10-25-21 roundup: Pro football and basketball, College football and soccer, High school football, boys soccer and volleyball, Middle school football

By Richard Walker

After setting history with the franchise’s first 3-0 start in history, the Charlotte Hornets were oh so close to 4-0 on Monday night in front of a vocal crowd of 17,238 at Spectrum Center.

But the Boston Celtics closed the game on a 38-15 surge to pull out a 140-129 overtime victory as the Hornets dipped to 3-1.

Charlotte led 114-102 with six minutes left in regulation before a 20-8 run forged overtime and the Celtics (2-2) took charge in the extra period and eventually scored the final 14 points of the extra period after the Hornets had taken a 129-126 lead.

Jayson Tatum had a game-high 41 points to lead Boston, which also got 30 points from Jaylen Brown. The Hornets have seven double-digit scorers – Miles Bridges (25 points), LaMelo Ball (25), Kelly Oubre (19), Gordon Hayward (15), Jalen McDaniels (13), Mason Plumlee (12) and Ish Smith (10).

Earlier Monday, Miles Bridges was named Eastern Conference player of the week to become the 13th player in franchise history to earn the honor.

Bridges averaged 25.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals in three games last week as the Hornets made their 3-0 start.

Here is the Charlotte Hornets’ full regular season schedule:

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 7:00
Fri. 29 at Miami 7:30
Sun. 31 PORTLAND 7:00
NOVEMBER
Mon. 1 CLEVELAND 7:00
Wed. 3 at Golden State 10:00
Fri. 5 at Sacramento 10:00
Sun. 7 at LA Clippers 9:00
Mon. 8 at L.A. Lakers 10:30
Wed. 10 at Memphis 8:00
Fri. 12 NEW YORK 7:00
Sun. 14 GOLDEN STATE 7:00
Wed. 17 WASHINGTON 7:00
Fri. 19 INDIANA 7:00
Sat. 20 at Atlanta 7:30
Mon. 22 at Washington 7:00
Wed. 24 at Orlando 7:00
Fri. 26 MINNESOTA 7:00
Sat. 27 at Houston 8:00
Mon. 29 at Chicago 8:00
DECEMBER
Wed. 1 at Milwaukee 8:00
Sun. 5 at Atlanta 6:00
Mon. 6 PHILADELPHIA 7:00
Wed. 8 PHILADELPHIA 7:00
Fri. 10 SACRAMENTO 7:00
Mon. 13 at Dallas 8:30
Wed. 15 at San Antonio 8:30
Fri. 17 at Portland 10:00
Sun. 19 at Phoenix 8:00
Mon. 20 at Utah 9:00
Thu. 23 at Denver 9:00
Mon. 27 HOUSTON 7:00
Wed. 29 at Indiana 7:00
JANUARY
Sun. 2 PHOENIX 7:00
Mon. 3 at Washington 7:00
Wed. 5 DETROIT 7:00
Sat. 8 MILWAUKEE 7:00
Mon. 10 MILWAUKEE 7:00
Wed. 12 at Philadelphia 7:00
Fri. 14 ORLANDO 7:00
Mon. 17 at New York 1:00
Wed. 19 at Boston 7:30
Fri. 21 OKLAHOMA CITY 7:00
Sun. 23 ATLANTA 7:00
Tue. 25 at Toronto 7:00
Wed. 26 at Indiana 7:00
Fri. 28 L.A. LAKERS 7:00
Sun. 30 LA CLIPPERS 1:00
FEBRUARY
Wed. 2 at Boston 7:30
Fri. 4 CLEVELAND 7:00
Sat. 5 MIAMI 7:00
Mon. 7 TORONTO 7:00
Wed. 9 CHICAGO 7:30
Fri. 11 at Detroit 7:00
Sat. 12 MEMPHIS 7:00
Tue. 15 at Minnesota 8:00
Thu. 17 MIAMI 7:00
Fri. 25 TORONTO 7:00
Sun. 27 DETROIT 7:00
Mon. 28 at Milwaukee 8:00
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 football

One day after a disappointing 25-3 loss at the New York Giants that extended his team’s losing streak to four games, Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule affirmed quarterback Sam Darnold is still his starter and tried to distance himself from a Sunday report that the Panthers could resume its pursuit of Houston Texans’ quarterback Deshaun Watson.

“What our team doesn’t need is a distracted coach and I’m here to win,” Rhule said when asked to comment about the report.

Watson, who played collegiately at Clemson, was pursued by the Panthers and other teams in the offseason but hasn’t played this season for Houston after 22 women filed lawsuits alleging sexual assault or harassment against him. The NFL is currently investigating Watson could be subject to discipline and/or suspension.

The Panthers reportedly were in trade talks with the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford (he was later traded to the Los Angeles Rams) and Watson before acquiring Darnold from the New York Jets.

Rhule said Darnold, who has struggled since leading the Panthers to a 3-0 start, would be the starting quarterback in Sunday’s game at Atlanta, adding, “I just want Same to play within the system.”

A week ago, Rhule said he wanted the team to be more run-oriented and try to cut down on its turnovers.

He reiterated that sentiment again on Monday.

“With the defense we have, if we can just run the football and protect the football, we can win games,” Rhule said.

Here is the Carolina Panthers’ 2021 schedule (with results):

Sept. 12 New York Jets (W 19-14)
Sept. 19 New Orleans (W 26-7)
Sept. 23 at Houston (W 24-9)
Oct. 3 at Dallas (L 28-36)
Oct. 10 Philadelphia (L 18-21)
Oct. 17 Minnesota (L 28-34, OT)
Oct. 24 at New York Giants (L 3-25)
Oct. 31 at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Nov. 7 New England, 1 p.m.
Nov. 14 at Arizona, 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 21 Washington, 1 p.m.
Nov. 28 at Miami, 1 p.m.
Dec. 5 BYE WEEK
Dec. 12 Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Dec. 18 or 19 at Buffalo, TBD
Dec. 26 Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Jan. 2 at New Orleans, 1 p.m.
Jan. 9 at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m

 

 

 

 

 

College football

Gardner-Webb defensive end Ty French was named Football Championship Series (FCS) national defensive player of the week on Monday by Stats Perform.

Also named Big South Conference defensive player of the week on Monday, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound sophomore from Moultrie, Ga., had nine tackles (five solo), four tackles for loss, three quarterback sacks, two fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown), a forced fumble and four quarterback pressures in a 28-17 home win over Robert Morris last Saturday.

The win ended Gardner-Webb’s school-record nine game Big South Conference losing streak.

Here’s the Carolinas Division I schedule this week:

(Thursday)
Troy at Coastal Carolina, 7 p.m.
South Florida at East Carolina, 7:30 p.m.

(Saturday)
Campbell at Charleston Southern, 1 p.m.
Gardner-Webb at Kennesaw State, 1 p.m.
Monmouth at North Carolina A&T, 1 p.m.
Stetson at Presbyterian, 1 p.m.
Furman at Chattanooga, 1:30 p.m.
Western Carolina at Wofford, 1:30 p.m.
Davidson at Morehead State, 2 p.m.
Elon at James Madison, 2 p.m.
Mercer at The Citadel, 2 p.m.
S.C. State at North Carolina Central, 2 p.m.
Florida State at Clemson, 3:30 p.m.
UL Monroe at Appalachian State, 3:30 p.m.
Charlotte at Western Kentucky, 4 p.m.
Duke at Wake Forest, 4 p.m.
Louisville at N.C. State, 7:30 p.m.
North Carolina at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.

Here’s the Carolinas Division II schedule this week:

(Saturday)
UNC Pembroke at West Liberty, noon
West Alabama at North Greenville, noon
Newberry at Erskine, 1 p.m.
Saint Augustine’s at J.C. Smith, 1 p.m.
Tusculum at Catawba, 1 p.m.
Winston-Salem State at Shaw, 1 p.m.
Bluefield State at Barton, 2 p.m.
Chowan at Virginia State, 2 p.m.
Virginia Union at Elizabeth City State, 2 p.m.
Livingstone at Fayetteville State, 2 p.m.
Mars Hill at Carson-Newman, 3 p.m.
Virginia Wise at Limestone, 4 p.m.
Lenoir-Rhyne at Wingate, 6 p.m.

 

 

 

College soccer

Belmont Abbey won the inaugural Carolinas Conference Developmental men’s soccer championship and finished as runner-up in the women’s soccer title game. Both games were played at Barton.

Belmont Abbey’s Deshaun Corry scored with 1:46 left in regulation for a 1-0 win over Mount Olive. Corry is a 2021 East Gaston High graduate.

The Crusaders defeated Barton 2-1 to advance to the final and Drew Daunt, a freshman from Tallahassee, Fla., was named MVP of the event.

In the women’s championship game, Barton won 3-2 on penalty kicks after it and the Abbey had tied 1-all in regulation time.

 

 

 

 

High school football

Here are standings through Oct. 25 with conference record listed first followed by overall record:

BIG SOUTH 3A
Kings Mountain 6-0, 8-1
Crest 6-0, 6-2
South Point 4-2, 6-3
Cramer 3-3, 5-4
Forestview 3-3, 4-5
Ashbrook 1-5, 1-6
North Gaston 1-5, 1-8
Huss 0-6, 0-7

WESTERN FOOTHILLS 3A
Statesville 6-0, 8-0
North Lincoln 5-1, 7-2
Hickory 5-1, 6-3
East Lincoln 4-2, 7-2
North Iredell 2-4, 2-6
West Iredell 1-5, 1-6
St. Stephens 1-5, 1-7
Foard 0-6, 0-8

CATAWBA VALLEY 2A
Maiden 6-0, 9-0
Bunker Hill 5-1, 8-1
West Lincoln 4-2, 7-2
Lincolnton 4-2, 4-5
Newton-Conover 3-3, 3-5
Bandys 1-4, 3-4
East Burke 0-5, 1-6
West Caldwell 0-6, 0-8

SOUTHERN PIEDMONT 1A/2A
Shelby 5-0, 8-1
Burns 5-0, 7-2
East Gaston 3-2, 5-4
Thomas Jefferson 3-3, 5-3
Bessemer City 1-4, 2-7
Cherryville 1-4, 2-7
Highland Tech 0-5, 1-8

QUEEN CITY 3A/4A
Hough 5-0, 9-0
Chambers 4-1, 8-1
West Charlotte 2-3, 6-3
North Meck 3-2, 5-3
Mallard Creek 3-2, 4-3
West Meck 1-5, 4-6
Hopewell 0-5, 1-8

SOUTH MECK 4A
South Meck 3-1, 7-2
Kell 3-1, 6-2
Myers Park 3-1, 6-3
Olympic 2-2, 5-3
Berry Academy 1-3, 2-5
Harding 0-4, 2-7

SOUTHWESTERN 4A
Butler 5-0, 6-2
Catholic 5-1, 7-2
Providence 3-2, 5-4
Independence 3-2, 4-4
Rocky River 1-4, 2-7
East Meck 1-4, 1-8
Garinger 0-5, 0-8

OTHERS
Chase 3-1, 8-1
Clover 2-1, 3-4
Mtn Island Charter 5-1, 8-1
R-S Central 2-2, 2-5
Lk Norman Charter 0-0, 5-3

This week’s schedule:

(Monday)
Thomas Jefferson 58, Highland Tech 0

(Tuesday)
East Burke at Bandys

(Friday)
Ashbrook at Huss
Crest at Kings Mountain
Forestview at Cramer
North Gaston at South Point
Burns at Shelby
Cherryville at Bessemer City
East Gaston at Highland Tech
East Lincoln at North Lincoln
Lincolnton at West Lincoln
Lake Norman Charter at Mountain Island Charter

Hickory at Statesville
St. Stephens at Foard
West Iredell at North Iredell
Bunker Hill at Bandys
East Burke at West Caldwell
Newton-Conover at Maiden
Hopewell at Hough
Mallard Creek at Chambers
North Meck at West Charlotte
Kell at Berry Academy
Olympic at Myers Park
South Meck at Harding
Butler at Independence
Garinger at Rocky River
Providence at East Meck
Carolina Bearcats at Thomas Jefferson
R-S Central at Chase
Clover, S.C. at Nation Ford

 

 

 

 

 

High school boys soccer

Here are the standings for teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties through Oct. 25 with conference record listed first followed by overall record:

BIG SOUTH 3A
Cramer 12-0-1, 18-2-1
Forestview 11-2, 14-5-1
South Point 9-4, 13-7
Ashbrook 6-5-1, 8-6-1
North Gaston 6-7, 8-9-1
Huss 3-9-1, 6-9-1
Kings Mountain 2-9-1, 3-13-1
Crest 0-13, 0-17

SOUTHERN PIEDMONT 1A/2A
Shelby 11-0, 16-1-2
Highland Tech 9-2, 11-4
Thomas Jefferson 7-4, 7-6
Burns 6-6, 9-6-1
East Gaston 5-6, 6-13
Bessemer City 1-10, 2-13
Cherryville 0-11, 1-14-1

OTHERS
Gaston Christian 3-2, 6-9
Gaston Day 5-0, 15-2
East Lincoln 9-3-1, 11-6-2
North Lincoln 4-9, 8-12
Lincolnton 11-0-1, 14-0-3
West Lincoln 1-12, 3-17
Lincoln Charter 3-6, 7-10-1
Mtn Island Charter 0-10, 3-13
Piedmont CC 10-1-1, 12-2-1

This week’s schedule

(Monday)
Ashbrook at Kings Mountain, no report
Forestview 5, South Point 3
Huss 5, Crest 4
Cramer 5, North Gaston 0
East Lincoln 2, St. Stephens 0
North Lincoln 2, Foard 1
Lincolnton at Maiden, no report
West Lincoln 4, East Burke 3
Piedmont CC 2, Queen’s Grant 0

(Tuesday)
Highland Tech at Shelby
Thomas Jefferson at East Gaston
Christ the King at Lincoln Charter
Bradford Prep at Piedmont CC
NCISAA 2A playoffs- Fayetteville Academy at Gaston Day

(Wednesday)
Cramer at Forestview
Huss at Ashbrook
Kings Mountain at Crest
South Point at North Gaston
North Iredell at East Lincoln
West Iredell at North Lincoln
West Lincoln at Lincolnton
Piedmont CC at Carolina International

(Thursday)
Cherryville at Bessemer City
East Lincoln at Lincoln Charter

 

 

 

High school volleyball

Here are conference-by-conference playoff results:

BIG SOUTH 3A
(Saturday’s first round)
No. 12 Crest d. No. 21 Forestview 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-11)
No. 20 South Point lost to No. 13 East Lincoln 0-3
No. 4 Kings Mountain d. No. 29 North Davidson 3-0 (25-5, 25-5, 25-8)
(Tuesday’s second round)
No. 12 Crest at No. 5 Central Davidson
No. 13 East Lincoln at No. 4 Kings Mountain

SOUTHERN PIEDMONT 1A/2A
2A state playoffs
(Saturday’s first round)
No. 23 Polk County d. No. 10 East Gaston 3-0
1A state playoffs
(Saturday’s first round)
No. 24 Cherryville at No. 9 Elkin, ppd., Monday
No. 8 Highland Tech d. No. 25 Corvian Community 3-0
(Tuesday’s second round)
Cherryville-Elkin winner at No. 8 Highland Tech

WESTERN FOOTHILLS 3A
3A state playoffs
(Saturday’s first round)
No. 1 North Iredell d. No. 32 West Charlotte 3-0
No. 5 Central Davidson d. No. 28 St. Stephens 3-2
No. 10 Foard d. No. 23 Ledford 3-0
No. 13 East Lincoln d. No. 20 South Point 3-0
No. 14 Hickory d. No. 19 North Buncombe 3-0
(Tuesday’s second round)
No. 17 Pisgah at No. 1 North Iredell
No. 13 East Lincoln at No. 4 Kings Mountain
No. 14 Hickory at No. 3 West Rowan

CATAWBA VALLEY 2A
2A state playoffs
(Saturday’s first round)
No. 1 East Surry d. No. 32 West Lincoln 3-0
No. 17 Bandys d. No. 16 R-S Central 3-1
No. 9 Maiden d. No. 24 Providence Grove 3-0
(Tuesday’s second round)
No. 17 Bandys at No. 1 East Surry
No. 25 Whitmore at No. 9 Maiden

Other NCHSAA playoff pairings
(Saturday’s first round)
1A- No. 13 Mount Airy d. No. 20 Mountain Island Charter 3-0
2A- No. 4 Lincoln Charter d. No. 29 Lexington 3-0
(Tuesday’s second round)
2A- No. 13 Randleman at No. 4 Lincoln Charter

NCISAA playoffs
(Saturday’s third round)
Gaston Day d. Fayetteville Freedom Christian Academy 3-0 (25-9, 25-7, 25-5)
(Thursday’s semifinals)
Caldwell Academy at Gaston Day

 

 

 

 

Middle school football

Tri-County Conference standings through Oct. 22 with division record listed first followed by overall record:

(East)
East Lincoln 5-0, 6-1
Kings Mountain 4-1, 4-3
Burns 3-2, 3-2
North Lincoln 2-3, 3-3
Lincolnton 0-5, 1-5
West Lincoln 1-4, 1-5
(West)
Crest 5-0, 6-1
Shelby 4-1, 7-1
R-S Central 3-2, 4-2
East Rutherford 2-3, 2-4
Thomas Jefferson 1-4, 1-5
Chase 0-5, 0-6

(Playoffs)
Oct. 21 semifinal: Crest 38, Kings Mountain 12
Oct. 22 semifinal: Shelby 16, East Lincoln 12

Oct. 28 championship: Shelby at Crest, 6 p.m.

 

 

 

Middle school boys soccer

Gaston County Conference standings through Oct. 25 games:

Belmont 1-0
Cramerton 1-0
W.C. Friday 1-0
Chavis 0-0
Grier 0-0
Holbrook 0-0
Mount Holly 0-0
York Chester 0-0
Bessemer City 0-1
Southwest 0-1
Stanley 0-1

(Monday’s matches)
Belmont 10, Bessemer City 1: Zeke Pruitt had four goals and Charlie Rodenberger, Ollie Soriano, Owen Bene, Blake Cheshire, Jent Miller and Buxton Smith scored one goal each for Belmont.

Mount Holly at Grier, no report

W.C. Friday 3, Southwest 1

Cramerton 5, Stanley 0: Stryker Warren (2 goals), Maxi Rodriguez (1 goal, 1 assist), Spencer Baker (2 assists), Kellen Albanese (1 goal), David Herrera (1 goal), Jacob Ledwak (1 assist) and Santi Calle (1 assist) led the offense and Tristan Holt, Josh Ramsey, Jarrett Bumpas and Nick Markley the defense for Cramerton.

York Chester at Chavis, no report

(Wednesday’s match)
Cramerton at Mount Holly

(Thursday’s matches)
Bessemer City at Stanley
Holbrook at W.C. Friday
Southwest at Chavis
York Chester at Belmont

 

Middle school volleyball

Gaston County Conference standings through Oct. 25 games:

Belmont 1-0
Chavis 1-0
Cramerton 1-0
W.C. Friday 1-0
Grier 0-0
Holbrook 0-0
Mount Holly 0-0
Bessemer City 0-1
Southwest 0-1
Stanley 0-1
York Chester 0-1

(Monday’s matches)
Belmont 3, Bessemer City 0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-6): Charlotte Weeks, Carsyn Redmond, McKenna Grice and Adeleigh Hutcheson led Belmont.

Mount Holly at Grier, no report

W.C. Friday 3, Southwest 0

Cramerton 3, Stanley 0: Arydn Thornburg, Addison Townsend, Cailey Evans, Julianna Mott, Finley Watson, Lilly Colette, Jordan Gates, Ava Cabe, Josie Searby and Reagan Bowie were Cramerton’s leaders.

Chavis 3, York Chester 0 (25-11, 25-7, 25-9)

(Wednesday’s match)
Cramerton at Mount Holly

(Thursday’s matches)
Bessemer City at Stanley
Holbrook at W.C. Friday
Southwest at Chavis
York Chester at Belmont