange seniors Evelyn George, Marshea Byrd, Shannon Murphy, Chloe Caldwell, Bryce Jones and Rhiley Crabtree.

The last time the Orange women’s team hosted a state playoff game, it was 2019. Eastern Alamance upset Orange 57-52 in Hillsborough. The Lady Panthers last state playoff win came in 2017 when they defeated Havelock in the 2nd round behind 20 points from Kaylen Campbell, now a Lady Panthers assistant coach.

It was the requiem for the Central Conference basketball tournament.

It was likely the final time that rivals from Alamance, Orange and Person Counties would converge inside one gymnasium for local basketball supremacy.

When the Central Conference started in 2021-2022, the Western Alamance women’s basketball team was knocking on the door of being the queens of the conference. Before 2023 was over, they kicked the door in when they ended Northwood’s dynasty in the 3rd round of the state playoffs.

On Saturday, they likely ended their run in the league as the undisputed champions as a threat to win the 3A State Championship.

Allie Sykes scored 28 points as Western Alamance claimed its second consecutive Central Conference championship with a wire-to-wire 76-38 win over Orange at Panther Gymnasium in Hillsborough. It was the Warriors (22-4) 26th consecutive win against a conference opponent. The latest Warrior win came on the same floor where they last lost a conference game. The Lady Panthers upset Western 45-42 on January 3, 2024.

Since then, the Lady Warriors have won five straight over Orange. The level of domination was nothing unusual for Western Alamance and neither was the way they went about it. The Lady Warriors forced 18 turnovers in the first half. They out rebounded Orange 45-31, grabbing 22 offensive rebounds. Sykes shot 8-of-15 from 3-point range.

Seniors Tina Bowers and Cayden White each added ten points for the Warriors. Bowers also contained Orange’s leading scorer Evelyn George, who was held to four points, just one above her season-low.

Orange (17-9) tried to slow the game down, which worked to an extent early. Senior center Marshea Byrd scored on a lay-in off an entry pass from Addie Atkins to even the game at 4-4 midway through the first quarter. Then the Warriors started forcing turnovers off its full court press. Sykes’ first 3-pointer put the Warriors ahead for good. Western closed out the first quarter with a 10-5 run, capped by a shot from downtown by Ziomara Moser.

Central Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Final: Person 67, Eastern Alamance 65: 

With big stakes on the line, Person overcame the loss of leading scorer Lance Clarke to defeat the Eagles and claim one of the top-ten seeds in the 3A State Tournament.

Clarke led the Rockets with 21 points, but fouled out with 1:56 remaining in regulation. The Rockets also lost starting forward DaeJon Hodge in a game that was truly last man standing by sundown.

Eastern Alamance lost sophomore shooting guard Hunter Eichman with a lower-body injury in the second quarter and didn’t return.

Eastern Alamance’s leading scorer, Ja’vier Tinnin, fouled out in the waning minutes, as well.

Eagles freshman Mason Murphy sank two free throws to tie the game at 53-53 with 5:48 remaining in regulation. Clarke dropped off a pass to Quante Bowman, who sank a 3-poiner from the wing. It vaulted the Rockets ahead for good.

The Eagles went 4:27 without a field goal in the fourth quarter. Person guard Tyler Wilson found Clarke in transition for a lay-in, which sent the Rockets off and running in their full-throttle transition game. After a miss by Tinnin, Wilson found Clarke again for a bucket to give the Rockets at 60-54 lead.

Person overcame a slow start as the Eagles came out of the gates with an 18-6 lead. Eichman hit two 3-pointers early, followed by another from Ryan Tate.

Person reserve Kyan Lunsford started a Person rally with the final three-pointer of the first quarter, reducing the Eagle lead to 21-11.

In the second quarter, Eastern Alamance led 27-19. Then Person went on a 14-4 run, capped by a lay-in by Lunsford off a pass from Wilson, giving the Rockets its first lead of the game at 33-31.

Person (25-2) truly had plenty to lose. The Rockets have been ranked among the top-five teams in the East Region RPI all season. If they had lost, the best seed they could have received for next week’s 3A State Tournament would have been a #11 seed. Most likely, the Rockets will receive the #4 seed in the East Region.

Eastern Alamance finishes the regular season with a share of the Central Conference regular season title and a 16-9 overall record.

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No last second foul. No clutch free throws. No drama.

Unlike last week’s season finale against Eastern Alamance, the Orange women’s basketball team put up a dominant performance against the Eagles. It has led the Lady Panthers to its first conference tournament championship game since 2017.

Junior Addie Atkins scored a season-high 16 points, shooting 3-of-7 from 3-point range, to help Orange in a wire-to-wire 54-36 win over Eastern Alamance in the Central Conference Tournament semifinals on the Coach Evans Court at Western Alamance High School.

Orange (17-8) will face top-seeded Western Alamance for the Central Conference championship in Elon on either Friday or Saturday. The Warriors crushed Walter Williams 77-22 in the other semifinal. The Warriors, who won the Central Conference regular season championship for the second straight year, have won 25 consecutive games against conference opponents.

Orange was the last Central Conference team to defeat the Warriors on January 3, 2024.

Atkins came up one point shy of her career-high of 17 points, set against Garner on December 12, 2023. Orange senior Evelyn George added 16 points and seven rebounds.

Aliya Trollinger paced Eastern Alamance (13-12) with 19 points. She was the only Eagle in double-figures.

The Lady Panthers have won six in a row, tying its longest winning streak under first-year head coach Josh Underwood.

“I think we picked up our defensive intensity the way we should have early on,” said Underwood, an Orange graduate who previously served as an assistant at Eastern Alamance. “We set a precedent for how good we could be early on against Cedar Ridge. Hopefully that will carry forward as we move on into the conference tournament final and the state playoffs.

Orange’s defense wore down the Eagles, who shot just 26% from the field. Orange built a lead up to 54-32 as they held the Eagles to just three points in the opening five minutes of the fourth quarter.

Shannon Murphy, a senior who drained two free throws with one second remaining to beat Eastern Alamance 64-63 on her senior night last Friday, opened the game with a 3-pointer. Eastern’s Ayanna Garner came back with a 3-pointer, notching the game’s only tie. Atkins scored five consecutive points to put the Panthers ahead for the rest of the game, including a 3-pointer assisted by point guard Maura McMurtry and a lay-in assisted by Murphy.

“Addison has had some great practices,” Underwood said. “She’s really knocked down some shots for us. Tonight, she put everything together on a night where we needed someone else to step up. She stepped up.”

George and sophomore Lily Wilson added consecutive field goals to push the Panther advantage to 13-5, but the Eagles inched back. Trollinger and J’Mya Stump keyed six consecutive Eastern points to cut the Panther lead to 13-11 at the end of the first quarter.

Atkins opened the second quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, including one on the wing assisted by Murphy. Senior center Marshea Byrd, who finished with seven points and ten rebounds, extended the Panther run with a lay-in while getting fouled by Ayanna Garner. George scored on a lay-in off a steal to push the Panther lead to 24-13.

The Panther lead would grow to 27-13 after another lay-in by George. Atkins and Wilson added the final two field goals of the first half as the Panthers went into the locker room ahead 32-19.

The last postseason tournament championship for the Orange women’s basketball team came in 2017, when they defeated Northwood 58-34 to take the Big Eight Championship. Kaylen Campbell, currently the Orange women’s junior varsity head coach and a varsity assistant, led the Panthers with 21 points against the Chargers.

In the tournament championship game, Orange will be the decided underdog against a Western Alamance team that has defeated Orange four straight times, including last year’s tournament semifinals. The Warriors would go on to take the postseason championship.

“They have one of the best back courts in the state,” Underwood said. “They’re a tough team. I feel like we played them tough at their place. It was a game of 3-pointers the last time in Elon. We made two. They made eleven. I feel like our defense is much better now. We’re a much different team than we were at that time.”