2-4-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball and wrestling, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball
By Richard Walker
Gaston County’s all-time winningest basketball coach announced on Friday that he would be retiring from coaching at the end of this season.
Cherryville High School coach Scott Harrill announced during the Ironmen’s 63-48 win over Highland Tech during “Senior Night” in their final game of the 2022-23 season at Nixon Gym.
Harrill, who became Gaston County’s all-time winner last season, enters next week’s regular season finale at Thomas Jefferson Classical with a 411-192 head coaching record. During his tenure, Cherryville has made 20 playoff appearances in 22 years, won seven conference regular season titles, five conference tournament titles, advanced to four Western regionals and finished as Western N.C. runner-up twice.
Harrill became Cherryville head coach in December 2000 when he replaced the late David Watkins; Watkins, who died of bone cancer on Dec. 17, 2000, guided the school to a 260-156 record – and the school’s lone state championship in 1985 – in his 16 years as head coach.
Harrill, a 1989 Cherryville High graduate, was the leading scorer for Watkins’ team in his senior year.
College basketball
(Saturday’s games)
Davidson 93, Massachusetts 78: Connor Kochera scored a season-high 29 points and Davidson (11-12, 4-7) drilled 14 3-pointers in an Atlantic 10 victory.
Florida Atlantic 67, Charlotte 52: Brice Williams had 14 points and 8 rebounds in the 49ers’ (13-10, 4-8) loss to the No. 19 Owls.
Belmont Abbey 107, Francis Marion 68: Belmont Abbey tallied its season high in points behind Blake Hadley’s career-high 26 points.
Caldwell Tech 93, Gaston College 87: Caldwell Tech rallied in the second half to drop the Rhinos to 12-6 overall and 2-3 in Region 10.
Gardner-Webb 56, Presbyterian 48: Anthony Selden had 15 points, including a pair of emphatic dunks, as Gardner-Webb (13-11, 8-4) won its fifth straight game.
Queens 70, Austin Peay 69: A.J. McKee scored 23 points as the Royals (16-9, 6-6) took the Atlantic Sun road victory.
(Tuesday’s games)
King at Belmont Abbey
(Wednesday’s games)
Gaston College at Cape Fear Community College
(Thursday’s games)
Charlotte at UTEP
Eastern Kentucky at Queens
Gardner-Webb at Radford
Fordham at Davidson
(Saturday, Feb. 11)
Bellarmine at Queens
Belmont Abbey at Chowan
Charlotte at North Texas
(Sunday, Feb. 12)
Denmark Tech at Gaston College
College baseball
Gaston College 5-6, Southeastern Community College 0-1: Gaston College opened its four-game weekend at Sims Legion Park on Saturday with another pair of pitching gems in a doubleheader sweep of Southeastern Community College. Gaston College, which recorded two shutouts last weekend, extended their scoreless innings streak to 21 1-3 innings on Saturday before yielding a run to Southeastern Community College in the top of the fourth inning.
The Rhinos (4-0) host Walters State, Tennessee, in Sunday’s 1 p.m. doubleheader. The visiting Senators are a perennial National Junior College Athletic Association with one NJCAA World Series title and 11 World Series appearances that include a third-place finish in last year’s event.
High school basketball
-GIRLS
Piedmont CC 69, Queen’s Grant 42 (Friday): Grace East has 26 points, Lync Brown 15, Kennedy Williams 10 and Hailey Moore 10 for Piedmont Community Charter. East’s point total also made her the Patriots’ all-time girls basketball career scorer.
(Monday’s games)
Chase at Forestview
(Tuesday’s games)
Ashbrook at South Point
Cramer at Kings Mountain
Forestview at Crest
Huss at North Gaston
East Gaston at Burns
Highland Tech at Bessemer City
Shelby at Thomas Jefferson
Piedmont CC at Corvian Community
East Lincoln at North Iredell
West Iredell at North Lincoln
East Burke at West Lincoln
Maiden at Lincolnton
Christ the King at Mountain Island Charter
Lincoln Charter at Pine Lake Prep
Middle school basketball
Gaston County Conference standings through Feb. 3:
-BOYS
Southwest 4-0
Mount Holly 3-0
Belmont 3-1
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 4-0
Holbrook 3-0
Mount Holly 3-0
Cramerton 2-2
Southwest 2-2
Stanley 2-2
York Chester 2-2
W.C. Friday 1-2
Chavis 1-3
Grier 0-3
Bessemer City 0-4
(Monday’s games)
W.C. Friday at Chavis, Grier at Bessemer City, Holbrook at Belmont, Mount Holly at York Chester, Southwest at Stanley
Pro basketball
Here’s the 2022-23 Charlotte Hornets schedule:
(15-39 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, 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 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)
High school wrestling
The 2023 dual team wrestling state championships wrapped up with familiar finals as seven of the eight teams competing in this year’s state finals were returning regional champions.
Only Newton-Conover, the 2A Western Champions, did not appear in the 2022 edition of the event.
Uwharrie Charter reached the finals for the fourth straight year, but won its first state titles in a 39-36 victory over Avery County.
Newton-Conover claimed the 2A title with a 51-18 victory over Bunn.
Foard rolled past Union Pines for the second consecutive year with a 54-24 victory.
And in 4A, Northwest Guilford avenged a 2022 tough loss to Wilmington Laney with a 52-24 win.