11-24-22 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school football, College football and basketball

By Richard Walker

Arguably the biggest high school football game in area history will be held on Friday at Kings Mountain’s John Gamble Stadium when 13-0 unbeatens East Lincoln and host Kings Mountain meet in the Western N.C. 3A semifinals.

It is the first time in history that teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties have played each other with 13-0 records.

Kings Mountain has never had a team start a season 13-0 and East Lincoln has had it happen three times in four years (2012, 2014 and 2015).

In area history, winning the first 13 games of a season bodes well for the future as 14 teams in the three counties have done so previously with seven claiming state titles, two finishing as state runner-up, two as a Western runner-up and three losing their next postseason game.

The state champions were Shelby in 1972 (Western N.C. Activities Association), 2006 (2AA) and 2016 (2AA), South Point in 1979 (3A), Crest in 1994 (4A), East Lincoln in 2012 (2A) and 2014 (2AA).

All seven of those teams finished as unbeaten and untied state champions, with Shelby going 16-0 in 2006 and 2016, East Lincoln going 16-0 in 2012 and 2014, Crest going 15-0, South Point going 14-0 and Shelby going 13-0 in 1972.

Other unbeaten and untied teams in the playoff era were old Highland in 1946 (10-0 for a N.C. High School Athletic Conference title), Mount Holly in 1963 (11-0 for the N.C. 2A Piedmont title), Stanley in 1955 (10-0) and old Cleveland High in Shelby in 1956 (9-0 for a NCHSAC 6-man title). Stanley’s season ended with the regular season as the Blue Devils’ schedule didn’t allow for them to participate in the state playoffs.

Here’s a look at Friday’s Western N.C. semifinal matchups involving Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln county teams:

East Lincoln at Kings Mountain: Kings Mountain holds a 6-0 all-time advantage and 151-35 scoring differential in games that were played from 1985 to 1992.

Eastern Guilford at South Point: The teams met for the first time last season in a 41-31 first-round South Point playoff victory.

Monroe at Burns: The teams are meeting for the first time since Burns’ inaugural year of 1967 when Monroe took a 26-6 victory at Burns.

This week’s statewide fourth round pairings:

(1A)
Northampton County at Tarboro
Rosewood at North Moore
Mount Airy at Eastern Randolph
Draughn at Andrews

(2A)
Wallace-Rose Hill at Princeton
Whiteville at East Duplin
Maiden at Reidsville
Monroe at Burns

(3A)
Triton at Northern Nash
Terry Sanford at 71st
East Lincoln at Kings Mountain
Eastern Guilford at South Point

(4A)
Millbrook at Hillside
Rolesville at New Bern
Hough at Grimsley
A.C. Reynolds at Weddington

After three weeks of the state football playoffs, here’s a look at the top conference playoff records with remaining teams in parentheses:

Smoky Mountain 1A 11-5 (Andrews)
All-American 3A/4A 8-3 (Terry Sanford, Triton)
Northern Athletic 4A 8-3 (Millbrook, Rolesville)
Big South 3A 8-4 (Kings Mountain, South Point)
Waccamaw 1A/2A 8-4 (Whiteville)
Four Rivers 1A 8-6 (Tarboro)
East Central 2A 7-3 (East Duplin, Wallace-RH)
DAC 7 4A 7-4 (Hillside)
Queen City 3A/4A 7-4 (Hough)
Big East 3A/4A 7-5 (New Bern)
Catawba Valley 2A 6-2 (Maiden)

The state record for playoff wins in a single season is shared by the South Mountain 2A/3A in 2015 (15-4 record) and Tri-County 1A in 2010 (15-7 record).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

College basketball

Kings Mountain’s Ezekiel Cannedy was named CIAA freshman of the week on Tuesday after scoring 24 points in two games for Johnson C. Smith last week in the Boost Mobile Chris Paul HBCU Tip-Off Classic.

Cannedy, a 2022 Kings Mountain High graduate, scored 11 points on four-of-eight shooting with four rebounds Xavier, La., and had 13 points versus Clark Atlanta.

 

 

 

 

 

Pro basketball

(5-14 record)
October
19 at San Antonio (W 129-102)
21 New Orleans (L 112-124)
23 at Atlanta (W 126-109)
26 at New York (L 131-134, OT)
28 at Orlando (L 93-113)
29 Golden State (W 120-113, OT)
31 Sacramento (L 108-115)
November
2 at Chicago (L 88-106)
4 at Memphis (L 99-130)
5 Brooklyn (L 94-98)
7 Washington (L 100-108)
9 Portland (L 95-105)
10 at Miami (L 112-117, OT)
12 at Miami (L 115-132)
14 at Orlando (W 112-105)
16 Indiana (L 113-125)
18 at Cleveland (L 122-132, 2 OT)
20 at Washington (L 102-106)
23 Philadelphia (W 107-101)
25 Minnesota, 5 p.m.s
28 at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
December
2 Washington, 7 p.m.
3 Milwaukee, 6 p.m.
5 L.A. Clippers, 7 p.m.
7 at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.
9 New York, 7 p.m.
11 at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.
14 Detroit, 7 p.m.
16 Atlanta, 7 p.m.
18 at Denver, 8 p.m.
19 at Sacramento, 10 p.m.
21 at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.
23 at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.
26 at Portland, 10 p.m.
27 at Golden State, 10 p.m.
29 Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
31 Brooklyn, 7 p.m.
January
2 L.A. Lakers, 7 p.m.
4 Memphis, 7 p.m.
6 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
8 at Indiana, 5 p.m.
10 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
12 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
14 Boston, 7 p.m.
16 Boston, 1 p.m.
18 at Houston, 8 p.m.
21 at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
23 at Utah, 9 p.m.
24 at Phoenix, 9 p.m.
26 Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
29 Miami, 1 p.m.
31 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
February
2 at Chicago, 8 p.m.
3 at Detroit, 7 p.m.
5 Orlando, 1 p.m.
8 at Washington, 7 p.m.
10 at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
11 Denver, 7 p.m.
13 Atlanta, 7 p.m.
15 San Antonio, 7 p.m.
24 at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
25 Miami, 7 p.m.
27 Detroit, 7 p.m.
March
1 Phoenix, 7 p.m.
3 Orlando, 7 p.m.
5 at Brooklyn, 6 p.m.
7 at New York, 7:30 p.m.
9 at Detroit, 7 p.m.
11 Utah, 7 p.m.
12 Cleveland, 5 p.m.
14 Cleveland, 7 p.m.
17 Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
20 Indiana, 7 p.m.
23 at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
24 at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
26 Dallas, 1 p.m.
28 at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
31 Chicago, 7 p.m.
April
2 Toronto, 1 p.m.
4 Toronto, 7 p.m.
7 Houston, 7 p.m.
9 at Cleveland, 1 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro football

Here’s the full Carolina Panthers schedule for the 2022 season:

Week 1, Sept. 11, Cleveland (L 24-26)
Week 2, Sept. 18, at N.Y. Giants (L 16-19)
Week 3, Sept. 25, New Orleans (W 22-14)
Week 4, Oct. 2, Arizona (L 16-26)
Week 5, Oct. 9, San Francisco (L 15-37)
Week 6, Oct. 16, at L.A. Rams (L 10-24)
Week 7, Oct. 23, Tampa Bay (W 21-3)
Week 8, Oct. 30, at Atlanta (L 34-37, OT)
Week 9, Nov. 6, at Cincinnati (L 21-42)
Week 10, Nov. 10, Atlanta (W 25-15)
Week 11, Nov. 20, at Baltimore (L 3-13)
Week 12, Nov. 27, Denver, 1 p.m.
Week 13, Dec. 4, BYE
Week 14, Dec. 11, at Seattle, 4:25 p.m.
Week 15, Dec. 18, Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
Week 16, Dec. 24, Detroit, 1 p.m.
Week 17, Jan. 1, at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Week 18, Jan. 7 or 8, at New Orleans, TBD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

College football

(This weekend’s NCAA Division I Carolinas schedule:)
-Friday
N.C. State at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m.
-Saturday
South Carolina at Clemson, noon
Coastal Carolina at James Madison, noon
East Carolina at Temple, 1 p.m.
Wake Forest at Duke, 3:30 p.m.
Appaalchian State at Georgia Southern, 6 p.m.
-Saturday’s NCAA Division II playoffs
Wingate at Benedict

-FCS playoffs
(Nov. 25 first round games)
Elon at Furman, noon
Davidson at Richmond, 2 p.m.
Saint Francis at Delaware, 2 p.m.
Fordham at New Hampshire, 2 p.m.
North Dakota at Weber State, 4 p.m.
Gardner-Webb at Eastern Kentucky, 5 p.m.
Idaho at Southeastern Louisiana, 7 p.m.
Southeast Missouri at Montana, 10 p.m.

(Dec. 3 second round game)
Fordham/New Hampshire winner at Holy Cross, noon
Elon/Furman winner at Incarnate Word, 2 p.m.
Gardner-Webb/Eastern Kentucky winner at William & Mary, 2 p.m.
Idaho/Southeastern Louisiana winner at Samford, 3 p.m.
Sain Francis/Delaware winner at South Dakota State, 3 p.m.
North Dakota/Weber State winner at Montana State, 3 p.m.
Southeast Missouri/Montana winner at North Dakota State, 3:30 p.m.
Davidson/Richmond at Sacramento State, 5 p.m.