12-10-21 roundup: Pro basketball and football, Middle school volleyball, High school football and basketball, College football

By Richard Walker

Despite being without seven players, the Charlotte Hornets edged the Sacramento Kings in a 124-123 shootout victory on Friday night at the Spectrum Center.

The Hornets were without starting guards LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, starting center Mason Plumlee and reserves Jalen McDaniels and Ish Smith due to health and safety protocols and P.J. Washington and Nick Richards due to a non-COVID-19-related illness.

Rookie James Bouknight (24 points, 6 rebounds) came off the bench to lead the Hornets, who improved to 15-13 in front of 16,335 fans in their last game before a six-game road trip that starts on Monday at Dallas.

Other standouts for the Hornets were Miles Bridges (23 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists), Kelly Oubre Jr. (22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists), Cody Martin (19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) and Gordon Hayward (19 points, 7 assists).

The loss ruined Shelby native Alvin Gentry’s lone trip to Charlotte this season; A 1973 Shelby High graduate, Gentry is interim Kings’ head coach.

Here is the Charlotte Hornets’ full regular season schedule (with results):

OCTOBER
Wed. 20 INDIANA (W 123-122)
Fri. 22 at Cleveland (W 123-112)
Sun. 24 at Brooklyn (W 111-95)
Mon. 25 BOSTON (L 129-140, OT)
Wed. 27 at Orlando (W 120-111)
Fri. 29 at Miami (L 99-114)
Sun. 31 PORTLAND (W 125-113)
NOVEMBER
Mon. 1 CLEVELAND (L 110-113)
Wed. 3 at Golden State (L 92-114)
Fri. 5 at Sacramento (L 110-140)
Sun. 7 at LA Clippers (L 106-120)
Mon. 8 at L.A. Lakers (L 123-126, OT)
Wed. 10 at Memphis (W 118-108)
Fri. 12 NEW YORK (W 104-96)
Sun. 14 GOLDEN STATE (W 106-102)
Wed. 17 WASHINGTON (W 97-87)
Fri. 19 INDIANA (W 121-118)
Sat. 20 at Atlanta (L 105-115)
Mon. 22 at Washington (W 109-103)
Wed. 24 at Orlando (W 108-99)
Fri. 26 MINNESOTA (W 133-115)
Sat. 27 at Houston (L 143-146, OT)
Mon. 29 at Chicago (L 119-133)
DECEMBER
Wed. 1 at Milwaukee (L 125-127)
Sun. 5 at Atlanta (W 130-127)
Mon. 6 PHILADELPHIA (L 124-127, OT)
Wed. 8 PHILADELPHIA (L 106-110)
Fri. 10 SACRAMENTO (W 124-123)
Mon. 13 at Dallas 8:30
Wed. 15 at San Antonio 8:30
Fri. 17 at Portland 10:00
Sun. 19 at Phoenix 8:00
Mon. 20 at Utah 9:00
Thu. 23 at Denver 9:00
Mon. 27 HOUSTON 7:00
Wed. 29 at Indiana 7:00
JANUARY
Sun. 2 PHOENIX 7:00
Mon. 3 at Washington 7:00
Wed. 5 DETROIT 7:00
Sat. 8 MILWAUKEE 7:00
Mon. 10 MILWAUKEE 7:00
Wed. 12 at Philadelphia 7:00
Fri. 14 ORLANDO 7:00
Mon. 17 at New York 1:00
Wed. 19 at Boston 7:30
Fri. 21 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00
Sun. 23 ATLANTA 7:00
Tue. 25 at Toronto 7:00
Wed. 26 at Indiana 7:00
Fri. 28 L.A. LAKERS 7:00
Sun. 30 LA CLIPPERS 1:00
FEBRUARY
Wed. 2 at Boston 7:30
Fri. 4 CLEVELAND 7:00
Sat. 5 MIAMI 7:00
Mon. 7 TORONTO 7:00
Wed. 9 CHICAGO 7:30
Fri. 11 at Detroit 7:00
Sat. 12 MEMPHIS 7:00
Tue. 15 at Minnesota 8:00
Thu. 17 MIAMI 7:00
Fri. 25 TORONTO 7:00
Sun. 27 DETROIT 7:00
Mon. 28 at Milwaukee 8:00
MARCH
Wed. 2 at Cleveland 7:00
Sat. 5 SAN ANTONIO 7:00
Tue. 8 BROOKLYN 7:00
Wed. 9 BOSTON 7:00
Fri. 11 at New Orleans 8:00
Mon. 14 at Oklahoma City 8:00
Wed. 16 ATLANTA 7:00
Sat. 19 DALLAS 7:00
Mon. 21 NEW ORLEANS 7:00
Wed. 23 NEW YORK 7:00
Fri. 25 UTAH 7:00
Sun. 27 at Brooklyn 7:30
Mon. 28 DENVER 7:00
Wed. 30 at New York 7:30
APRIL
Sat. 2 at Philadelphia 12:30
Tue. 5 at Miami 7:30
Thu. 7 ORLANDO 7:00
Fri. 8 at Chicago 8:00
Sun. 10 WASHINGTON TBD

 

 

 

 

 

High school football

One day after it was revealed Wallace-Rose Hill’s football team had multiple members test positive for COVID-19, 60 players and staff were given rapid tests with one testing positive and given a go-ahead to travel to Raleigh and meet Shelby for the N.C. 2A state championship on Saturday at 3 p.m.

This weekend’s state finals pairings, dates, times and sites:

Class 1A: Tarboro (13-1) vs. Mitchell (13-2), Saturday at noon (Kenan Stadium, North Carolina)
Class 2A: Shelby (14-1) vs. Wallace-Rose Hill (13-2), Saturday at 3 p.m. (Carter-Finley Stadium, N.C. State)
Class 3A: Greensboro Dudley (15-1) 69, Greenville Rose (11-5) 40 on Friday (Kenan Stadium, North Carolina)
Class 4A: Charlotte Chambers (13-2) vs. Cardinal Gibbons (14-1), Saturday at 7 p.m. (Carter-Finley Stadium, N.C. State)

 

 

 

 

Middle school volleyball

Cramerton 3, Stanley 1 (Thursday): The Eagles capped a 12-0 season with a second straight Gaston County Conference championship. Stanley finishes 9-3. Arydn Thornburg, Cailey Evans, Jordan Gates, Lilly Coletta, Addison Townsend, Julianna Mott, Ava Cabe and Finley Watson were the leaders for Cramerton, which won 33 sets and lost only three this season. The Eagles have won 24 straight volleyball matches and two straight county titles.

Kings Mountain 3, East Rutherford 0 (25-10, 25-6, 25-7 on Thursday): The Patriots advanced to the Tri-County Conference championship with a semifinal victory led by Camden Pasour (11 service points, 6 aces, 14 digs, 11 assists, 15 kills), Abigail Hedgepath (22 service points, 15 aces, 16 digs, 17 assists, 7 kills), Megan Harrison (12 service points, 5 aces, 5 kills), Sarah Bouchard and Ava Tipton (combined 23 service points, 7 aces). Kings Mountain will host East Lincoln on Tuesday for the a third straight league championship.

 

 

 

 

High school basketball

(Friday’s games)

Boys results:

Cramer 58, South Point 56: Will Kelly (20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals), Justin Rocquemore (16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, game-winning 3-pointer with 5 seconds left) and Owen Sloan (7 points, 3 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 assists) led Cramer. South Point won the JV game 62-51 and Quinton Rybczyk (21 points) led Cramer.

Crest at Ashbrook (ppd. to Monday)

Forestview at North Gaston (ppd., no date)

Kings Mountain 85, Huss 28

East Lincoln 50, Hickory 47

Cherryville 60, West Lincoln 50: Landon Hahn (21 points, 4 steals), Jack Mulvey (19 points, 7 rebounds) and Chance Hunt (7 points, 6 assists) led Cherryville.

Lincoln Charter 75, Lincolnton 53: J.J. Moore’s 24 points, Xavier Crawford’s 16 and Marcus Farley’s 12 led Lincoln Charter.

Gaston Day 94, Westminster Catawba 62: Callum Richard had 27 points, Chris Britt 21 and Chase Owens 15 for Gaston Day.

Girls results:

South Point 66, Cramer 33: Amya Graham had 14 points and Toney Milton 14 for South Point and Hadley Womack (15 points) and Dasia Harris (9 points, 3 assists) led Cramer.

Crest at Ashbrook (ppd. to Monday)

Forestview at North Gaston (ppd., no date)

Kings Mountain 55, Huss 49: Saniya Wilson (32 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 charges taken, 3 steals), Khalia King (11 points) and Austyn Dixon (6 points 12 rebounds) led Kings Mountain and Savanni Harris had 15 points and Anyssiah Love 12 for Huss. Kings Mountain won the JV game 18-11 as Mia Bridges scored six points and Jailen Moore 5.

East Lincoln 43, Hickory 40

..North Lincoln at Statesville

Huss 57, Bessemer City 43

West Lincoln 59, Cherryville 24: Chloe Norman and Farrah Richardson had 16 points apiece and Rae Lee Watson 11 for West Lincoln.

Lincoln Charter 64, Lincolnton 33: Maddie Lusk had 21 points, Lauren Horton 13 and Kallie Lusk 11 for Lincoln Charter.

Gaston Day d. Westminster Catawba

Piedmont Community Charter 61, Thomas Jefferson 36 (Thursday): Grace East scored 29 points to lead Piedmont Community Charter.

(Saturday’s games)
Asheville at Huss

 

 

 

College football

Here’s the full college bowl schedule:

Friday, Dec. 17
Bahamas Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo, noon
Cure Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 18
Boca Raton Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Western Kentucky, 11 a.m.
Celebration Bowl: Jackson State vs. South Carolina State, noon
New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. UTEP, 2:15 p.m.
Independence Bowl: No. 13 BYU vs. UAB, 3:30 p.m.
LendingTree Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty, 5:45 p.m.
LA Bowl: Oregon State vs. Utah State, 7:30 p.m.
New Orleans Bowl: No. 23 Louisiana vs. Marshall, 9:15 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 20
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Tulsa vs. Old Dominion, 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 21
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Kent State vs. Wyoming, 3:30 p.m.
Frisco Bowl: No. 24 San Diego State vs. UTSA, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 22
Armed Forces Bowl: Missouri vs. Army, 8 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 23
Frisco Football Classic: Miami, O. vs. North Texas, 3:30 p.m.
Gasparilla Bowl: Florida vs. Central Florida, 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 24
Hawai’i Bowl: Memphis vs. Hawaii, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 25
Camellia Bowl: Ball State vs. Georgia State, 2:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 27
Quick Lane Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Nevada, 11 a.m.
Military Bowl: East Carolina vs. Boston College, 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 28
Birmingham Bowl: No. 20 Houston vs. Auburn, noon
First Responder Bowl: Air Force vs. Louisville, 3:15 p.m.
Liberty Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Mississippi State, 6:45 p.m.
Holiday Bowl: No. 18 N.C. State vs. UCLA, 8 p.m.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Minnesota vs. West Virginia, 10:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 29
Fenway Bowl: Virginia vs. SMU, 11 a.m.
Pinstripe Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Maryland, 2:15 p.m.
Cheez-It Bowl: No. 19 Clemson vs. Iowa State, 5:45 p.m.
Alamo Bowl: No. 14 Oregon vs. No. 16 Oklahoma, 9:15 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 30
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: North Carolina vs. South Carolina, 11:30 a.m.
Music City Bowl: Tennessee vs. Purdue, 3 p.m.
Peach Bowl: No. 10 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Las Vegas Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Arizona State, 10:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 31
Gator Bowl: No. 17 Wake Forest vs. No. 25 Texas A&M, 11 a.m.
Sun Bowl: Washington State vs. Miami, Fla., noon
Arizona Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Boise State, 2 p.m.

(College Football Playoff semifinals)
Cotton Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m.
Orange Bowl: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Georgia, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 1
Outback Bowl: No. 21 Arkansas vs. Penn State, noon
Citrus Bowl: No. 15 Iowa vs. No. 22 Kentucky, 1 p.m.
Fiesta Bowl: No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State, 1 p.m.
Rose Bowl: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Utah, 5 p.m.
Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 8 Mississippi, 8:45 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 4
Texas Bowl: Kansas State vs. LSU, 9 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 10
(College Football Playoff championship game)
At Indianapolis: Cotton/Orange bowl winners, 8 p.m.

 

 

 

 

Pro football

Here is the Carolina Panthers’ 2021 schedule (with results):

Sept. 12 New York Jets (W 19-14)
Sept. 19 New Orleans (W 26-7)
Sept. 23 at Houston (W 24-9)
Oct. 3 at Dallas (L 28-36)
Oct. 10 Philadelphia (L 18-21)
Oct. 17 Minnesota (L 28-34, OT)
Oct. 24 at New York Giants (L 3-25)
Oct. 31 at Atlanta (W 19-13)
Nov. 7 New England (L 6-24)
Nov. 14 at Arizona (W 34-10)
Nov. 21 Washington (L 21-27)
Nov. 28 at Miami (L 10-33)
Dec. 5 BYE WEEK
Dec. 12 Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Dec. 19 at Buffalo, 1 p.m.
Dec. 26 Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Jan. 2 at New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Jan. 9 at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m

 

 

 

 

Middle school wrestling

Final regular season standings:

W.C. Friday 10-0
Belmont 9-1
Cramerton 8-2
Holbrook 7-3
York Chester 6-4
Stanley 5-5
Chavis 4-6
Mount Holly 3-7
Grier 2-8
Southwest 1-9
Bessemer City 0-10

(Championship)
Sat. Dec. 11 at South Point HS