4-16-22 roundup: Pro golf, basketball and soccer, College basketball and baseball, High school baseball and softball, Middle school baseball and girls soccer
By Richard Walker
Earlier this year, a win on the Asian Tour gave Gastonia’s Harold Varner III a spot in his first-ever Master’s.
On Sunday, Varner will take a third-round lead into RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, S.C., as he pursues his first-ever PGA tour win.
Varner, a 2008 Forestview High graduate who also first pro golf win came in 2016 on the Australian Tour, finished at 11-under-par after three rounds following a 63. He’ll take a one-shot lead over three other golfers – Patrick Cantlay, Erik van Rooyen and Shane Lowry – when he tees off at 1:50 p.m.
Varner shot 67 in Thursday’s first round and 73 in Saturday’s second round.
He’s been in first place after a round four times previously in his seven-year career.
Varner’s previous best PGA performance came exactly a year in the same tournament when he finished tied for second at 15-under-par in the same tournament, which is held annually at Harbour Town Golf Links.
High school baseball
High school baseball teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties will play in baseball tournaments in Gastonia, Shelby, Hickory, Shallotte and Myrtle Beach, S.C., this week.
Here are the schedules:
Gaston County Baseball Championship at Sims Legion Park in Gastonia:
(Monday’s games)
Bessemer City vs. East Gaston, 10 a.m.
Highland Tech vs. Forestview, 1 p.m.
North Gaston vs. Huss, 4 p.m.
Cramer vs. Ashbrook, 7 p.m.
(Tuesday’s games)
Monday’s 10 a.m., 1 p.m. losers, 10 a.m.
Monday’s 4 p.m., 7 p.m. losers, 1 p.m.
Monday’s 10 a.m., 1 p.m. winners, 4 p.m.
Monday’s 4 p.m., 7 p.m. winner, 7 p.m.
(Thursday’s games)
7th place, 10 a.m.
5th place, 1 p.m.
3rd place, 4 p.m.
Championship, 1 p.m.
Shelby Easter tournament at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium:
Pool 1: Shelby, Crest, Piedmont, South Caldwell
Pool 2: Burns, Kings Mountain, South Point, Bandys
(Monday’s games)
Shelby vs. Piedmont, 4 p.m.
South Caldwell vs. Crest, 7 p.m.
(Tuesday’s games)
Kings Mountain vs. Bandys, 4 p.m.
Burns vs. South Point, 7 p.m.
(Wednesday’s games)
Shelby-Piedmont loser vs. Kings Mountain-Bandys loser, 11 a.m.
South Caldwell-Crest loser vs. Burns-South Point loser, 1:30 p.m.
Shelby-Piedmont winner vs. Kings Mountain-Bandys winner, 4 p.m.
South Caldwell-Crest winner vs. Burns-South Point winner, 7 p.m.
(Thursday’s games)
7th place, 11 a.m.
5th place, 1:30 p.m.
3rd place, 4 p.m.
Championship, 7 p.m.
Catawba County Easter Baseball Classic at the Hickory American Legion Fairgrounds:
(Monday’s games)
No. 2 Foard vs. No. 7 West Lincoln, 11 a.m.
No. 3 St. Stephens vs. No. 6 Bunker Hill, 1:30 p.m.
No. 1 Alexander Central vs. No. 8 Newton-Conover, 4 p.m.
No. 4 Hibriten vs. No. 5 Hickory, 6:30 p.m.
(Tuesday’s games)
Consolation games, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Foard-West Lincoln winner vs. St. Stephens-Bunker Hill winner, 4 p.m.
Alexander Central-Newton-Conover winner vs. Hibriten-Hickory winner, 6:30 p.m.
(Wednesday’s games)
3rd place, 4 p.m.
Championship, 6:30 p.m.
Beach Diamond Invitational at West Brunswick in Shallotte:
(Monday’s games)
Rock Hill Legion Collegiate vs. South Columbus, 11 a.m.
Scotland County vs. Northwest Guilford, 1 p.m.
Southwest Guilford vs. West Stanly, 4 p.m.
Cherryville at West Brunswick, 7 p.m.
(Tuesday’s games)
Consolation games and semifinals
(Wednesday’s games)
Placement games
Myrtle Beach, S.C., Ripken Experience:
(Monday)
East Lincoln vs. Canfield, Ohio, 8 p.m.
(Tuesday)
East Lincoln vs. North Royalton, Ohio, 2:30 p.m.
(Wednesday)
East Lincoln vs. Boardman, Ohio, 11:45 p.m.
College baseball
Not only did nationally-ranked Gaston College return to its winning form over the weekend, the Rhinos’ pitching staff completed a run of 19 scoreless innings with a doubleheader sweep of Southwest Virginia Saturday at Sims Legion Park. Hunter Shew and Jaren Woodcock combined on a three-hitter over seven innings as Gaston College won the opener 8-0. In game two, Marlowe Iorio picked up the win with relief help from David Sande and Christian Baker in a 5-0 victory. The Rhinos (36-4, 26-3 Region 10 West Division) host a home doubleheader Wednesday against Cleveland Community College (4 p.m. start), followed by a three-game series next weekend at Catawba Valley Community College.
College basketball
Former Belmont Abbey head basketball coach Billy Taylor is returning to North Carolina, this time as head coach at Elon.
Taylor was named the 19th men’s basketball head coach in school history.
“I am humbled and honored to accept the head coaching position at Elon University,” Taylor said in an Elon news release. “I want to thank President Connie Ledoux Book and Director of Athletics Dave Blank for offering me the opportunity to serve the student-athletes in our basketball program. As a program, we will pursue excellence on the basketball court, in the classroom and in the community. Our family is excited to begin this new journey, and we look forward to joining the Elon community.”
Taylor spent five years as head coach at Lehigh University followed by six seasons as the head coach at Ball State University and three at Belmont Abbey. He comes to Elon after spending three years as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa, his second stint with the Hawkeyes.
A two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year (2003, 2004), Taylor led Lehigh to both the regular season and tournament titles in 2004, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament that season. He also guided Ball State to the 2009 MAC West Division crown. He has 24 years of coaching experience, starting as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, in 1998.
Over the last three seasons, Taylor and the Iowa Hawkeyes have been a mainstay in the national rankings and NCAA Tournament, winning the 2022 Big Ten Tournament championship. The team won 26 games in 2022, the second-highest single-season win total in program history. During his time at the university, Iowa was led by two-time national player of the year Luke Garza along with Keegan Murray, a finalist for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy.
Taylor began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Notre Dame in 1998-99. From there, he gained experience in the Piedmont region, serving as an assistant coach at UNC Greensboro from 1999-02, going 54-36, before earning the Lehigh coaching job. At UNC Greensboro, Taylor’s teams had an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001 and a Postseason NIT bid in 2002.
A four-year letterwinner at Notre Dame, Taylor was recruited by Digger Phelps, was a team captain as a senior, and started 79 career games. He graduated with a degree in accounting and computer applications in 1995. He also earned his CPA license in 1998.
At the Abbey, where Taylor was head coach from 2016 to 2019, he guided the Crusaders to a 49-42 overall record.
Pro basketball
Here’s the schedule for this week’s NBA play-in tournament:
(Tuesday’s games)
East-7 Brooklyn 115, East-8 Cleveland 108 (Brooklyn becomes East-7)
West-7 Minnesota 109, West-8 L.A. Clippers 104 (Minnesota becomes West-7)
(Wednesday’s games)
East-9 Atlanta 132, East-10 Charlotte 103
West-9 New Orleans 113, West-10 San Antonio 103
(Friday’s games)
Atlanta 107, Cleveland 101
New Orleans 105, L.A. Clippers 101
Here’s the schedule for upcoming NBA playoffs:
(Eastern Conference)
1-Miami vs. 8-Atlanta
Game 1 at Miami: April 17
Game 2 at Miami: April 19
Game 3 at Atlanta: April 22
Game 4 at Atlanta: April 24
Game 5 (if necessary) at Miami: April 26
Game 6 (if necessary) at Atlanta: April 28
Game 7 (if necessary) at Miami: April 30
4-Philadelphia vs. 5-Toronto
Game 1 at Philadelphia: April 16 (Philadelphia 131-111)
Game 2 at Philadelphia: April 18
Game 3 at Toronto: April 20
Game 4 at Toronto: April 23
Game 5 (if necessary) at Philadelphia: April 25
Game 6 (if necessary) at Toronto: April 28
Game 7 (if necessary) at Philadelphia: April 30
2-Boston vs. 7-Brooklyn
Game 1 at Boston: April 17
Game 2 at Boston: April 20
Game 3 at Brooklyn: April 23
Game 4 at Brooklyn: April 25
Game 5 (if necessary) at Boston: April 27
Game 6 (if necessary) at Brooklyn: April 29
Game 7 (if necessary) at Boston: May 1
3-Milwaukee vs. 6-Chicago
Game 1 at Milwaukee: April 17
Game 2 at Milwaukee: April 20
Game 3 at Chicago: April 22
Game 4 at Chicago: April 24
Game 5 (if necessary) at Milwaukee: April 27
Game 6 (if necessary) at Chicago: April 29
Game 7 (if necessary) at Milwaukee: May 1
(Western Conference)
1-Phoenix vs. 8-TBD
Game 1 at Phoenix: April 17
Game 2 at Phoenix: April 19
Game 3 at West-8: April 22
Game 4 at West-8: April 24
Game 5 (if necessary) at Phoenix: April 26
Game 6 (if necessary) at West-8: April 28
Game 7 (if necessary) at Phoenix: April 30
4-Dallas vs. 5-Utah
Game 1 at Dallas: April 16 (Utah 99-93)
Game 2 at Dallas: April 18
Game 3 at Utah: April 21
Game 4 at Utah: April 23
Game 5 (if necessary) at Dallas: April 25
Game 6 (if necessary) at Utah: April 28
Game 7 (if necessary) at Dallas: April 30
2-Memphis vs. 7-Minnesota
Game 1 at Memphis: April 16 (Minnesota 130-117)
Game 2 at Memphis: TBA
Game 3 at Minnesota: TBA
Game 4 at Minnesota: TBA
Game 5 (if necessary) at Memphis: TBA
Game 6 (if necessary) at Minnesota: TBA
Game 7 (if necessary) at Memphis: TBA
3-Golden State vs. 6-Denver
Game 1 at Golden State: April 16 (Golden State 123-107)
Game 2 at Golden State: April 18
Game 3 at Denver: April 21
Game 4 at Denver: April 24
Game 5 (if necessary) at Golden State: April 27
Game 6 (if necessary) at Denver: April 29
Game 7 (if necessary) at Golden State: May 1
High school baseball
Standings for Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties through April 14:
Big South 3A
Kings Mountain 9-1, 11-3
Crest 8-2, 11-5
South Point 6-4, 9-5
North Gaston 6-4, 7-6
Forestview 6-4, 8-7
Cramer 4-6, 9-7
Ashbrook 1-9, 5-11
Huss 0-10, 0-12
Southern Piedmont 1A/2A
Burns 9-1, 14-2
East Gaston 10-2, 12-5
Shelby 7-3, 12-5
Cherryville 6-4, 9-6
Bessemer City 3-7, 3-11
Highland Tech 1-9, 4-11
Thomas Jefferson 0-10, 0-12
Western Foothills 3A
North Lincoln 9-2, 12-2
Foard 9-2, 11-3
East Lincoln 8-3, 12-3
St. Stephens 8-3, 13-4
Hickory 5-6, 8-7
North Iredell 1-8, 5-9
West Iredell 1-8, 2-12
Statesville 0-9, 0-13
Catawba Valley 2A
Bandys 10-2, 13-5
Lincolnton 9-3, 11-6
Bunker Hill 8-4, 8-8
West Lincoln 8-4, 8-10
Maiden 6-6, 7-10
East Burke 4-8, 4-10
Newton-Conover 3-9, 5-10
West Caldwell 0-12, 1-17
Catawba Shores 1A/2A
Pine Lake Prep 6-1, 11-4
Lincoln Charter 5-1, 13-3
Comm Sch of Davidson 3-1, 7-3
Christ the King 3-3, 7-4
Langtree Charter 1-6, 7-10
Mtn Isl Charter 1-7, 5-10
Metro 7 1A
Corvian Comm 5-1, 5-8
Bradford Prep 4-1, 6-7
Queen’s Grant 4-1, 5-4
Piedmont CC 4-3, 7-6
Carolina Intl 1-6, 2-11
Sugar Creek 0-6, 0-6
Cabarrus Charter no team
Metrolina NCISAA
Metrolina Christian 7-1, 12-3
Hickory Grove Christian 3-1, 7-7-1
SouthLake Christian 3-1, 6-6
Gaston Christian 3-3, 6-6
Concord Academy 2-5, 5-9
Gaston Day 0-7, 2-11
High school softball
Standings for Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties through April 14:
Big South 3A
Crest 10-0, 14-1
Cramer 8-2, 12-3
North Gaston 8-2, 10-5
Kings Mountain 6-4, 7-7
Forestview 4-6, 8-7
South Point 3-7, 4-9
Ashbrook 1-9, 1-10
Huss 0-10, 0-12
Southern Piedmont 1A/2A
Burns 9-1, 14-1
Cherryville 8-1, 10-4
East Gaston 8-3, 8-7
Highland Tech 4-6, 6-7
Shelby 4-6, 4-10
Bessemer City 1-9, 3-11
Thomas Jefferson 1-9, 1-10
Western Foothills 3A
East Lincoln 11-0, 16-0
North Lincoln 9-2, 12-6
St. Stephens 8-3, 10-5
Foard 8-3, 8-8
North Iredell 3-8, 5-11
West Iredell 2-8, 2-10
Hickory 2-9, 4-13
Statesville 0-10, 0-11
Catawba Valley 2A
Bandys 11-1, 16-3
West Lincoln 11-1, 13-4
Maiden 7-4, 8-6
East Burke 7-5, 7-9
West Caldwell 5-7, 8-10
Lincolnton 3-7, 4-10
Bunker Hill 1-10, 1-13
Newton-Conover 0-10, 0-10
Catawba Shores 1A/2A
Mtn Isl Charter 5-1, 9-5
Lincoln Charter 4-1, 7-3
Comm Sch of Davidson 2-3, 2-4
Pine Lake Prep 2-4, 5-6
Langtree Charter 0-5, 0-13
Christ the King no team
Metro 7 1A
Piedmont CC 3-1, 8-3
Queen’s Grant 2-1, 6-8
Sugar Creek 0-1, 0-1
Bradford Prep 0-2, 0-3
Metrolina
Metrolina Christian 6-0, 9-5
Hickory Grove Christian 3-1, 5-6
Gaston Christian 1-2, 1-7
South Lake Christian 0-3, 0-4
Concord Academy 0-4, 3-8
Middle school baseball
Gaston County Conference standings through April 14:
Mount Holly 7-0
Stanley 7-0
Belmont 6-0
Chavis 4-2
Cramerton 3-2
Bessemer City 2-4
W.C. Friday 2-4
Holbrook 1-5
Southwest 1-5
York Chester 1-6
Grier 0-6
(Monday, April 25)
Bessemer City at Southwest
Chavis at Mount Holly
Cramerton at Holbrook
W.C. Friday at Grier
(Tuesday, April 26)
Belmont at Stanley
(Wednesday, April 27)
Mount Holly at Belmont
(Thursday, April 28)
Grier at Chavis
W.C. Friday at Cramerton
Holbrook at Bessemer City
Southwest at York Chester
Middle school girls soccer
Gaston County Conference standings through April 14:
Belmont 6-0
Cramerton 5-0
Mount Holly 6-1
Stanley 5-2
W.C. Friday 4-2
Chavis 2-4
Holbrook 2-4
Bessemer City 1-5
Grier 1-5
Southwest 1-5
York Chester 1-6
(Monday, April 25)
Bessemer City at Southwest
Chavis at Mount Holly
Cramerton at Holbrook
W.C. Friday at Grier
(Tuesday, April 26)
Belmont at Stanley
(Wednesday, April 27)
Mount Holly at Belmont
(Thursday, April 28)
Grier at Chavis
W.C. Friday at Cramerton
Holbrook at Bessemer City
Southwest at York Chester
Pro soccer
Charlotte FC fell to 3-5 on the season following Saturday’s road loss.
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. (L 0-1)
March 13, at Atlanta (L 1-2)
March 19, New England (W 3-1)
March 26, Cincinnati (W 2-0)
April 2, at Philadelphia (L 0-2)
April 10, Atlanta (W 1-0)
April 16, at New England (L 1-2)
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