12-7-22 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school football and basketball, College football and basketball, Middle school soccer, volleyball and wrestling
By Richard Walker
Shelby High’s father-son Hollifield duo received top awards at Monday’s Charlotte Touchdown Club/Bronko Nagurski Awards ceremony in Charlotte.
Longtime Shelby High football assistant coach Aubrey Hollifield was presented North Carolina’s Frank Broyles Award as the top assistant coach. A 1987 Kings Mountain High graduate who played for the N.C. Shrine Bowl team in 1986 before playing collegiately at Wake Forest, Aubrey Hollifield has been an assistant high school football coach at Kings Mountain, Kannapolis Brown and Shelby. He also was Shelby High’s head boys basketball coach from 2006 to 2022 with a 333-96 overall record.
And 2018 Shelby High graduate Dax Hollifield won the award that goes to players from the nation’s service academies and senior military colleges that include Air Force, Army West Point, The Citadel, Coast Guard, Navy, Norwich, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and VMI. A 2017 N.C. Shrine Bowler and two-year team captain at Virginia Tech, Dax Hollifield had 82 tackles in 11 games this season and earned honorable mention All-ACC honors.
High school football
Here are this weekend’s N.C. High School Athletic Association state finals pairings:
-Friday
(4A)
New Bern (15-0) vs. Grimsley (15-0) at UNC, 7 p.m.
-Saturday
(2A)
East Duplin (14-1) vs. Reidsville (14-1) at UNC, 11 a.m.
(1A)
Tarboro (13-1) vs. Mount Airy (14=1) at N.C. State, 3 p.m.
(3A)
Northern Nash (15-0) vs. East Lincoln (15-0) at N.C. State, 7 p.m.
High school basketball
(Wednesday’s games)
-BOYS
East Lincoln 65, Ashbrook 35: Palmer Crichton (20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals) and Jackson Fannon 19 (19 points, 10 rebounds) led East Lincoln and Malaki Long had nine points for Ashbrook.
Burns 65, East Rutherford 62
South Point 82, Forest Hills 43: Greyson Kines (20 points, 4 steals) led South Point.
Forestview 62, Lincolnton 50: Daris Byers (21 points, 4 assists) and Nate Aguilar (13 points, 4 assists, 5 steals) led Forestview.
Shelby at Crest, ppd.
Kings Mountain 70, R-S Central 64 (Tuesday): Tucker Robinette had 16 points, Bradley Floyd 14, Kee’Donn Linney 11 and Thomas Spicer 10 for Kings Mountain.
-GIRLS
East Lincoln 67, Ashbrook 29
East Rutherford 56, Burns 11
South Point 77, Forest Hills 49
Forestview 48, Lincolnton 45: Miangel Thompson and Molly Forgan had 14 points apieca and Amani Neely 10 for Forestview and Camellia Holland had 14 points and Tanlee Eley 11 for Lincolnton.
North Lincoln 63, Bunker Hill 41
Shelby at Crest, ppd.
High school football
Lincolnton High’s David Byrd has announced his resignation as Wolves’ head coach. A 1987 Lincolnton High graduate, Byrd guided his alma mater to a 10-13 record in two years as head coach highlighted by a 6-6 record this past season that included the Wolves’ first playoff win since 2017.
Lincolnton will now seek its fifth head coach in nine years after having only three head coaches from 1959 to 2014. The Wolves have a 648-397-39 all-time record since 1921 which makes it Lincoln County’s all-time winner by a nearly 300 victories and one of the state’s all-time winningest programs.
College basketball
(Wednesday’s games)
Davidson 72, Western Carolina 64: Desmond Watson and David Skogman scored 17 points apiece for the Wildcats (7-3).
Belmont Abbey 77, St. Augustine’s 61: Wade Jackson had 18 points and Mason Taylor 15 for the Crusaders (4-5).
Middle school boys soccer
GASTON COUNTY CONFERENCE
(Playoffs)
-Monday, Dec. 5 semifinals
Cramerton def. Stanley 8-0
Holbrook def. Belmont 1-5 (5-4 penalty kicks)
-Thursday, Dec. 8 championship
Holbrook vs. Cramerton (at Cramer HS)
Middle School volleyball
GASTON COUNTY CONFERENCE
(Playoffs)
-Monday, Dec. 5 semifinals
Mount Holly def. Stanley 3-2
Belmont def. Cramerton 3-1
-Wednesday, Dec. 7 championship
Mount Holly def. Belmont 3-2: The Hawks completed a 12-0 season for the second time in the 17-year history of the sport and won their third county title. Mount Holly went 11-1 when it won its 2015 and 2017 titles. Belmont finished 9-3.
TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE
(Playoffs)
-Thursday, Dec. 8 semifinals
East Rutherford at Kings Mountain
North Lincoln at R-S Central
-Tuesday, Dec. 13 championship
Dec. 8 winners
Middle School wrestling
GASTON COUNTY CONFERENCE
Final regular season standings:
Belmont 9-1
Cramerton 9-1
Stanley 9-1
W.C. Friday 7-3
Chavis 5-5
York Chester 5-5
Grier 4-6
Holbrook 4-6
Mount Holly 2-8
Southwest 1-9
Bessemer City 0-10
(Tuesday’s matches)
Cramerton def. Chavis 94-12
W.C. Friday def. Bessemer City 96-12
Belmont def. Grier 78-18
York Chester def. Holbrook 54-51
Stanley def. Mount Holly 88-12
(Saturday’s match)
2022 Gaston County championship at Ashbrook, 9 p.m.
TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE
(Playoffs)
-Thursday, Dec. 8 semifinals at West Lincoln
Crest at West Lincoln
Burns vs. Shelby
-Thursday, Dec. 8 championship at West Lincoln
semifinal winners
-Saturday, Dec. 17 individual championships
Pro basketball
All-Stars Kyrie Irving (33 points) and Kevin Durant (29) combined for 62 points as the Brooklyn Nets held off the Charlotte Hornets 122-116 on Wednesday night.
The Hornets, who fell to 7-18 with their third straight loss, were led by Terry Rozier (29 points, 5 assists), Kelly Oubre (28 points, 8 rebounds), P.J. Washington (19 points, 7 rebounds) and Mason Plumlee (13 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists).
Here’s the 2022-23 Charlotte Hornets schedule:
(7-18 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 (W 110-108)
28 at Boston (L 105-140)
December
2 Washington (W 117-116)
3 Milwaukee (L 96-105)
5 L.A. Clippers (L 117-119)
7 at Brooklyn (L 116-122)
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 (W 23-10)
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
Here is the full 2022-23 NCAA Division I FBS schedule:
(College Football Playoff)
Championship – Jan. 9 at Inglewood, Cal., TBA
Semifinal – Dec. 31 Peach at Atlanta, Ga., 4 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 TCU
Semifinal – Dec. 31 Fiesta at Glendale, Ariz., 8 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Ohio State
(CFP Selection Committee Bowl games)
Jan. 2 – Rose at Pasadena, Cal., 5 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 8 Utah vs. No. 11 Penn State
Jan. 2 – Cotton at Arlington, Tex., 1 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 10 Southern California vs. No. 16 Tulane
Dec. 31 – Sugar at New Orleans, La., Noon (ESPN)
No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 9 Kansas State
Dec. 30 – Orange and Miami, Fla., 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 7 Clemson
(Other bowl games)
Jan. 2 – Citrus at Orlando, Fla., 1 p.m. (ABC)
No. 17 LSU vs. Purdue
Jan. 2 – ReliaQuest at Tampa, Fla., Noon (ESPN2)
No. 22 Mississippi State vs. Illinois
Dec. 31 – Music City at Nashville, Tenn., Noon (ABC)
Iowa vs. Kentucky
Dec. 30 – Arizona at Tucson, Ariz., 4:30 p.m. (Barstool)
Ohio vs. Wyoming
Dec. 30 – Gator at Jacksonville, Fla., 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 21 Notre Dame vs. No. 19 South Carolina
Dec. 30 – Sun at El Paso, Tex., 2 p.m. (CBS)
No. 18 UCLA vs. Pittsburgh
Dec. 30 – Duke’s Mayo at Charlotte, Noon (ESPN)
Maryland vs. No. 23 N.C. State
Dec. 29 – Alamo at San Antonio, Tex., 9 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 20 Texas vs. No. 12 Washington
Dec. 29 – Cheez-It at Orlando, Fla., 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Florida State
Dec. 29 – Pinstripe at Bronx, N.Y., 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Minnesota vs. Syracuse
Dec. 28 – Texas at Houston, Tex., 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Mississippi vs. Texas Tech
Dec. 28 – Holiday at San Diego, Cal., 8 p.m. (Fox)
No. 15 Oregon vs. North Carolina
Dec. 28 – Liberty at Memphis, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Arkansas vs. Kansas
Dec. 28 – Military at Annapolis, Md., 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Duke vs. Central Florida
Dec. 27 – Guaranteed Rate at Phoenix, Ariz., 10:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Wisconsin vs. Oklahoma State
Dec. 27 – Birmingham at Birmingham, Ala., 6:45 p.m. (ESPN)
Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina
Dec. 27 – First Responder at University Park, Tex., 3:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Memphis vs. Utah State
Dec. 27 – Camellia at Montgomery, Ala., Noon (ESPN)
Buffalo vs. Georgia Southern
Dec. 26 – Quick Lane at Detroit, Mich., 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Bowling Green vs. New Mexico State
Dec. 24 – Hawai’i at Honolulu, Hawai’i, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
San Diego State vs. Middle Tennessee
Dec. 23 – Gasparilla at Tampa, Fla., 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Missouri vs. Wake Forest
Dec. 23 – Independence at Shreveport, La., 3 p.m. (ESPN)
Houston vs. Louisiana
Dec. 22 – Armed Forces at Fort Worth, Tex., 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Baylor vs. Air Force
Dec. 21 – New Orleans at New Orleans, La., 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama
Dec. 20 – Boca Raton at Boca Raton, Fla., 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Toledo vs. Liberty
Dec. 20 – Famous Idaho Potato at Boise, Id., 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
San Jose State vs. Eastern Michigan
Dec. 19 – Myrtle Beach at Conway, S.C., 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Marshall vs. Connecticut
Dec. 17 – Frisco at Frisco, Tex., 9:15 p.m. (ESPN)
North Texas vs. Boise State
Dec. 17 – Las Vegas at Las Vegas, Nev., 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
Florida vs. No. 14 Oregon State
Dec. 17 – LendingTree at Mobile, Ala., 5:45 p.m. (ESPN)
Southern Miss vs. Rice
Dec. 17 – Jimmy Kimmel L.A. at Inglewood, Cal., 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
Washington State vs. Fresno State
Dec. 17 – New Mexico at Albuquerque, N.M., 2:15 p.m. (ESPN)
BYU vs. SMU
Dec. 17 – Fenway at Boston, Mass., 11 a.m. (ESPN)
Louisville vs. Cincinnati
Dec. 16 – Cure at Orlando, Fla., 3 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 24 Troy vs. No. 25 UT-San Antonio
Dec. 16 – Bahamas at Nassau, Bahamas, 11:30 a.m. (ESPN)
UAB vs. Miami, O.