4-16-26 roundup: Pro basketball, baseball, auto racing, soccer and rodeo, High school basketball, baseball, soccer and softball, Middle school baseball, girls soccer and track

By Richard Walker

The Charlotte Hornets defied their all time history in Tuesday’s dramatic 127-126 overtime win over Miami Heat in the play-in tournament opener.

Can they do it again on Friday night in a play-in tournament game that sends its winner into the NBA playoffs?

They get their chance at 7:30 p.m. the ninth-place Hornets travel to the eight-place Orlando Magic.

The first version of Charlotte Hornets actually won its lone playoff series against the Magic, though it came during the franchise’s “lame duck” season of 2001-02.

Back then, owners George Shinn and Ray Wooldridge announced they were moving to New Orleans late in the franchise’s seventh playoff season in 10 years.

So while that Hornets team beat Orlando three games to none in a then-best-of-five first round series, much of the Charlotte market had checked on a team that remained “Hornets” until being renamed the Pelicans in the 2014-15 season.

That’s when the previously nicknamed “Bobcats” were re-christened “Hornets.”

And, at that time, the Bobcats had been swept in their lone playoff appearances – in 2010 by Orlando and in 2014 by Miami.

The 2009-10 Magic were coming off a NBA finals loss the year before to the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando’s star player was future Charlotte Hornets’ center Dwight Howard. Other Magic standouts were former University of North Carolina star Vince Carter, former Duke star J.J. Redick and veterans Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson and Matt Barnes.

And while Stan Van Gundy was Orlando’s head coach, three of his assistant coaches eventually came to Charlotte – Bobcats head coach Steve Clifford and his assistants Patrick Ewing and Bob Beyer. And another assistant, Brendan Malone, is the late father of recently-hired UNC head coach Mike Malone.

The Bobcats were under the direction of Hall of Fame head coach Larry Brown and were led by starters Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace, Raymond Felton, Boris Diaw and Theo Ratliff.

In the series, Orlando won 98-89 and 92-77 in the first two games at home, then closed out the Bobcats with 90-86 and 99-90 wins in Charlotte.

Nelson averaged 23.8 points, Lewis 15.8 and Carter 15.5 for the Magic while Jackson (18.0) and Wallace (17.5) led the Bobcats.

Charlotte’s Tuesday night victory came in front of a Spectrum Center-record crowd of 19,698 and also was the franchise’s first-ever win in an elimination game; Previously, the Hornets/Bobcats/Hornets had been 0-12.

In five previous play-in tournaments, four ninth-place and 10th-place teams have won multiple play-in games to advance to the playoffs – the 2021 Memphis Grizzlies, the 2022 Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans and 2025 Miami Heat.

The Grizzlies, Hawks and Pelicans were ninth-place teams while the Heat were 10th-place.

The Charlotte Hornets full 2025-26 regular season schedule:

OCTOBER
Wednesday 22 BROOKLYN (W 136-117)
Saturday 25 at Philadelphia (L 121-125)
Sunday 26 at Washington (W 139-113)
Tuesday 28 at Miami (L 117-144)
Thursday 30 ORLANDO (L 107-123)
NOVEMBER
Saturday 1 MINNESOTA (L 105-122)
Sunday 2 UTAH (W 126-103)
Tuesday 4 at New Orleans (L 112-116)
Friday 7 at Miami* (L 108-126)
Monday 10 L.A. LAKERS (L 111-121)
Wed. 12 MILWAUKEE (W 111-100)
Friday 14 at Milwaukee* (L 134-147, OT)
Saturday 15 OKLAHOMA CITY (L 96-109)
Monday 17 at Toronto (L 108-110)
Wednesday 19 at Indiana (L 118-127)
Saturday 22 LA CLIPPERS (L 116-131)
Sunday 23 at Atlanta (L 110-113)
Wednesday 26 NEW YORK* (L 101-129)
Friday 28 CHICAGO* (W 123-116)
Saturday 29 TORONTO (W 118-111, OT)
DECEMBER
Monday 1 at Brooklyn (L 103-116)
Wednesday 3 at New York (L 104-119)
Friday 5 at Toronto (W 111-86 )
Sunday 7 DENVER (L 106-115)
Friday 12 CHICAGO (L 126-129)
Sunday 14 at Cleveland (W 119-111)
Thursday 18 ATLANTA (W 133-126)
Saturday 20 at Detroit (L 86-112)
Monday 22 at Cleveland (L 132-139)
Tuesday 23 WASHINGTON (W 126-109)
Friday 26 at Orlando (W 120-105)
Monday 29 MILWAUKEE (L 113-123)
Wednesday 31 GOLDEN STATE (L 125-132)
JANUARY
Friday 2 at Milwaukee (L 121-122)
Saturday 3 at Chicago (W 112-99 )
Monday 5 at Oklahoma City (W 124-97 )
Wednesday 7 TORONTO (L 96-97 )
Thursday 8 INDIANA (L 109-112)
Saturday 10 at Utah (W 150-95 )
Monday 12 at LA Clippers (L 109-117)
Thursday 15 at L.A. Lakers (W 135-117)
Saturday 17 at Golden State (L 116-136)
Sunday 18 at Denver (W 110-87 )
Wednesday 21 CLEVELAND (L 87-94 )
Thursday 22 at Orlando (W 124-97 )
Saturday 24 WASHINGTON (W 119-115)
Monday 26 PHILADELPHIA (W 130-93 )
Wednesday 28 at Memphis (W 112-97 )
Thursday 29 at Dallas (W 123-121)
Saturday 31 SAN ANTONIO (W 111-106)
FEBRUARY
Monday 2 NEW ORLEANS (W 102-95 )
Thursday 5 at Houston (W 109-99 )
Saturday 7 at Atlanta (W 126-119)
Monday 9 DETROIT (W 110-104)
Wednesday 11 ATLANTA (W 110-107)
Thursday 19 HOUSTON (L 101-105)
Friday 20 CLEVELAND (L 113-118)
Sunday 22 at Washington (W 129-112)
Tuesday 24 at Chicago (W 131-99 )
Thursday 26 at Indiana (W 133-109)
Saturday 28 PORTLAND (W 109-93 )
MARCH
Tuesday 3 DALLAS (W 117-90 )
Wednesday 4 at Boston (W 116-89 )
Friday 6 MIAMI (L 120-128)
Sunday 8 at Phoenix (L 99-111)
Tuesday 10 at Portland (W 103-101)
Wednesday 11 at Sacramento (W 117-109)
Saturday 14 at San Antonio (L 102-115)
Tuesday 17 MIAMI (W 136-106)
Thursday 19 ORLANDO (W 130-111)
Saturday 21 MEMPHIS (W 124-101)
Tuesday 24 SACRAMENTO (W 134-90 )
Thursday 26 NEW YORK (W 114-103)
Saturday 28 PHILADELPHIA (L 114-118)
Sunday 29 BOSTON (L 99-114)
Tuesday 31 at Brooklyn (W 117-86 )
APRIL
Thursday 2 PHOENIX (W 127-107)
Friday 3 INDIANA (W 129-108)
Sunday 5 at Minnesota (W 122-108)
Tuesday 7 at Boston (L 102-113)
Friday 10 DETROIT (L 100-118)
Sunday 12 at New York (W 110-96 )

(Play-in tournament)
Tuesday 14 MIAMI (W 127-126, OT)
Friday 17 at Orlando

Home games in CAPS
All times listed are Eastern
* Denotes Emirates NBA Cup Group Play game
Schedule to be announced following Emirates NBA Cup Group Play: Dec. 9, 10, 13, 16- Emirates NBA Cup Knockout Rounds, Dec. 11, 12, 14, 15- Additional regular-season games for eliminated teams

The Charlotte Hornets 2025 preseason schedule:

Sunday, Oct. 5 Oklahoma City (at N. Charleston Col.) L 114-135
Thursday, Oct. 9 at Oklahoma City L 116-122
Saturday, Oct. 11 at Dallas W 120-116
Wednesday, Oct. 15 Memphis (at First Horizon Col., Gboro) W 145-116
Friday, Oct. 17 at New York L 108-113

 

(Eastern Conference play-in tournament)

Tuesday, April 14: Miami at Charlotte – Charlotte 127-126 in OT

Wednesday, April 15: Orlando at Philadelphia – Philadelphia 109-97

Friday, April 17: Charlotte at Orlando (7:30 ET, Prime Video)
…winner advances to play No. 1 Detroit

(Eastern Conference quarterfinals)
*-if necessary

No. 1 Detroit vs. No. 8 TBD
Game 1: TBD at Detroit- Sunday April 19 (6:30 ET, NBC/Peacock)
Game 2: TBD at Detroit- Wednesday, April 22 (7 ET, ESPN)
Game 3: Detroit at TBD- Saturday, April 25 (1 ET, Peacock)
Game 4: Detroit at TBD- Monday, April 27 (TBD, TBD)
Game 5: TBD at Detroit*- Wednesday, April 29 (TBD, TBD)
Game 6: Detroit at TBD*- Friday, May 1 (TBD, TBD)
Game 7: TBD at Detroit*- Sunday, May 3 (TBD, TBD)

No. 2 Boston vs. No. 7 Philadelphia
Game 1: Philadelphia at Boston- Sunday April 19 (1 ET, ABC)
Game 2: Philadelphia at Boston- Tuesday, April 21 (7 ET, Peacock)
Game 3: Boston at Philadelphia- Friday, April 24 (7 ET, Prime)
Game 4: Boston at Philadelphia- Sunday, April 26 (7 ET, NBC)
Game 5: Philadelphia at Boston*- Tuesday, April 28 (TBD, TBD)
Game 6: Boston at Philadelphia*- Thursday, April 30 (TBD, TBD)
Game 7: Philadelphia at Boston*- Saturday, May 2 (TBD, TBD)

No. 3 New York vs. No. 6 Atlanta
Game 1: Atlanta at New York- Saturday April 18 (6 ET, Prime Video)
Game 2: Atlanta at New York- Monday, April 20 (8 ET, NBC)
Game 3: New York at Atlanta- Thursday, April 23 (7 ET, Prime Video)
Game 4: New York at Atlanta- Saturday, April 25 (6 ET, NBC)
Game 5: Atlanta at New York*- Tuesday, April 28 (TBD, TBD)
Game 6: New York at Atlanta*- Thursday, April 30 (TBD, TBD)
Game 7: Atlanta at New York*- Saturday, May 2 (TBD, TBD)

No. 4 Cleveland vs. No. 5 Toronto
Game 1: Toronto at Cleveland- Saturday April 18 (1 ET, Prime Video)
Game 2: Toronto at Cleveland- Monday, April 20 (7 ET, Peacock)
Game 3: Cleveland at Toronto- Thursday, April 23 (8 ET, Prime Video)
Game 4: Cleveland at Toronto- Sunday, April 26 (1 ET, ESPN)
Game 5: Toronto at Cleveland*- Wednesday, April 29 (TBD, TBD)
Game 6: Cleveland at Toronto*- Friday, May 1 (TBD, TBD)
Game 7: Toronto at Cleveland*- Sunday, May 3 (TBD, TBD)

(Eastern Conference semifinals)
No. 1-8 winner vs. No. 4-5 winner
No. 2-7 winner vs. No. 3-6 winner

(Eastern Conference finals)
TBD

(Western Conference play-in tournament)

Tuesday, April 14: Portland at Phoenix – Portland 114-110

Wednesday, April 15: Golden State at L.A. Clippers – Golden State 126-121

Friday, April 17: Golden State at Phoenix (10 ET, Prime Video)
…winner advances to play No. 1 Oklahoma City

(Western Conference quarterfinals)
*-if necessary

No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 8 TBD
Game 1: TBD at Oklahoma City- Sunday April 19 (3:30 ET, ABC)
Game 2: TBD at Oklahoma City- Wednesday, April 22 (9:30 ET, ESPN)
Game 3: Oklahoma City at TBD- Saturday, April 25 (3:30 ET, NBC)
Game 4: Oklahoma City at TBD- Monday, April 27 (TBD, TBD)
Game 5: TBD at Oklahoma City*- Wednesday, April 29 (TBD, TBD)
Game 6: Oklahoma City at TBD*- Friday, May 1 (TBD, TBD)
Game 7: TBD at Oklahoma City*- Sunday, May 3 (TBD, TBD)

No. 2 San Antonio vs. No. 7 Portland
Game 1: Portland at San Antonio- Sunday April 19 (9 ET, NBC/Peacock)
Game 2: Portland at San Antonio- Tuesday, April 21 (8 ET, NBC)
Game 3: San Antonio at Portland- Friday, April 24 (10:30 ET, Prime Video)
Game 4: San Antonio at Portland- Sunday, April 26 (3:30 ET, ESPN)
Game 5: Portland at San Antonio*- Tuesday, April 28 (TBD, TBD)
Game 6: San Antonio at Portland*- Thursday, April 30 (TBD, TBD)
Game 7: Portland at San Antonio*- Saturday, May 2 (TBD, TBD)

No. 3 Denver vs. No. 6 Minnesota
Game 1: Minnesota at Denver- Saturday April 18 (3:30 ET, Prime Video)
Game 2: Minnesota at Denver- Monday, April 20 (10:30 ET, NBC)
Game 3: Denver at Minnesota- Thursday, April 23 (9:30 ET, Prime Video)
Game 4: Denver at Minnesota- Saturday, April 25 (8:30 ET, ABC)
Game 5: Minnesota at Denver*- Monday, April 27 (TBD, TBD)
Game 6: Denver at Minnesota*- Thursday, April 30 (TBD, TBD)
Game 7: Minnesota at Denver*- Saturday, May 2 (TBD, TBD)

No. 4 L.A. Lakers vs. No. 5 Houston
Game 1: Houston at Los Angeles- Saturday April 18 (8:30 ET, ABC)
Game 2: Houston at Los Angeles- Tuesday, April 21 (10:30 ET, NBC)
Game 3: Los Angeles at Houston- Friday, April 24 (8 ET, Prime Video)
Game 4: Los Angeles at Houston- Sunday, April 26 (9:30 ET, NBC)
Game 5: Houston at Los Angeles*- Wednesday, April 29 (TBD, TBD)
Game 6: Los Angeles at Houston*- Friday, May 1 (TBD, TBD)
Game 7: Houston at Los Angeles*- Sunday, May 3 (TBD, TBD)

(Western Conference semifinals)
No. 1-8 winner vs. No. 4-5 winner
No. 2-7 winner vs. No. 3-6 winner

(Western Conference finals)
TBD

(NBA finals)
TBD

 

 

 

 

 

High school baseball

The area’s results/schedule:

(Monday, April 6)
-Gaston County Easter tournament at Sims Legion Park
Christ the King vs. North Gaston – Christ the King 9-8
Forestview vs. Cramer – Cramer 6-0
Ashbrook vs. Gaston Christian – Gaston Christian 17-0 (3 innings)
South Point vs. Highland Tech – South Point 7-0

-Shelby Easter tournament at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium
Shelby vs. South Caldwell – South Caldwell 4-0
Burns vs. Chase – Chase 4-2
-Walt Disney Wide World of Sports tournament at Orlando, Fla.
Cherryville vs. Utica NY Notre Dame Catholic – Cherryville 13-10
Cherryville vs. Voorhees NJ Eastern – canceled, rain

(Tuesday, April 7)
-Gaston County Easter tournament at Sims Legion Park
Ashbrook vs. North Gaston – North Gaston 15-0 (3 innings)
Forestview vs. Highland Tech – Highland Tech 7-2
Gaston Christian vs. Christ the King – Christ the King 3-2
Cramer vs. South Point – South Point 3-2

-Shelby Easter tournament at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium
Kings Mountain vs. Tuscola – Tuscola 2-1
Crest vs. Piedmont – Crest 1-0

-Cal Ripken Experience at Myrtle Beach SC
East Lincoln vs. Owensboro KY Apollo – East Lincoln 2-0

North Lincoln vs. Charles Town WV Washington – North Lincoln 7-2

(Wednesday, April 8)
-Gaston County Easter tournament at Sims Legion Park
7th place- Ashbrook vs. Forestview – Forestview 15-5 (5 innings)
5th place- North Gaston vs. Highland Tech – North Gaston 10-0 (6 innings)
3rd place- Gaston Christian vs. Cramer – Gaston Christian 5-2
Championship- Christ the King vs. South Point – South Point 9-1

-Shelby Easter tournament at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium
Shelby vs. Burns – Burns 5-1
Kings Mountain vs. Piedmont – Kings Mountain 6-5
South Caldwell vs. Chase – South Caldwell 12-0 (5 innings)
Tuscola vs. Crest – Crest 6-2

-Cal Ripken Experience at Myrtle Beach SC
East Lincoln vs. Highland Regional NJ – East Lincoln 7-0

-Walt Disney Wide World of Sports tournament at Orlando, Fla.
Cherryville vs. Appleton WI Xavier – Cherryville 6-3

North Lincoln vs. Hedgesville WV – North Lincoln 9-2

(Thursday, April 9)
-Shelby Easter tournament at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium
7th place- Shelby vs. Piedmont – Piedmont 7-1
5th place- Burns vs. Kings Mountain – Burns 2-1
3rd place- Chase vs. Tuscola – Tuscola 2-1 (8 innings)
Championship- South Caldwell vs. Crest – Crest 6-4

-Cal Ripken Experience at Myrtle Beach SC
East Lincoln vs. Elmira NY – Elmira 2-0

North Lincoln at Myrtle Beach SC Carolina Forest – North Lincoln 10-4

(Friday, April 10)
North Lincoln vs. Avon Lake OH – North Lincoln 13-3

(Monday, April 13)
SouthLake Christian 13, Gaston Day 3 (6 innings)
Mountain Island Charter 18, Queen’s Grant 3 (5 innings)
Bessemer City 11, Piedmont Community Charter 10

(Tuesday, April 14)
North Gaston 13, Forestview 3 (6 innings)
Ashbrook 10, Huss 0 (5 innings)
Crest 3, Kings Mountain 0
Burns 7, Cherryville 0
Cramer 12, Lincolnton 1 (6 innings)
East Gaston 9, Shelby 1
Highland Tech 4, West Lincoln 3
East Lincoln 5, North Lincoln 1
Lincoln Charter 7, Christ the King 2
Mountain Island Charter 12, Thomas Jefferson 0 (5 innings)
Concord Academy 10, Gaston Day 6
Gaston Christian 10, Metrolina Christian 9

(Wednesday, April 15)
Ashbrook 11, Misenheimer Gray Stone Day 10
North Gaston 7, Cramer 6
Forestview 13, Bessemer City 2 (9 innings)
Kell 11, Lincoln Charter 6
Newton-Conover 14, West Lincoln 9
South Point 8, North Lincoln 4
Corvian Community 10, Piedmont Community 4

(Thursday, April 16)
Gaston Christian 16, Gaston Day 1 (3 innings)

North Gaston 17, Huss 0 (3 innings): Connor Bates (2 innings, 5 strikeouts) and Aiden Smith (1 inning, 1 strikeout) combined on the no-hitter for North Gaston, whose offense was led by Carter Mason (2 doubles, 4 RBIs).

Burns 10, Cherryville 3
Lincoln Charter 14, Christ the King 0 (5 innings)
Cramer 10, Lincolnton 2

Crest 7, Chase 3: J.M Knapp, Jackson Swenson and Luke Rayfield handled pitching chores for Crest, whose offense was led by Rayfield, Caleb Costner and Landry Ohmstead with 2 hits apiece.

(Friday, April 17)
Ashbrook at South Point
Forestview at Kings Mountain
Shelby at East Gaston
West Lincoln at Highland Tech
East Lincoln at West Iredell
Newton-Conover at North Lincoln
Piedmont Community Charter at Sugar Creek Charter
Covenant Day at Gaston Christian

(Monday, April 20)
Ashbrook at Huss
Burns at Highland Tech
Cherryville at East Gaston
Lincolnton at Foard
Palisades at South Point
Piedmont Community Charter at Bessemer City Community Christian

(Tuesday, April 21)
Ashbrook at North Gaston
Crest at Forestview
South Point at Huss
East Gaston at West Lincoln
Shelby at Bessemer City
Foard at East Lincoln
North Lincoln at Bandys
Lincoln Charter at Lake Norman Charter
Queen’s Grant at Mountain Island Charter
SouthLake Christian at Gaston Day
Hickory Christian Academy at Gaston Christian

(Wednesday, April 22)
Burns at Polk County
Charlotte Stampede at Mountain Island Charter
Forestview at Lincolnton
Lincoln Charter at North Lincoln
Highland Tech at Piedmont Community Charter
North Gaston at East Lincoln

(Thursday, April 23)
Crest at South Point
Cherryville at Cramer
Highland Tech at Burns
Lake Norman Charter at Lincoln Charter
Gaston Christian at SouthLake Christian
Gaston Day at Metrolina Christian

(Friday, April 24)
Ashbrook at Chambers
Huss at Forestview
Kings Mountain at North Gaston
Bessemer City at Shelby
Cramer at Cherryville
West Lincoln at East Gaston
East Lincoln at Hickory
Carolina International at Piedmont Community Charter
Mountain Island Charter at Jackson Day
Pinnacle Classical at Gaston Day

 

 

 

 

 

High school girls soccer

(Thursday, April 16)
Lincolnton 2, Cramer 0: Ashly Pena Cortez (1 goal), Keegan Carpenter (1 goal) and goalkeeper Jordyn Avery (1 save) led Lincolnton.

 

 

 

 

 

Pro soccer

The 2026 Charlotte FC schedule:

(3-2-2 record)
Saturday, Feb. 21 at St. Louis (T 1-1)
Saturday, Feb. 28 at L.A. Galaxy (L 0-3)
Saturday, March 7 Austin (W 3-1)
Saturday, March 14 Miami (T 0-0)
Saturday, March 21 New York Red Bulls (W 6-1)
Saturday, Apr. 4 Philadelphia (W 2-1)
Saturday, Apr. 11 Nashville (L 1-2)
Saturday, Apr. 18 at New York, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, Apr. 22 at Orlando, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Apr. 25 at Nashville, 8:30 PM
Saturday, May 2 at New England, 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 9 Cincinnati, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, May 13 New York, 7:00 PM
Saturday, May 16 Toronto, 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 23 New England, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, July 22 Atlanta, 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 25 at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 1 at Chicago, 8:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 15 Columbus, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, Aug. 19 at Toronto, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 22 DC, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Aug. 29 at Atlanta, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sept. 5 Houston, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, Sept. 9 at Montreal, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sept. 12 at Cincinnati, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sept. 19 at DC, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Sept. 26 Chicago, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 10 Dallas, 7:30 PM
Wednesday, Oct. 14 at Columbus, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 17 at Philadelphia, 2:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 24 at Portland, 10:30 PM
Wednesday, Oct. 28 Montreal, 7:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 31 Orlando, 1:00 PM
Saturday, Nov. 7 at Miami, 4:00 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

Middle school baseball

Gaston County Conference standings through April 16:

Stanley 7-0
Mount Holly 6-1
Belmont 6-2
Chavis 6-2
Cramerton 4-3
W.C. Friday 4-3
Bessemer City 4-4
Holbrook 2-5
York Chester 1-6
Grier 0-7
Southwest 0-7

The Gaston County Conference schedule:

(Thursday, April 16)
Chavis 8, W.C. Friday 3

Bessemer City 19, Grier 0 (3 innings)

Belmont 20, Holbrook 0 (4 innings): Maddox Vaughn, Gray Gathings, Evan Boatwright and Conner Ensley combined on the no-hitter with 9 strikeouts and Boatwright (4 hits), Easton Messick (3 hits) and Brooks Lineberger (2 hits) led the Belmont offense.

Mount Holly 19, York Chester 0 (3 innings)

Stanley 16, Southwest 0 (3 innings): Winning pitcher Luke Addington and top hitters Jeffrey Jones, Addington, Bruton Beatty, Kane Navey, Kaiden Neill and McGarrett Hill led Stanley.

BYE – Cramerton

(Monday, April 20)
Cramerton at Bessemer City
W.C. Friday at Belmont
Grier at York Chester
Holbrook at Stanley
Mount Holly at Southwest
BYE – Chavis
(Thursday, April 23)
Belmont at Chavis
York Chester at Cramerton
Stanley at W.C. Friday
Southwest at Grier
Mount Holly at Holbrook
BYE – Bessemer City
(Monday, April 27)
Bessemer City at York Chester
Chavis at Stanley
Cramerton at Southwest
W.C. Friday at Mount Holly
Grier at Holbrook
BYE – Belmont
(Thursday, April 30)
Semifinals: No. 4 at No. 1, No. 3 at No. 2
(Wednesday, May 6)
Baseball finals: Semifinal winners at highest remaining seed

 

 

 

 

 

Middle school girls soccer

Gaston County Conference standings through April 16:

Belmont 8-0
Cramerton 6-1
W.C. Friday 6-1
Mount Holly 5-2
Stanley 4-3
Chavis 4-4
Holbrook 3-4
York Chester 2-5
Bessemer City 2-6
Grier 0-7
Southwest 0-7

The Gaston County Conference schedule:

(Thursday, April 16)
W.C. Friday 2, Chavis 1: Braelyn Whitten had 2 goals for Friday.

Bessemer City 2, Grier 1

Belmont 7, Holbrook 0

Mount Holly 4, York Chester 2

Stanley 2, Southwest 0: Currie McElwaine scored 2 goals for Stanley.

BYE – Cramerton

(Monday, April 20)
Cramerton at Bessemer City
W.C. Friday at Belmont
Grier at York Chester
Holbrook at Stanley
Mount Holly at Southwest
BYE – Chavis
(Thursday, April 23)
Belmont at Chavis
York Chester at Cramerton
Stanley at W.C. Friday
Southwest at Grier
Mount Holly at Holbrook
BYE – Bessemer City
(Monday, April 27)
Bessemer City at York Chester
Chavis at Stanley
Cramerton at Southwest
W.C. Friday at Mount Holly
Grier at Holbrook
BYE – Belmont
(Thursday, April 30)
Semifinals: No. 4 at No. 1, No. 3 at No. 2
(Wednesday, May 6)
Baseball finals: Semifinal winners at highest remaining seed

 

 

 

 

 

Middle school track

The Gaston County schedule

(Wednesday, March 18)
Bessemer City, Chavis, York Chester, Stanley at Stanley, ppd., no date
Grier, Belmont, Holbrook, Cramerton at Belmont

(Monday, March 23)
Cramerton, Grier, Chavis at Stuart Cramer

(Wednesday, March 25)
Stanley, Bessemer City, Holbrook, Southwest at Stanley: Stanley won both meets as the boys had 75 points and the girls 70. The boys finished ahead of Holbrook (58 1/2), Southwest (43 1/2) and Bessemer City (7) with the girls finishing ahead of Holbrook (69), Southwest (40) and Bessemer City (5).

Belmont, Mount Holly, W.C. Friday, York Chester at Belmont: Belmont won both meets as the boys had 111 points and the girls 76.7. The boys finished ahead of Mount Holly (40), W.C. Friday (22) and York Chester (11) with the girls finishing ahead of Mount Holly (73.8), W.C. Friday (31 1/2) and York Chester (2).

(Tuesday, March 31)
W.C. Friday, Mount Holly, Southwest at North Gaston

(Wednesday, April 1)
Holbrook, Stanley, Chavis, W.C. Friday at Bessemer City HS: Holbrook won both meets as the boys had 88 points and girls 72. The boys finished ahead of Stanley (72), W.C. Friday (15) and Chavis (9) with the girls finishing ahead of Stanley (62), W.C. Friday (31) and Chavis (16).

Mount Holly, York Chester, Southwest, Cramerton at Stanley

Belmont, Bessemer City, Grier at Belmont: Belmont won both meets as the boys had 98 points and the girls 77. The boys finished ahead of Grier (20) and Bessemer City (8) with the girls finishing ahead of Grier (40) and Bessemer City (9).

(Tuesday, April 14)
York Chester, Holbrook, Cramerton at Bessemer City HS: Cramerton won both meets as the boys had 68 points and the girls 65. The boys finished ahead of Holbrook (53) and York Chester (5) with the girls finishing ahead of Holbrook (61).

(Wednesday, April 15)
Southwest, Belmont, Grier, W.C. Friday at Belmont
Chavis, Mount Holly, Stanley, Bessemer City at Stanley

(Wednesday, April 22)
Division 1 Meet – Host: Southwest at Bessemer City HS
Division 2 Meet – Host: Stanley at Bessemer City HS

(Wednesday, April 29)
County Championship – Host: Cramerton at Stuart Cramer

 

 

 

 

 

Pro baseball

Jacksonville 5, Charlotte 3: A 2-0 Knights’ lead after 4 1/2 innings didn’t hold up as the host Jumbo Shrimp won the third game of the six-game series. The fourth game is 7:05 p.m. Friday night.

Here is the full Charlotte Knights’ 2026 schedule:

(7-9 record 1st half)
March 27-29 Durham 3-0 (W 19-2, W 2-1 in 11, W 4-3)
March 31-April 5 at Nashville 1-4 (L 3-7, W 9-3, L 0-4, L 6-7, ppd, L 5-7)
April 7-12 Memphis 3-3 (L 4-9, W 7-3, L 1-4, W 9-8 in 10, L 4-6, W 13-4)
April 14-19 at Jacksonville 0-2 (L 0-3, L 2-3, L 3-5)
April 21-26 Nashville
April 28-May 3 Gwinnett
May 5-10 at Jacksonville
May 12-17 Norfolk
May 19-24 at Gwinnett
May 26-31 Jacksonville
June 2-7 at Durham
June 9-14 Oklahoma City
June 16-21 at Buffalo
June 23-28 Rochester
June 30-July 5 at Memphis
July 7-12 Nashville
July 17-19 at Durham
July 21-26 Norfolk
July 28-August 2 at Nashville
August 4-9 Durham
August 11-16 at Rochester
August 18-23 at Scranton-WB
August 25-30 Memphis
September 1-6 at Gwinnett
September 8-13 Buffalo
September 15-20 at Norfolk

 

Here is the full Gastonia Ghost Peppers’ 2026 schedule:

(0-0 record, 0-0 1st half, 0-0 2nd half)

-1st half
April 21-23 at High Point
April 24-26 High Point
April 28-May 3 at York
May 5-10 Southern Maryland
May 12-17 at Long Island
May 19-20 Charleston, W.Va.
May 22-24 at Charleston, W.Va.
May 26-28 at Lexington
May 29-31 Charleston, W.Va.
June 2-7 Lancaster
June 9-14 at Lexington
June 16-21 Staten Island
June 23-28 at Lexington
June 30-July 2 Lexington
-2nd half
July 3-5 Charleston, W.Va.
July 7-12 at Hagerstown
July 14-19 Lexington
July 21-26 at Charleston, W.Va.
July 28, 30-31-Aug. 2 Hagerstown
Aug. 4-6 Southern Maryland
Aug. 7-9 at Lexington
Aug. 11-16 at High Point
Aug. 18-23 Charleston, W.Va.
Aug. 25-30 at Southern Maryland
Sept. 1-6 High Point
Sept. 8-10 Lexington
Sept. 11-13 at High Point

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auto racing

Here is the full 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule with race winners in parentheses:

Feb. 4 — Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium (Ryan Preece)
Feb. 15 — Daytona 500 (Tyler Reddick)
Feb. 22 — Atlanta (Reddick-2)
March 1 — Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas (Reddick-3)
March 8 — Phoenix (Ryan Blaney)
March 15 — Las Vegas (Denny Hamlin)
March 22 — Darlington, South Carolina (Reddick-4)
March 29 — Martinsville, Virginia (Chase Elliott)
April 5 — off weekend
April 12 — Bristol, Tennessee (Ty Gibbs)
April 19 — Kansas
April 26 — Talladega, Alabama
May 3 — Texas
May 10 — Watkins Glen, New York
May 17 — All-Star Race (Dover)
May 24 — Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte)
May 31 — Nashville, Tennessee
June 7 — Michigan
June 14 — Pocono in Long Pond, Pennsylvania
June 21 — San Diego
June 28 — Sonoma, California
July 5 — Chicagoland
July 12 — Atlanta
July 19 — North Wilkesboro
July 26 — Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis)
Aug. 2 — off weekend
Aug. 9 — Iowa
Aug. 15 — Richmond, Virginia
Aug. 23 — New Hampshire
Aug. 29 — Daytona, Florida
Sept. 6 — Darlington
Sept. 13 — Gateway in Madison, Illinois
Sept. 19 — Bristol
Sept. 27 — Kansas
Oct. 4 — Las Vegas
Oct. 11 — Charlotte Roval
Oct. 18 — Phoenix
Oct. 25 — Talladega
Nov. 1 — Martinsville
Nov. 8 — Homestead, Florida

 

 

 

 

Rodeo

Professional Bull Riding Unleash the Beast tour schedule for Greensboro-based Carolina Cowboys:

Feb. 1 – Golden 1 Center Sacramento- Austin Gamblers (L 173.90-256.90)
Feb. 21 – Progressive PBR Jacksonville- Florida Freedom (L 158.70-169.25)
March 22 – Ram Trucks PBR Indianapolis- Nashville Stampede (W 88.70- 0.00)
(DNQ for playoffs)

Team Challenge playoff results
March 29 at Albuquerque: Semifinal- (No. 1 Missouri Thunder def. No. 4 Florida Freedom 83.65-0.00)
April 17 at Billings: Semifinal- (No. 2 Austin Gamblers vs. No. 3 Kansas City Outlaws)
April 26 at Tacoma: Championship- (No. Missouri Thunder vs. April 17 winner)

Upcoming events:
April 12 – First Premier Bank PBR Sioux Falls
April 18 – PBR Billings
April 26 – Cooper Tires PBR Tacoma
May 10 – PBR World Finals at Cowtown Coliseum
Sept. 18-20 – Greensboro First Horizon Coliseum Complex