2-24-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball
By Richard Walker
Eight area high school basketball teams enter Saturday’s third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association still in pursuit of state titles.
Boys teams from East Gaston and South Point are in the midst of historic seasons while Crest and Lincoln Charter and in somewhat familiar situations.
The girls team from Bessemer City is making its first-ever third round appearance girls teams from East Lincoln and Shelby are fulfuilling season-long goals with their appearances.
Here’s a game-by-game look at each of the local teams and their respective matchups:
-BOYS
Bessemer City (19-8) at South Stokes (24-4): Bessemer City is making its 10th third round state playoff appearance in school history. The Yellow Jackets are 6-3 in the previous nine with advances to two 2A state title games. Bessemer City won in the third round last year before losing in the Western N.C. 2A semifinals.
Crest (20-7) at South Point (25-4): The rivals have met since South Point opened in the 1970-71 season with Crest generally getting the better of the rivalry. Crest is making its 14th third round playoff appearance – and third in a row. But the Chargers lost their last meeting with South Point when the Red Raiders won 79-64 at Crest on Jan. 31. Crest had won 79-68 in overtime at South Point on Jan. 4. South Point has already set a school record for single-season wins and won its first regular season title in school history. The Red Raiders are making their fourth third-round appearance in school history; They lost each previous third-round playoff game (in 1990, 2000 and 2017).
Hendersonville (25-3) at East Gaston (24-2): East Gaston is making its second third round playoff appearance in school history. The first appearance came in 2004 when the Warriors were a 4A school and lost 60-49 in overtime to Kell. The Warriors have set a school record for single-season victories this season and won their first conference regular season and tournament titles since 2005.
Lincoln Charter (23-1) at North Surry (27-1): The Eagles are making their ninth straight appearance in the third round and have won six of the the previous eight games in that circumstance. Lincoln Charter, which won the 2017 1A state title and finished as 2021 runner-up, The Eagles are on a 14-game winning streak.
-GIRLS
Bessemer City (21-6) at Bishop McGuinness (24-4): Bessemer City is making its first third round state playoff appearance in its 20th all-time postseason berth. The Yellow Jackets enters with an unbeaten record against 1A competition as their losses have come against 2A Shelby (3), 3A Huss (1), 3A South Point (1) and S.C. 5A Rock Hill (1).
Monroe (19-7) at Shelby (25-1): Shelby is making its seventh third round state playoff appearance and fourth in a row. The Golden Lions have 18 straight games since losing 54-35 to Northwestern 3A/4A Conference champion Hibriten in the championship game of the Freedom Christmas Classic.
St. Stephens (21-8) at East Lincoln (29-0): East Lincoln tied its school record for single-season victories in a year in which the school earlier celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Mustangs’ record-setting 29-0 state championship season of 1973. East Lincoln is making its ninth third round state playoff appearance and hasn’t won in the third round since 1979. The Mustangs have already beaten St. Stephens three times this season, twice in the regular and once more by a 62-53 score in last Friday’s Western Foothills Conference tournament title game.
Here are the area’s state playoff results and upcoming pairings:
(Feb. 21 first round)
-BOYS
(Class 3A)
No. 5 South Point 73, No. 28 Thomasville Ledford 56
No. 13 Crest 75, No. 20 West Rowan 69
No. 19 Northwest Cabarrus 68, No. 14 Huss 58
No. 16 North Henderson 75, No. 17 North Lincoln 73
No. 15 Greensboro Dudley 56, No. 18 East Lincoln 49
No. 24 Kings Mountain 67, No. 9 West Henderson 60
(Class 2A)
No. 4 East Gaston 85, No. 29 West Wilkes 61
No. 8 Lincoln Charter 88, No. 25 Brevard 58
No. 12 Shelby 73, No. 21 Eden Morehead 47
No. 24 Burns 56, No. 9 Southwestern Randolph 50
No. 2 Reidsville 80, No. 31 Lincolnton 59
(Class 1A)
No. 7 Bessemer City 76, No. 26 Cherokee 60
No. 6 Robbinsville 46, No. 27 Mountain Island Charter 45
No. 3 Eastern Randolph 95, No. 30 Cherryville 60
-GIRLS
(Class 3A)
No. 2 East Lincoln 66, No. 31 North Buncombe 39
No. 7 Huss 54, No. 26 W-S Atkins 44
No. 23 St. Stephens 36, No. 10 Cramer 33
No. 15 Ashbrook 53, No. 18 Lake Norman Charter 45
No. 9 Ashe County 54, No. 24 Crest 41
No. 6 Oak Grove 67, No. 27 South Point 57
(Class 2A)
No. 2 Shelby 69, NO. 31 Robinson 33
No. 4 Lincoln Charter 60, No. 29 Brevard 43
No. 15 Southwestern Randolph 60, No. 18 West Lincoln 40
(Class 1A)
No. 7 Bessemer City 59, No. 26 Swain County 34
No. 22 Piedmont Community Charter 50, No. 11 Corvian Community 49
No. 3 Cherokee 78, No. 30 Highland Tech 25
(Feb. 23 second round)
-BOYS
(Class 3A)
No. 5 South Point 67, No. 12 Concord 58
No. 13 Crest 64, No. 4 Enka 63
No. 8 Southern Guilford 65, No. 24 Kings Mountain 33
(Class 2A)
No. 4 East Gaston 71, No. 12 High Point Andrews 54
No. 8 Lincoln Charter 99, No. 24 Burns 64
No. 5 Hendersonville 74, No. 12 Shelby 64
(Class 1A)
No. 7 Bessemer City 56, No. 23 Starmount 52
-GIRLS
(Class 3A)
No. 2 East Lincoln 55, No. 15 Ashbrook 35
No. 23 St. Stephens 64, No. 7 Huss 50
(Class 2A)
No. 2 Shelby 61, No. 15 Southwestern Randolph 27
No. 13 Newton-Conover 53, No. 4 Lincoln Charter 35
(Class 1A)
No. 7 Bessemer City 46, No. 23 Uwharrie Charter 39
No. 6 East Wilkes 63, No. 22 Piedmont Community Charter 28
(Feb. 25 third round)
-BOYS
(Class 3A)
No. 5 South Point hosts No. 13 Crest
(Class 2A)
No. 4 East Gaston hosts No. 5 Hendersonville
No. 8 Lincoln Charter at No. 1 North Surry
(Class 1A)
No. 7 Bessemer City at No. 2 South Stokes
-GIRLS
(Class 3A)
No. 2 East Lincoln hosts No. 23 St. Stephens
(Class 2A)
No. 2 Shelby hosts No. 10 Monroe
(Class 1A)
No. 7 Bessemer City at No. 2 Bishop McGuinness
-NCISAA state playoffs
(3A boys)
Feb. 18 – Gaston Christian 54, Cape Fear Academy 49
Feb. 21 – Greensboro Day 30, Gaston Christian 27
(2A boys)
Feb. 18 – Gaston Day 77, Sanford Grace Christian 56
Feb. 21 – Gaston Day 72, Raleigh Trinity Academy 55
Feb. 23 – Burlington School 53, Gaston Day 49
(3A girls)
Feb. 14 – Hickory Grove Christian 45, Gaston Christian 33
Pro basketball
Nine days off didn’t cool the Charlotte Hornets as they won their third straight game at Minnesota 121-113 in the team’s first game since Feb. 15.
LaMelo Ball (32 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists), Gordon Hayward (27 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists) and P.J. Washington (20 points, 8 rebounds) led Charlotte.
Here’s the 2022-23 Charlotte Hornets schedule:
(18-43 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 (L 112-118)
5 Orlando (L 113-119)
8 at Washington (L 104-118)
10 at Boston (L 116-127)
11 Denver (L 105-119)
13 Atlanta (W 144-138)
15 San Antonio (W 120-110)
24 at Minnesota (W 121-113)
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
(Friday’s game)
Liberty 73, Queens 53: The Royals ended their regular season at 17-14 overall and 7-11 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Queens opens it inaugural Atlantic Sun Conference tournament against Florida Gulf Coast on Monday at 7 p.m.
(Saturday’s games)
Gardner-Webb at USC Upstate
Rice at Charlotte
Richard Bland at Gaston College
(Sunday’s game)
Davidson at Duquesne
(Conference tournaments)
-2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Men
First Round – Sunday, February 26
No. 10 King vs. No. 7 Francis Marion at Converse, 5 p.m.
No. 8 Mount Olive vs. No. 9 Lees-McRae at Chowan, 7 p.m.
Second Round – Monday, February 27
Winner of 7/10 at #6 Converse, 7 p.m.
Winner of 8/9 at #5 Chowan, 7 p.m.
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 3 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of 5/8/9 vs. No. 4 Belmont Abbey, 6 p.m.
Winner of 6/7/10 vs. No. 3 Barton, 8:30 p.m.
Semifinals – Saturday, March 4 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of 4/5/8/9 vs. No. 1 UNC Pembroke, 5:15 p.m.
Winner of 3/6/7/10 vs. No. 2 Emmanuel, 7:30 p.m.
Final – Sunday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.)
Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.
-2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Women
First Round – Sunday, February 26
No. 10 North Greenville vs. No. 7 Southern Wesleyan at Mount Olive, 7 p.m.
No. 8 Barton vs. No. 9 King at Chowan, 5 p.m.
Second Round – Monday, February 27
Winner of 7/10 at No. 6 Mount Olive, 5 p.m.
Winner of 8/9 at No. 5 Chowan, 5 p.m.
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 3 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of 5/8/9 vs. No. 4 Emmanuel, 11 a.m.
Winner of 6/7/10 vs. No. 3 UNC Pembroke, 1:30 p.m.
Semifinals – Saturday, March 4 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of 4/5/8/9 vs. No. 1 Belmont Abbey, 12:30 p.m.
Winner of 3/6/7/10 vs. No. 2 Francis Marion, 2:45 p.m.
Final – Sunday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.)
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.
College baseball
(Friday’s games)
Army 7, Charlotte 6: Despite setting the program record for strikeouts (20) in a single game, the 49ers lost in 13 innings to even their record at 3-3.
Erskine 7, Belmont Abbey 6: The Crusaders fell to 10-4 overall and 0-4 in Conference Carolinas with the road loss.
Gaston College 10-3, Lenoir Community College 5-7: Gaston College extended its winning streak to 11 games before losing the nightcap of a doubleheader at Lenoir Community College on Friday afternoon. The Rhinos (15-2) play the finale of the three-game series against the host Lancers
Gardner-Webb 6, Northwestern 2: The Bulldogs improved to 2-4 with the home victory.
Middle school basketball
Gaston County Conference standings through Feb. 23:
-BOYS
Southwest 10-0
Belmont 8-1
Holbrook 7-2
Grier 6-3
Mount Holly 6-3
Cramerton 4-5
Stanley 4-5
York Chester 3-6
Chavis 2-7
Bessemer City 0-9
W.C. Friday 0-9
-GIRLS
Holbrook 9-0
Southwest 8-2
Belmont 7-2
W.C. Friday 6-3
Mount Holly 6-3
Cramerton 4-5
Stanley 3-6
York Chester 3-6
Grier 2-7
Bessemer City 1-8
Chavis 1-8
(Monday’s games)
Cramerton at Chavis, W.C. Friday at Bessemer City, Grier at Belmont, Holbrook at York Chester, Mount Holly at Stanley
END REGULAR SEASON
Pro soccer
Charlotte FC hosts the New England Revolution in its season opener at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, February 25, at 7:30 p.m.
The match kicks off the second Major League Soccer season for CLTFC and an open upper deck at Bank of America Stadium. Tickets are available starting at $15.
In last season’s inaugural season, CLTFC came up just short of a playoff spot.
CLTFC beat New England on March 19 last season for the franchise’s first-ever win. Karol Swiderski opened the 3-1 win with two goals before Ben Bender added his first professional goal.
Here is Charlotte FC’s full 2023 schedule:
Feb. 25 New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.
March 4 at St. Louis City SC, 8:30 p.m.
March 11 Atlanta United FC, noon
March 18 at Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m.
March 25 New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
April 1 at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.
April 8 at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m.
April 15 Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m.
April 22 Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.
April 29 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
May 6 New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.
May 13 at Atlanta United FC, 7:30 p.m.
May 17 Chicago Fire FC, 7:30 p.m.
May 20 Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m.
May 27 at L.A. Galaxy, 10:30 p.m.
May 31 at Philadelphia Union, 7:30 0.m.
June 3 at Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.
June 10 Seattle Sounders FC, 7:30 p.m.
June 21 at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
June 24 CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
July 5 at New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.
July 8 FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
July 15 at CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 20 at Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 26 L.A. FC, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 30 Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 2 at Nashville SC, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 23 at FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 30 at New England Revoultion, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 4 Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 at Chicago Fire FC, 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 21 Inter Miami CF, TBD
Auto racing
The 2023 NASCAR schedule (with winners in parentheses):
Feb 5 Clash at The Coliseum, Los Angeles CA (Martin Truex, Jr.)
Feb 16 Duel No. 1, Daytona Beach FL (Joey Logano)
Feb 16 Duel No. 2, Daytona Beach FL (Aric Almirola)
Feb 19 Daytona 500, Daytona Beach FL (Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.)
Feb 26 NASCAR Cup Series at California, Fontana CA 3:30 p.m. on FOX
Mar 5 NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV, 3:30 p.m. on FOX
Mar 12 NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix, Avondale AZ, 3:30 p.m. on FOX
Mar 19 NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta, Hampton GA, 3:30 p.m. on FOX
Mar 26 NASCAR Cup Series at Circuit of the Americas, Austin TX, 3:30 p.m. on FOX
Apr 2 NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond, Richmond VA, 3:30 p.m. on FS1
Apr 9 NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol, Bristol TN, 7 p.m. on FOX
Apr 16 NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville, Martinsville VA, 3 p.m. on FS1
Apr 23 NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega, Lincoln AL, 3 p.m. on FOX
Apr 30 NASCAR Cup Series at Dover, Dover DE, 2 p.m. on FS1
May 7 NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas, Kansas City KS, 3 p.m. on FS1
May 14 NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington, Darlington SC, 3 p.m. on FS1
May 21 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open Race, North Wilkesboro NC, 6 p.m. on FS1
May 21 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race, North Wilkesboro NC, 8 p.m. on FS1
May 28 NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte, Concord NC, 6 p.m. at FOX
Jun 4 NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison IL, 3:30 p.m. on FS1
Jun 11 NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma, Sonoma CA, 3:30 p.m. on FOX
Jun 25 NASCAR Cup Series at Nashville, Lebanon TN, 7 p.m. on NBC
Jul 2 NASCAR Cup Series at Chicago, Chicago IL, 5:30 p.m. on NBC
Jul 9 NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta, Hampton GA, 7 p.m. on USA
Jul 16 NASCAR Cup Series at New Hampshire, Loudon NH, 2:30 p.m. on USA
Jul 23 NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono, Long Pond PA, 2:30 p.m. on USA
Jul 30 NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond, Richmond VA, 3 p.m. on USA
Aug 6 NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan, Brooklyn MI, 2:30 p.m. on USA
Aug 13 NASCAR Cup Series at Indianapolis Road Course, Speedway IN, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
Aug 20 NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen, Watkins Glen NY, 3 p.m. on USA
Aug 26 NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona, Daytona Beach FL, 7 p.m. on NBC
(Cup Playoffs)
Sep 3 NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington, Darlington SC, 6 p.m. on USA
Sep 10 NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas, Kansas City KS, 3 p.m. on USA
Sep 16 NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol, Bristol TN, 7:30 p.m. on USA
Sep 24 NASCAR Cup Series at Texas, Fort Worth TX, 3:30 p.m. on USA
Oct 1 NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega, Lincoln AL, 2 p.m. on NBC
Oct 8 NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte, Concord NC, 2 p.m. on NBC
Oct 15 NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
Oct 22 NASCAR Cup Series at Miami, Homestead FL, 2:30 p.m. on NBC
Oct 29 NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville, Martinsville, 2 p.m. on NBC
Nov 5 NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix, Avondale AZ, 3 p.m. on NBC