Recently, a big night from Mitch Portman has been a requirement for Orange to stay competitive in tight games.

Not so on Friday.

Portman had 21 points against Southern Peninsula in the quarterfinals, 22 against South Granville last Friday and 22 against Cedar Ridge, was held to a season-low three points against Northeast Guilford.

However, Joey McMullin and Morgan Paschall were there to fill the void.

Mullin scored 16 while Paschall had a season-high twelve as the Panthers defeated the Northeast Guilford Rams 57-48 in the semifnals of the Eastern Guilford Christmas Holiday Tourmanent in Gibsonville.

For the second year in a row, Orange will face Eastern Guilford for the tournament championship. On Friday night, the Wildcats defeated Graham 83-47.

Last year, Orange fell behind 17-2 to Eastern,  but stormed back to win 74-60 behind 27 points from Connor Crabtree and 24 points from Logan Vosburg.

McMullin’s total was his best since opening the season with 37 points against the North Carolina School of Science and Math.

For Orange, Marquis Phelps had four points, Matt Atherton two, Machai Holt two, Eli Haithcock 6, Kendall Whitted 6, and Ryan Sellers 3.

Orange will face Eastern Guilford at EGHS at 8:30 on Saturday night.

Unlike the previous night against Williams, there was no early game drought for the Orange Women’s Basketball team against Eastern Alamance.

Just a late one.

After leading 15-6 at the end of the first quarter, the Lady Panthers shot only 17% in the second half and fell to the Eagles 43-35 in the semifinals of the Eastern Alamance Holiday Hoops Tournament in Mebane on Friday night.

Autumn Self paced the Eagles (6-4) with 13, while center Erin Blueford had ten. Eastern Alamance will face Leesville Road for the women’s championship on Saturday.

Orange (4-7) sophomore Lauren Cates had 13, including three 3-pointers in the opening five minutes. However, Orange only scored five field goals in the final three quarters. Janea Myers finished with eleven.

The Panthers will face Northern Durham on Saturday in the third place game at 3.

“Down the stretch, we had it hard offensively, “ said Orange Coach B.J. Condron, who led the Panthers to the 2016 Eastern Alamance Holiday Hoops Championship. “We got a little bit tighter. Eastern did a great job playing defense. They played a sagging man-to-man, making us shoot outside. We didn’t shoot that great.”

Grace Dively rattled in a 12-footer to open the 2nd half, tying the game at 21. But it was the only tie for the rest of the game. Self responded with a three-pointer over Cates on Eastern’s next possession.

Orange shot only 2-of-8 from the field in the third quarter and trailed 32-24.

The Eagles dominated the glass during the second half, pulling down eight offensive rebounds. Of the 17 rebounds Orange was credited with in the 2nd half, five were team rebounds, meaning they came off missed shots that went out of bounds.

“The two girls they had in the low post were a big difference,” said Condron. “They were both so physical. That was a big factor in the game.”

Janea Myers provided a spark in the fourth quarter, knocking down Orange’s only 3-pointer in the second half, then canned a 15-footer with 4:45 remaining to narrow the Eastern lead to 32-30. It was the only time in the second half when Orange scored on consecutive possessions.

Eastern reeled off six in a row behind a lay-in from Buford off an entry pass from Adela Morrison. On the next trip down, Self was fouled outside the arc by Cates and sank all three free throws.

Cates, who scored eleven points in the first quarter, was held to two for the rest of the game.

“I think she tried to force a few things but it just didn’t come for her,” said Condron. “That’s how it is with shooters. Sometimes they’re on and sometimes they’re off.”

The Orange Women’s Basketball team got off to a good start in the semifinals of the Eastern Alamance Holiday Hoops Tournament in Mebane on Friday night. The Lady Panthers led Eastern Alamance 15-6 at the end of the first quarter, but Orange’s shooting touch was never the same afterwards. The Eagles defeated the Panthers 43-35 to advance to the championship game, where they will face Leesville Road. Orange will take on Big 8 Conference foe Northern Durham in the third place game on Saturday afternoon at 3, the first of three games between the two teams over the next six weeks.

Very quietly, the Orange men’s basketball team did something that no other Panther team has ever done on Thursday.

They played a game where they weren’t opposed by a high school. Instead, it was a club team from Australia.

Though the Southern Peninsula Sharks lost 80-42 to the Panthers in the opening round of the Eastern Guilford Christmas Holiday Tournament in Gibsonville, the Sharks have seen plenty over the past week. Since leaving its home of Melbourne, Australia last week, they’ve flown 12 hours into Los Angeles to reach a connecting flight to Atlanta, leading to another 3-and-a-half hours in the air. They drove to Durham on Tuesday, just in time to celebrate Boxing Day.

Orange ended a two-game losing streak and will face Northeast Guilford in the semifinals on Friday afternoon at 4. The Rams, coached by former UNC star Curtis Hunter, defeated Southeast Guilford 65-46 on Thursday.

Orange (6-4), who captured the Eastern Guilford tournament in 2016, bounced back from a devastating loss to South Granville on Friday, when  the Vikings’ Bobby Pettiford hit a shot at the buzzer to beat the Panthers 65-63.

“We tried to put that game behind us,” said Orange Coach Greg Motley. “We thought we played well enough to win it, and they just made a big play at the end and took it away. We didn’t seal that one away.”

The day after Christmas at 9 AM, Motley had a simple message for his team.

”He told us Christmas was over and let’s get to work,” said Orange guard Mitch Portman, who paced Orange with 21 points on Thursday. “And we got to work.”

Portman guided Orange to an early 23-14 lead at the end of the first quarter with 12 points. Joey McMullin added 14 for the Panthers. Matt Athlerton added six points with nine rebounds.

The Sharks were led by Caden Adams with 13, while Daniel Munns had twelve.

ORANGE 80, SOUTHERN PENINSULA 42:

SOUTHERN PENINSULA: Jordan Good 4, Oscar Keating 6, Tom Marshall 7, Daniel Munns 12, Caden Adams 13.

ORANGE: Marquis Phelps 2, Mitch Portman 21, Kendall Whitted 4, Morgan Paschall 6, Joey McMullin 14, Jason Franklin 5, Matt Atherton 6, Mechai Holt 2, Zyon Pettiford 4, Marvante Beasley 6, Eli Haithcock 6, Jacoby Satterfield 2. Morning

Orange opened the Eastern Guilford Christmas Holiday Basketball Tournament with a victory over Southern Peninsula on Thursday morning. Southern Peninsula, a club team from Australia, flew from Melbourne, Australia to Los Angeles to Atlanta, then drove up for the tournament. Portman paced the Panthers in scoring to end a two-game losing streak and advance to Friday’s semifinals.

The Orange girls’ basketball went into the opening game of the Eastern Alamance Holiday Tournament on a four-game losing streak, and it appeared only a Christmas miracle would keep it from becoming five games.

Against Burlington Williams, coached by former Cedar Ridge boys’ basketball Coach Jim Pappas, the Panthers were held to one point in the first quarter. They trailed 23-8 at the half.

Yet the Panthers found the outside shooting they needed from sophomore Lauren Cates to find a way to advance.

Cates scored twelve points and Janea Myers held a layup in the final minute to put Orange ahead as the Panthers defeated the Bulldogs 37-35 at Eastern Alamance Gymnasium. The Panthers (4-6), who claimed the championship last year in the midst of a 21-game winning streak to start the season, advance to the semifinals to face Eastern Alamance on Friday night at 6.

Grace Dively hit two free throws in the waning minutes for Orange, who won for the first time since December 12. Cates came up huge in the fourth quarter, scoring eleven points after being held without a field goal in the first three quarters.

The game also marked the return of guard Icez Barnett, who had not played since injuring her right foot against Hillside on December 15. She finished with eight points.

Mekayia White led Williams (3-4) with 20 points. The Bulldogs were held to three points in the third quarter and four field goals in the second half.

ORANGE 37, WILLIAMS 35

ORANGE: Grace Dively 6, Lauren Cates 12, Janea Myers 8, Ices Barnett 9, Jala Rainey 2.

WILLIAMS: Makayla Crawley 7, Mekayla White 20, Kimberly Jara 6, Jada Lightsey 2.

Since 1991, the Orange Wrestling team has won five state championships, nine regional championships, 620 dual matches, crowned 24 individual state champions and have had 42 wrestlers win 100 matches. All of that was under Coach Bobby Shriner, who retired in June every bit the legendary figure within his own program and Mike Krzyzewski and Dean Smith are in theirs.

Yet Orange Wrestling never captured the championship of the Tiger Holiday Classic.

Until now.

Behind two individual championship performances from seniors Josiah Ramirez and Braden Homsey, the Panthers finished atop the 36-team field in the 25th Tiger Holiday Wrestling Classic. The two-day event concluded Saturday at Chapel Hill High School.

It also became clear that a rematch from the 2016 3A State Championship Dual Match between Orange and Piedmont could be on the horizon. Orange finished 1st with 230.5 points, while Piedmont came in 2nd with 201.5.

Wrestlers from Piedmont and Orange faced off in five different weight classes, wiith Piedmont coming away with a 3-2 edge. In February in Monroe, Piedmont rallied from a 27-17 deficit with four matches remaining to hand Orange a 29-27 defeat, its only loss of the 2016-17 season.

After trying for four years, Ramirez finallly came away with a Tiger Holiday Invididual Championship at 182 pounds. After finishing fifth at 170 pounds in 2016, Ramirez defeated South Vie’s Tyrese Bryd 4-1 for his third individual championship this season. Ramirez, now 24-0, pinned Terry Sanford’s Finley Allen in 1:25. It was only the second loss of the season for Allen.

Homsey’s victory at 195 came in his second appearance in the Tiger Holiday Classic. Last season, was eliminated without placing at 182. For the past three years, Orange’s top 195 pounder has been Jamar Davis, who focused on soccer this season. Homsey defeated Chapel Hill’s Bradley Kenyon by major decision 19-9 in the semifinals, then grinded out a 5-3 victory over Cameron Blizard of Ragsdale. Homsey also has three individual championships this season and is also 24-0.

Even for those who didn’t win their respective tournaments, it was a weekend of milestones. Heavyweight Daylan Alston won his 100th match, becoming the 41st member of Orange’s 100-win club. After a semifinal loss to Ragsdale’s Brandon Williams, the eventual champion, Alston defeated New Bern’s Jacob Flowers 3-1 for win #100. Alston finished 4th at heavyweight after coming in 5th in 2016.

Avery Jenkins (160) and Trey Jones (170) finished 2nd in their respective weight classes. Jenkins, who competed at 145 last season and won two matches without placing, defeated Pinecrest’s Will Herbert 5-0 to reach the finals. Union Pines Alex Faison, now 29-0, defeated Jenkins for the championship 7-2. Jenkins is now 19-4.

Jones, competing in his first Tiger Classic, won four matches overall in the tournament, including a 6-1 decision over West Cartaret’s Micah Dixon in the semifinals. In the championship Newton Conover’s Joshua Nichols pinned Jones at 2:40.

Mitchell Askew placed third at 113 pounds, while Gavin Wiggins finished 3rd at 126.

Bailey Hawkins, who claimed his 100th win last week, came in 5th at 132. Mario Manduiano, competing in his first Tiger Classic at 152, finished 6th.

Orange will resume its dual team season on Saturday at West Stanley. The Panthers are 9-0 on the season, 3-0 in the Big 8 with wins over East Chapel Hill,  Cedar Ridge and Hillside.

When the Tiger Holiday Classic resumes on Saturday morning at Chapel Hill High School, Orange High will have seven wrestlers competing in the semifinals.

At the end of day one of the 30-team event on Friday, Orange led the team standings wth 141.5 points. Fittingly, Piedmont High is in 2nd place at 123 points. Piedmont defeated Orange for the 3A Dual Team State Championship last February in Bobby Shriner’s final dual match as head coach of OHS.

Gavin Wiggins (126), Bailey Hawkins (132), Avery Jenkins (160), Trey Jones (170), Josiah Ramirez (182), Braden Homsey (195), and Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion Daylan Alston all advanced to the semifinals on Friday.

Wiggins opened by pinning Piedmont’s Jackson Little in 1:11. Last February, Wiggins defeated Piedmont’s Jordan Parlmer 3-1 at 120. In the quarterfinals, Wiggins improved to 18-3 on the season with a 9-3 victory over Union Pines Michael Shook. Wiggins will face Holly Springs’ Jaxon Maroney (9-0) in the semifinals on Saturday morning.

At 132, Bailey Hawkins pinned North Pitt’s Dalton English in 1:06. In the quarterfinals, Hawkins scored a major decision over J.H. Rose’s Phifer Osijek 13-2. Hawkins, who has won 14 consecutive matches, will face junior Colby Funderburk of Piedmont tomorrow in the semifinals. Last season, Hawkins fell to Piedmont’s Michael Flitz 8-5. Funderburk claimed the state championship at 113 for Piedmont when he scored a technical fall over Noah Davis.

Avery Jenkins improved to 17-2 by winning both of his matches on Friday. He started by pinning Piedmonth’s Kylan Thomas in 5:16, then pinned Croatan’s Sean O’Connell in 4:27. Next up for Jenkins will be Will Herbert of Panther Creek, who is 13-2.

At 170, senior Trey Jones grinded out a 15-11 decision over Union Pines Caleb Kimpler. In the quarterfinals, Jones pinned Liam Harris of Rutherfordton-Spindale High in 3:23. In Saturday’s semifinals, Jones will tangle with West Cartaret’s Micah Dixon.

Josiah Ramirez remained undefeated at 182. Ramirez is now 20-0 after starting the day with a 7-2 decision over Riverside’s Jatavian Hart. In the quarterfinals, Ramirez pinned West Brunswick’s Sae’vyon McCray in 1:31. Ramirez will have among the most anticipated matches of the day tomorrow when he faces undefeated Finley Allen of Terry Sanford in the semifinals.

Braden Homsey remained undefeated on the season at 195 with two pins on Friday. He started by pinning North Pitt’s Artemio Sanchez in :45. Then Homsey pinned Joey Ferguson of William Hough in 1:45. Homsey faces Chapel Hill’s Bradley Kenyon on Saturday morning, a preview of a Big 8 Conference match next month.

At heavyweight, Alston was extended to triple overtime in the opening round by Croatan’s Nathan Waltrip. Alston earned an escape point in the third extra session to remain undefeated. The quarterfinal match against Grayson County (VA) Matthew Bourne was anticlimactic, with Alston cruising to a 17-6 major decision. Alston is now 19-0.

It was a nonconference basketball game between two teams who rarely play just days before Christmas.

Not exactly the recipie for anyting memorable, except for those who were on hand in Creedmoor to see it for themselves.

South Granville’s Bobby Pettiford reenacted the same basketball moment played out in the backyards of thousands of kids across the country, taking the ball in a tie game with :3.1 remaining. Except in Pettiford’s case, his running one-hander from 15-feet counted at the buzzer, sending Viking Gymnasium into a frenzy.

South Granville defeated Orange 65-63 on Friday night, sending the Panthers to consecutive losses for the first time this season.

“I was pleased with the effort, we just have to clean up some of the other stuff,” said Orange Coach Greg Motley. “We have to clean up missed opportunities. We missed too many layups and free throws.”

The Panthers squandered a golden performance by senior guard Mitch Portman, who scored 14 points in the fourth quarter. Portman finished with a game-high 22, while Eli Haithcock came away with 19.

”I thought Mitch played extremely tough,” said Orange Coach Greg Motley. “We came in not knowing a lot about this team. It was a good game. We battled tooth and nail and in the end we came up just a little bit short.”

Pettiford and James Morton paced the Vikings (7-3) with 17 each.

Orange ended the final frame trailing 48-39 after Pettiford scored on a rebound basket at the third quarter buzzer.  Orange opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run with a Haithcock lay-in. After Haithcock made a free throw, Portman sank a 3-pointer with 6:03 remaining. After Pettiford scored on a stickback basket, Porter sank another trey, his fourth of the game, to put Orange within 50-48.

After Joey McMullin sank a three-pointer to narrow the South Granville lead to 55-53 with 4:35 remaining, Portman sank a 12-footer, then hit a 3-pointer on the next trip down the floor to give Orange a 58-57 lead. SGHS’ Romelle Faucette hit a free thrown to tie the game, but Haithcock took a pass from Mekai Holt to score a layup and give Orange a 60-58 lead. Portman took a rebound after a miss by James Morton, then hit Haithcock for a baseline jumper to extend Orange’s lead to 62-58 with 2:58 remaining.

Orange maintained the lead with 1:56 until Romelle Faucette scored on a jumper following a Panther turnover. Faucette forced a turnover on the subsequent Orange inbound, Morton spit a pair from the line.

With Orange leading 62-61, Portman hit one of two from the stripe with :36 remaining. Pettiford tied the game with a running 10-footer with :17 left, leading to his game-winner at the buzzer.

“The kid made a tough shot,” said Motley “There’s not much more that we could have done. He got the dribble down the side and went against one of our best leaders. It was a great shot.”

Orange will resume the season next Thursday in the opening round of the Eastern Guilford Holiday Tournament in Gibsonville, an event the Panthers won last year. Orange will open against an Australian select team on Thursday morning at 11.

OR: 11    16    12   24-63

SG: 15    13    20   17-65

ORANGE: Marquis Phelps 4, Mitch Portman 22, Morgan Paschall 2, Joey McMullin 14, Eli Haithcock 19, Mekai Holt 2.

SOUTH GRANVILLE: Bobby Pettiford 17, Isaiah McLen 9, Romelle Faucette 8, James Morton 17, Ryan Moore 11, Wy’kise Allen 3.

For the third time in four games, Orange center Eli Haithcock scored in double figures on Friday night. Haithcock came off the bench to score 19 points as Orange lost to South Granville 65-63 in a thrilling game at Viking Gymnasium. With the holidays approaching, Haithcock has had plenty of reason to play with emotion and drive, as he explained in this postgame interview.