3-1-22 roundup: High school basketball, Middle school basketball, Pro basketball and soccer, College basketball and baseball
By Richard Walker
Tickets are available for the 2022 Gaston County Sports Hall of Fame.
This year’s event will be held May 2 that starts with a 5 p.m. social and 6:30 p.m. dinner at the Gastonia Conference Center. The induction class is comprised of Cherryville’s Stan Crisson, Cramerton’s Joe Eller and Gastonia’s Bob Frye, Claude “Doc” Saunders and Nicole Woods and former ACC commissioner and University of North Carolina athletic director John Swofford is the keynote speaker.
Tickets for the coat and tie event are $40 each and will be available on March 1 at the following locations:
Medical Center Pharmacy – Gastonia
Essic Sport Shop – Gastonia
Cramerton Drug – Cramerton
Medical Center Pharmacy – Cherryville
High school basketball
(Tuesday’s results)
BOYS
Winston-Salem Prep 58, Bessemer City 54: Bessemer City’s deepest playoff run since 1995 came to an end in the Western N.C. 1A semifinals.
GIRLS
Shelby 51, Randleman 41: The Golden Lions advanced to the Western N.C. 2A finals and will play Salisbury at a site to be determined by the N.C. High School Athletic Association.
High school baseball
(Tuesday’s results)
Cherryville 9, North Gaston 5: Will Heavner reached base four times and Cameron Willis was the winner in relief for Cherryville.
Crest 2, Chase 1
South Point 13, Chambers 3
High school softball
(Tuesday’s results)
West Lincoln 4, Cherryville 2: Gracie Elmore was the winner for West Lincoln in the season-opener for both teams.
Forestview 16, Lincolnton 2 (5 innings): Bryn Bumgardner (5 for 5, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs), Kaitlin Barnes (3 for 4, 2 doubles, RBI) and winning pitcher Carson Upton (5 strikeouts) led Forestview.
Middle school basketball
Gaston County Conference playoff pairings:
(Thursday’s semifinals)
Boys: York Chester at Southwest, Belmont at Grier
Girls: Cramerton at Holbrook, Belmont at W.C. Friday
College basketball
All-Big South Conference: Winthrop redshirt junior forward D.J. Burns Jr. and Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich have been voted the 2021-22 Big South Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively, by the league’s head coaches and media panel, it was announced Tuesday morning.
The panel also voted High Point guard Zack Austin and USC Upstate guard Jordan Gainey Co-Freshman of the Year and UNC Asheville junior Drew Pember as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. Presbyterian College junior forward Owen McCormack was voted Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the league’s Sports Information Directors.
The entire 2021-22 All-Conference team is as follows:
2021-22 All-Big South Conference:
First Team: D.J. Burns Jr., Winthrop; Drew Pember, UNC Asheville; Justin Hill, Longwood; John-Michael Wright, High Point; Isaiah Wilkins, Longwood
Second Team: Bryson Mozone, USC Upstate; D’Maurian Williams, Gardner-Webb; Zack Austin, High Point; Rayshon Harrison, Presbyterian College;
Jordan Gainey, USC Upstate
Honorable Mention: Cedric Henderson Jr., Campbell; L.J. Thorpe, UNC Asheville; Patrick Good, Winthrop; DeShaun Wade, Longwood; Lance Terry, Gardner-Webb
All-Freshman Team: Zack Austin, High Point; Jordan Gainey, USC Upstate; Claudell Harris, Jr., Charleston Southern; Marquis Barnett, Presbyterian College; Taje Kelly, Charleston Southern
All-Academic Team: Austin McCullough, R-Sr., Campbell; Lance Terry, Jr., Gardner-Webb; Emmanuel Izunabor, Jr., High Point; Zac Watson, Sr., Longwood; Kameron Langley, Grad., North Carolina A&T; Owen McCormack, Jr., Presbyterian; Shaquan Jules, Jr., Radford; Coty Jude, Sr., UNC Asheville; Josh Aldrich, Sr., USC Upstate; Russell Jones Jr., Jr., Winthrop
Player of the Year: D.J. Burns Jr., Winthrop
Defensive Player of the Year: Drew Pember, UNC Asheville
Coach of the Year: Griff Aldrich, Longwood
Co-Freshmen of the Year: Zack Austin, High Point; Jordan Gainey, USC Upstate
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Owen McCormack, Presbyterian
Big South Conference: The league’s postseason tournament is being played at Charlotte’s Bojangles’ Coliseum:
Here are the pairings:
(Men)
First Round – Wednesday, March 2
Game 1: (8) Radford vs. (9) North Carolina A&T, 11:30 a.m.
Game 2: (5) UNC Asheville vs. (12) Charleston Southern, 2 p.m.
Game 3: (7) High Point vs. (10) Hampton, 6 p.m.
Game 4: (6) Campbell vs. (11) Presbyterian, 8 p.m.
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 4
Game 5: (1) Longwood vs. 8/9 winner, noon
Game 6: (4) USC Upstate vs. 5/12 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 7: (2) Winthrop vs 7/10 Winner, 6 p.m.
Game 8: (3) Gardner-Webb vs. 6/11 Winner, 8 p.m.
Semifinals – Saturday, March 5
Game 9: Semifinals – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, noon
Game 10: Semifinals – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 2 p.m.
Championship – Sunday, March 6 (ESPN2)
Game 11: Championship – Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, noon
(Women)
First Round – Tuesday, March 1
Game 1: (8) Presbyterian 65, (9) Winthrop 60
Game 2: (5) High Point 54, (12) Charleston Southern 34
Game 3: (7) Hampton 55, (10) Radford 49
Game 4: (11) UNC Asheville 68, (6) North Carolina A&T 59
Quarterfinals – Thursday, March 3
Game 5: (1) Campbell vs. Presbyterian, noon
Game 6: (4) Gardner-Webb vs. High Point, 2 p.m.
Game 7: (2) Longwood vs. Hampton, 6 p.m.
Game 8: (3) USC Upstate vs. UNC Asheville, 8 p.m.
Semifinals – Saturday, March 5
Game 9: Semifinals – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 10: Semifinals – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8 p.m.
Championship – Sunday, March 6 (ESPNU)
Game 11: Championship – Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Conference Carolinas: The league’s tournament began on Sunday.
Here are the pairings:
(Men)
First Round – Sunday, February 27
#7 Lees-McRae 80, #10 Chowan 73 (at Barton)
#9 Francis Marion 90, #8 King 83 (at Mount Olive)
Second Round – Monday, February 28
#6 Barton 94, Lees-McRae 75
#5 Mount Olive 95, Francis Marion 83
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 4 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.)
Mount Olive vs. #4 Southern Wesleyan, 11 a.m.
Barton vs. #3 Belmont Abbey, 1:30 p.m.
Semifinals – Saturday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of #4-#5-#8-#9 vs. #1 UNC Pembroke, 12 p.m.
Winner of #3-#6-#7-#10 vs. #2 Emmanuel, 2:30 p.m.
Final – Sunday, March 6 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2, 1 p.m.
(Women)
First Round – Sunday, February 27
#7 Francis Marion 76, #10 North Greenville 63 (at King)
#8 Emmanuel 72, #9 Lees-McRae 57 (at UNC Pembroke)
Second Round – Monday, February 28
Francis Marion 87, #6 King 84
Emmanuel 69, #5 UNC Pembroke 67
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 4 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.)
Francis Marion vs. #4 Chowan, 6 p.m.
Emmanuel vs. #3 Belmont Abbey, 8:30 p.m.
Semifinals – Saturday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of #4-#5-#8-#9 vs. #1 Barton, 5 p.m.
Winner of #3-#6-#7-#10 vs. #2 Mount Olive, 7:30 p.m.
Final – Sunday, March 6 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.)
Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2, 4 p.m.
Pro basketball
The Charlotte Hornets are signing Isaiah Thomas to a 10-day contract, according to multiple reports.
Thomas, who had previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks this season, will be backup point guard to LaMelo Ball.
While with the Lakers, Thomas played four games for the team during his 10-day stint and averaged 9.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 25.2 minutes per game. With Dallas, he played in one game had six six points and four assists in 13 minutes.
A two-time NBA All-Star, Thomas has 533 games of NBA playing experience in 11 years for the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans and Mavericks.
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 (L 96-120)
Wed. 15 at San Antonio (W 131-115)
Fri. 17 at Portland (L 116-125)
Sun. 19 at Phoenix (L 106-137)
Mon. 20 at Utah (L 102-112)
Thu. 23 at Denver (W 115-107)
Mon. 27 HOUSTON (W 123-99)
Wed. 29 at Indiana (W 116-108)
JANUARY
Sun. 2 PHOENIX (L 99-133)
Mon. 3 at Washington (L 121-124)
Wed. 5 DETROIT (W 140-111)
Sat. 8 MILWAUKEE (W 114-106)
Mon. 10 MILWAUKEE (W 103-99)
Wed. 12 at Philadelphia (W 109-98)
Fri. 14 ORLANDO (L 109-116)
Mon. 17 at New York (W 97-87)
Wed. 19 at Boston (W 111-102)
Fri. 21 OKLAHOMA CITY (W 121-98)
Sun. 23 ATLANTA (L 91-113)
Tue. 25 at Toronto (L 113-125)
Wed. 26 at Indiana (W 158-126)
Fri. 28 L.A. LAKERS (W 117-114)
Sun. 30 LA CLIPPERS (L 90-115)
FEBRUARY
Wed. 2 at Boston (L 107-113)
Fri. 4 CLEVELAND (L 101-102)
Sat. 5 MIAMI (L 86-104)
Mon. 7 TORONTO (L 101-116)
Wed. 9 CHICAGO (L 109-121)
Fri. 11 at Detroit (W 141-119)
Sat. 12 MEMPHIS (L 118-125)
Tue. 15 at Minnesota (L 120-126, OT)
Thu. 17 MIAMI (L 107-111, 2 OT)
Fri. 25 TORONTO (W 125-93)
Sun. 27 DETROIT (L 126-127, OT)
Mon. 28 at Milwaukee (L 106-130)
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
Pro soccer
Here’s the full Charlotte FC schedule for the 2022 season (with results):
Feb. 26 at D.C. (L 0-3)
March 5, L.A., 7:30 p.m.
March 13, at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m.
March 19, New England, 7 p.m.
March 26, Cincinnati, 6 p.m.
April 4, at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
April 10, Atlanta, 1:30 p.m.
April 16, at New England, 7:30 p.m.
April 23, at Colorado, 9 p.m.
April 30, at Orlando, 7:30 p.m.
May 7, Miami, 3:30 p.m.
May 14, Montreal, 7 p.m.
May 22, Vancouver, 5 p.m.
May 29, at Seattle, 9:30 p.m.
June 11, New York, 3 p.m.
June 18, at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
June 25, at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
June 30, Austin, 7 p.m.
July 3, at Houston, 8:30 p.m.
July 9, Nashville, 7 p.m.
July 16, at Miami, 8 p.m.
July 23, at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
July 30, Columbus, 7 p.m.
August 3, D.C., 7 p.m.
August 6, Chicago, 7 p.m.
August 13, at LAFC, 10:30 p.m.
August 17, at New York City, TBD
August 21, Orlando, 7 p.m.
August 27, Toronto, 7 p.m.
September 3, at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
September 10, New York City, 7 p.m.
September 17, at Chicago, 8 p.m.
October 1, Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
October 9, at New York, TBD