2-2-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College football and basketball

By Richard Walker

Cleveland County’s winningest high school football coach is a member of the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association 2023 Hall of Fame induction class.

Jim Taylor led Shelby High to a 201-54-2 record as head coach from 1977 to 1997. During his tenure, the Golden Lions won 11 conference championships, three state titles and two state runner-up finishes.

Joining Taylor in the NCADA’s 29th Hall of Fame class are Neil Blankenship, Michael Gainey, Troy Lindsay and Jamison “Jay” Smith and the quintet will be officially inducted at a March 27 banquet in Wilmington.

Taylor was on the football and track teams at Gardner-Webb Junior College before playing football at Western Carolina.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Western Carolina under Dan Robinson and Bob Waters before becoming athletic director, head football and track coach at old Polk Central High School in 1970. After guiding the Patriots to a 28-12 record in four seasons, Taylor became an assistant coach to the legendary Gerald Allen at Shelby High from 1974 to 1976.

In addition to coaching the Golden Lions, Taylor coached in N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star game and in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.

He’s also been a former NCAA president and board member, executive director of the N.C. Football Coaches Association from 2007 to 2014, co-chair of the Cleveland County Sports Hall of Fame from 1990 to 2019 and a member of the Shrine Bowl’s outstanding player committee.

An athletic director at Shelby High for 17 years, Taylor became the first Cleveland County School System’s athletic director after the Cleveland County, Kings Mountain and Shelby school systems merged for the first time.

Taylor has already been inducted into the following athletic halls of fame – Franklin High School, Cleveland County, Western Carolina University (as a member of the 1969 WCU football team) and the N.C. High School Athletic Association.

He joins five previous NCADA inductees with ties to Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties – Gastonia’s Everette “Shu” Carlton in 1997, Shelby High graduate Don Patrick in 2000, Crest’s Ed Peeler in 2001, Gastonia’s Don Saine in 2002 and former North Gaston and Ashbrook coach Roger Dixon in 2004.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High school basketball

Three area teams were in the 8ballahoopinsider N.C. high school polls – Gaston Christian was No. 10 in the private schools poll and East Gaston (No. 6) and Shelby (No. 10) were in the Class 2A poll.

(Thursday’s game)
-BOYS
Mountain Island Charter 76, Bradford Prep 49

(Friday’s games)
Ashbrook at Cramer
Crest at North Gaston
Huss at Forestview
Kings Mountain at South Point
Bessemer City at Burns
East Gaston at Shelby
Highland Tech at Cherryville
Piedmont CC at Queen’s Grant
North Lincoln at Foard
St. Stephens at East Lincoln
Lincolnton at East Burke
West Lincoln at West Caldwell
Community School of Davidson at Lincoln Charter
Langtree Charter at Mountain Island Charter
Northside Christian at Gaston Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Middle school basketball

Gaston County Conference standings through Feb. 2:

-BOYS
Belmont 3-0
Mount Holly 3-0
Southwest 3-0
Grier 2-1
Holbrook 2-1
Stanley 2-2
York Chester 2-2
Chavis 1-3
Cramerton 1-3
W.C. Friday 0-3
Bessemer City 0-4

-GIRLS
Belmont 3-0
Holbrook 3-0
Mount Holly 3-0
Southwest 2-1
Cramerton 2-2
York Chester 2-2
Stanley 2-2
W.C. Friday 1-2
Chavis 1-3
Grier 0-3
Bessemer City 0-4

(Thursday’s games)
-BOYS
Mount Holly 70, Bessemer City 8

Holbrook 46, Chavis 17: Savion Lindsay (15 points, 5 steals), Mekhi McIntosh (10 points) and Dyson Britt (9 points) Jeric Guthrie-Barber (9 points) led Holbrook.

Grier 50, Cramerton 36: O’Brian Lockhart (10 points, 2 steals), Zyir Sowell (11 points, 1 steal) and Juan Arias (10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) led Grier.

Stanley 47, York Chester 33: Josh Norris (21 points, 9 rebounds), Blake Wilkinson (10 points) and R.J. Rowe (6 assists) led Stanley.

-GIRLS
Mount Holly 16, Bessemer City 12

Holbrook 55, Chavis 7: Jaleila Littlejohn (17 points, 8 steals), Shemiah McCoy (13 points, 6 steals), Jakyra Sadler (8 points, 5 steals, 6 assists) and Arianna McDowell (8 points, 10 rebounds) led Holbrook.

Cramerton 28, Grier 16: Ava Cabe had 11 points and Priscilla Iyevbele 6 for Cramerton.

York Chester 15, Stanley 12

(Friday’s games)
Belmont at Southwest

(Monday’s games)
W.C. Friday at Chavis, Grier at Bessemer City, Holbrook at Belmont, Mount Holly at York Chester, Southwest at Stanley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

College football

Burns’ Jakari Geter signed with Presbyterian.

Crest’s DaVonyae Pettis signed with The Citadel, Brandon McCall Webber with Gardner-Webb and Khole Crocker with North Carolina Wesleyan.

East Lincoln’s Josh Gilbert signed with Winston-Salem State.

Huss’ Justin Ross signed with Navy.

Lincolnton’s Camden Wray signed with Ferrum.

Shelby’s T.J Griffin signed with UNC Pembroke.

South Point’s Will Ross signed with Navy and Mica Stowe signed with Averett.

 

 

 

 

 

 

College swimming

South Point’s Davis Adcock signed with Gardner-Webb

 

 

 

 

 

 

College soccer

Gaston Day’s Marco Wright signed with Campbell.

 

 

 

 

 

College basketball

Gaston Day’s Callum Richard signed with East Tennessee State and Colin Fayed signed with Roanoke College.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro basketball

The Charlotte Hornets lost their second straight game on Thursday in a 114-98 defeat at the Chicago Bulls.

LaMelo Ball’s frustration boiled over late in the fourth quarter when he was whistled for two technical fouls and the first ejection of his three-year career.

Terry Rozier (17 points, 6 rebounds), Mason Plumlee (12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) and Mark Williams (11 points) led the Hornets.

Here’s the 2022-23 Charlotte Hornets schedule:

(15-38 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 (L 102-121)
11 at Philadelphia (L 113-131)
14 Detroit (L 134-141, OT)
16 Atlanta (L 106-125)
18 at Denver (L 115-119)
19 at Sacramento (W 125-119)
21 at L.A. Clippers (L 105-126)
23 at L.A. Lakers (W 134-130)
26 at Portland (L 113-124)
27 at Golden State (L 105-110)
29 Oklahoma City (W 121-113)
31 Brooklyn (L 106-123)
January
2 L.A. Lakers (L 115-121)
4 Memphis (L 107-131)
6 at Milwaukee (W 138-109)
8 at Indiana (L 111-116)
10 at Toronto (L 120-132)
12 at Toronto (L 114-124)
14 Boston (L 106-122)
16 Boston (L 118-130)
18 at Houston (W 122-117)
21 at Atlanta (W 122-118)
23 at Utah (L 102-120)
24 at Phoenix (L 97-128)
26 Chicago (W 111-96)
29 Miami (W 122-117)
31 at Milwaukee (L 115-124)
February
2 at Chicago (L 98-114)
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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

College basketball

(Thursday’s games)
Florida International 57, Charlotte 54: Brice Williams had 27 points and 6 rebounds but the 49ers (13-9, 4-7) lost for the fourth time in five games.

Lipscomb 66, Queens 60: Kenny Dye had 16 points for the Royals (15-9, 5-6 Atlantic Sun).

(Saturday’s games)
Davidson at Massachusetts
Florida Atlantic at Charlotte
Francis Marion at Belmont Abbey
Gaston College at Caldwell Tech
Presbyterian at Gardner-Webb
Queens at Austin Peay

 

 

 

 

 

Pro football

Here’s the 2022-23 NFL playoff schedule:

-Wild Card weekend
Jan. 14-16
(AFC)
No. 1 Kansas City – bye
No. 5 L.A. Chargers at Jacksonville – Jacksonville 31-30
No. 7 Miami at No. 2 Buffalo – Buffalo 34-31
No. 6 Baltimore at No. 3 Cincinnati – Cincinnati 24-17

(NFC)
No. 1 Philadelphia – bye
No. 7 Seattle at No. 2 San Francisco – San Francisco 41-23
No. 6 N.Y. Giants at No. 3 Minnesota – N.Y. Giants 31-24
No. 5 Dallas at No. 4 Tampa Bay – Dallas 31-14

-Confererence semifinals
Jan. 21-22
(AFC)
No. 4 Jacksonville at No. 1 Kansas City – Kansas City 27-20
No. 3 Cincinnati at No. 2 Buffalo – Cincinnati 27-10

(NFC)
No. 6 N.Y. Giants at No. 1 Philadelphia – Philadelphia 38-7
No. 5 Dallas at No. 2 San Francisco – San Francisco 19-12

-Conference championship games
Jan. 29
NFC – No. 2 San Francisco at No. 1 Philadelphia – Philadelphia 31-7
AFC – No. 3 Cincinnati at No. 1 Kansas City – Kansas City 23-20

-Super Bowl
Feb. 12
At Glendale, Ariz. – Philadelphia vs. Kansas City, 6:30 p.m. (FOX)