1-12-25 roundup: Pro football, soccer and basketball, High school basketball, College football and basketball
By Richard Walker
When the old Charlotte Coliseum opened on Independence Boulevard in 1955, Davidson College was a soon-to-be Southern Conference power and UNC Charlotte was two decades away from setting NCAA basketball history.
Each found the venue perfect for their “home” games despite being 24 miles (Davidson) and 10 miles (UNCC) from their respective campuses.
Davidson, which began playing home games at its on-campus Johnston Gym in 1949, had played a handful of games at the Charlotte Armory-Auditorium but would use the old Charlotte Coliseum (now Bojangles’ Coliseum) as its home venue for 218 games from the 1955-56 season until opening its on-campus Belk Arena in the 1989-90 season.
Charlotte, which opened as the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina (called CCUNC) in the fall of 1946 as a night school located on the current Central Piedmont Community College campus, moved to its current location in 1965.
The 49ers played games at Garinger, East Mecklenburg and Independence high schools, the Grady Cole Center and the Harrisburg Gym for its first five years before moving to on-campus Belk Gym (affectionately called the “Mine Shaft”) in 1970.
And while the school played games at the tiny Mine Shaft until the 1994-95 season, Charlotte would play 195 “home” games at the old Charlotte Coliseum and 60 games at the since-imploded second Charlotte Coliseum (on Tyvola Road) before playing at its larger, on-campus Halton Arena after it opened in 1996.
Davidson’s games at the old Charlotte Coliseum featured matchups against No. 1-ranked teams in college basketball twice (1974 against N.C. State and 1979 against Duke).
Charlotte’s games at the old Charlotte Coliseum also featured marquee matchups, most notably a Feb. 28, 1976 game between future Boston Celtics’ NBA championship-winning teammates Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell and Robert Parish when the 49ers and Maxwell edged No. 19-ranked Centenary and Parish 79-78 in front of a sellout crowd. Maxwell (17 points, 10 rebounds) and former South Mecklenburg star Lew Massey (20 points) allowed Charlotte to overcome a 30-point, 17-rebound effort from Parish.
Since Davidson and Charlotte were the county’s oldest NCAA Division I teams, a rivalry between the two was a natural – and starting Feb. 18, 1980 the “Hornets Nest” Trophy series began at the old Coliseum.
Following Davidson’s 75-71 victory last month, Charlotte leads the series 31-20.
High school basketball
Here are area results and schedule:
(Friday, Jan. 3)
-BOYS
Bessemer City 86, East Gaston 61
Burns 70, Cherryville 33
Thomas Jefferson 51, Highland Tech 35
East Lincoln 99, Statesville 74
Hickory 80, North Lincoln 78
Shelby 58, Kings Mountain 53
South Point 79, Cox Mill 76
Piedmont CC 81, Sugar Creek 74
-GIRLS
Bessemer City 68, East Gaston 28
Burns 75, Cherryville 25
Thomas Jefferson 62, Highland Tech 11
East Lincoln 59, Statesville 13
North Lincoln 73, Hickory 55
Shelby 53, Kings Mountain 15
South Point 55, Cox Mill 44
Piedmont Community Charter 66, Sugar Creek 18
(Saturday, Jan. 4)
-BOYS
Crest 72, Asheville 58
-Phenom Hoops Ambassador Classic at Ambassador Christian
Gaston Day 57, Carolina International 52
Gaston Christian 57, Zebulon Heritage Christian 51
-GIRLS
Asheville 51, Crest 35
Team Australia 72, Shelby 43
(Tuesday, Jan. 7)
-BOYS
Cramer 71, North Gaston 58
Crest 66, Huss 59
Ashbrook 77, Kings Mountain 60
South Point 82, Forestview 67
East Gaston 67, Cherryville 48
Shelby 72, Bessemer City 58
North Lincoln 88, North Iredell 47
East Lincoln 93, West Iredell 50
Lincolnton 55, Bandys 46
Bunker Hill 60, West Lincoln 51
Lincoln Charter 73, Langtree Charter 42
Pine Lake Prep 75, Mountain Island Charter 64
Piedmont CC 69, Valor Prep 52
Concord Academy 80, Gaston Christian 77 (OT)
-GIRLS
Cramer 54, North Gaston 18
Huss 65, Crest 38
Ashbrook 55, Kings Mountain 27
South Point 70, Forestview 34
Cherryville 49, East Gaston 28
Shelby 68, Bessemer City 62
North Lincoln 62, North Iredell 51
East Lincoln 64, West Iredell 12
Bandys 70, Lincolnton 26
Bunker Hill 50, West Lincoln 37
Lincoln Charter 65, Langtree Charter 11
Pine Lake Prep 37, Mountain Island Charter 26
Piedmont CC def. Valor Prep by forfeit
Concord Academy 58, Gaston Christian 50
(Wednesday, Jan. 8)
-BOYS
Burns 71, Thomas Jefferson 59
Catawba Ridge, S.C. 51, South Point 49
Highland Tech 59, Langtree Charter 39
-GIRLS
Thomas Jefferson 54, Burns 35
Carson 42, Kings Mountain 37
Highland Tech 35, Langtree Charter 27 (OT)
(Thursday, Jan. 9)
-BOYS
South Point 62, Cramer 51
Ashbrook 67, Crest 55
Huss 75, Kings Mountain 70
Shelby 55, Highland Tech 50
East Lincoln 81, Foard 41
North Lincoln 74, St. Stephens 65
Lincolnton 90, West Caldwell 75
Newton-Conover 61, West Lincoln 59
Lincoln Charter 69, Pine Lake Prep 55
Gaston Christian 58, Westminster Catawba 44
Gaston Day 70, SouthLake Christian 64
-GIRLS
Cramer 44, South Point 38
Ashbrook 53, Crest 52
Huss 76, Kings Mountain 21
Shelby 47, Highland Tech 33
East Lincoln 52, Foard 49
North Lincoln 70, St. Stephens 16
Lincolnton at West Caldwell
Newton-Conover 72, West Lincoln 15
Lincoln Charter 50, Pine Lake Prep 29
Gaston Christian 63, Westminster Catawba 43
Gaston Day at SouthLake Christian
(Friday, Jan. 10)
North Gaston at Forestview (ppd., Jan. 13)
Bessemer City at Cherryville (ppd. Feb. 11)
East Gaston at Thomas Jefferson (ppd., Jan. 15)
Mountain Island Charter at Langtree Charter (ppd., Jan. 16)
Piedmont CC at Carolina International (ppd., Jan. 30)
(Saturday, Jan. 11)
-BOYS
Lincoln Charter at Combine Academy
(Monday, Jan. 13)
North Gaston at Forestview
Gaston Day at Gaston Christian
(Tuesday, Jan. 14)
Ashbrook at Forestview
Crest at Cramer
Huss at South Point
North Gaston at Kings Mountain
Burns at Bessemer City
Cherryville at Highland Tech
Shelby at East Gaston
East Lincoln at St. Stephens
Foard at North Lincoln
East Burke at Lincolnton
West Caldwell at West Lincoln
Lincoln Charter at Bradford Prep
Mountain Island Charter at Corvian Community
Piedmont CC at Jackson Day
Westminster Catawba at Gaston Day
(Wednesday, Jan. 15)
East Gaston at Thomas Jefferson
Shelby at Crest
(Thursday, Jan. 16)
Mountain Island Charter at Langtree Charter
(Friday, Jan. 17)
Cramer at Huss
Forestview at Kings Mountain
North Gaston at Ashbrook
South Point at Crest
Bessemer City at Highland Tech
Burns at East Gaston
Thomas Jefferson at Shelby
North Iredell at East Lincoln
West Iredell at North Lincoln
Piedmont CC at Cherryville
East Burke at West Lincoln
Maiden at Lincolnton
Christ the King at Lincoln Charter
Mountain Island Charter at Bradford Prep
Gaston Christian at Concord Academy
Gaston Day at Hickory Grove Christian
Pro basketball
Here is the Charlotte Hornets full 2024-25 results and schedule:
-Regular season
(*-Emirates Cup games)
OCTOBER
Wed. 23 at Houston (W 110-105)
Fri. 25 at Atlanta (L 120-125)
Sat. 26 MIAMI (L 106-114)
Wed. 30 TORONTO (W 138-133)
NOVEMBER
Fri. 1 BOSTON (L 109-124)
Sat. 2 BOSTON (L 103-113)
Mon. 4 at Minnesota (L 93-114)
Wed. 6 DETROIT (W 108-107)
Fri. 8 INDIANA (W 103-83)
Sun. 10 at Philadelphia (L 105-107 in OT)
Tue. 12 at Orlando* (L 89-114)
Sat. 16 MILWAUKEE (W 115-114)
Sun. 17 at Cleveland (L 114-128)
Tue. 19 at Brooklyn* (L 115-116)
Thu. 21 DETROIT (W 123-121 in OT)
Sat. 23 at Milwaukee (L 119-125)
Mon. 25 ORLANDO (L 84-95)
Wed. 27 MIAMI (L 94-98)
Fri. 29 NEW YORK* (L 98-99)
Sat. 30 ATLANTA 6:00 (L 104-107)
DECEMBER
Tue. 3 PHILADELPHIA* (L 104-110)
Thu. 5 at New York (L 101-125)
Sat. 7 CLEVELAND (L 102-116)
Sun. 8 at Indiana (W 113-109)
Fri. 13 at Chicago (L 95-109)
Mon. 16 Philadelphia (L 108-121)
Thu. 19 at Washington (L 114-123)
Fri. 20 at Philadelphia (L 98-108)
Mon. 23 HOUSTON (L 101-114)
Thu. 26 at Washington (L 110-113)
Sat. 28 OKLAHOMA CITY (L 94-106)
Mon. 30 CHICAGO (L 108-115 in OT)
JANUARY
Fri. 3 at Detroit (L 94-98 )
Sun. 5 at Cleveland (L 105-115)
Tue. 7 PHOENIX (W 115-104)
Thu. 9 at L.A. Lakers (ppd., no date)
Sat. 11 at LA Clippers (ppd., no date)
Sun. 12 at Phoenix 9:00
Wed. 15 at Utah 9:00
Fri. 17 at Chicago 9:30
Mon. 20 DALLAS 12:00
Wed. 22 at Memphis 8:00
Fri. 24 PORTLAND 7:00
Sat. 25 NEW ORLEANS 7:00
Mon. 27 L.A. LAKERS 7:00
Wed. 29 BROOKLYN 7:00
Fri. 31 LA CLIPPERS 7:00
FEBRUARY
Sat. 1 DENVER 7:00
Mon. 3 WASHINGTON 7:00
Wed. 5 MILWAUKEE 7:00
Fri. 7 SAN ANTONIO 7:00
Sun. 9 at Detroit 1:00
Mon. 10 at Brooklyn 7:30
Wed. 12 at Orlando 7:00
Thu. 20 at Denver 9:00
Sat. 22 at Portland 10:00
Mon. 24 at Sacramento 10:00
Tue. 25 at Golden State 10:00
Thu. 27 at Dallas 8:30
MARCH
Sat. 1 WASHINGTON 6:00
Mon. 3 GOLDEN STATE 7:00
Wed. 5 MINNESOTA 7:00
Fri. 7 CLEVELAND 7:00
Sat. 8 BROOKLYN 6:00
Mon. 10 at Miami 7:30
Wed. 12 at Atlanta 7:30
Fri. 14 at San Antonio 8:00
Tue. 18 ATLANTA 7:00
Thu. 20 NEW YORK 7:00
Fri. 21 at Oklahoma City 8:00
Sun. 23 at Miami 6:00
Tue. 25 ORLANDO 7:00
Fri. 28 at Toronto 7:30
Sun. 30 at New Orleans 7:00
Mon. 31 UTAH 7:00
APRIL
Wed. 2 at Indiana 7:00
Fri. 4 SACRAMENTO 7:00
Sun. 6 CHICAGO 1:00
Tue. 8 MEMPHIS 7:00
Wed. 9 at Toronto 7:30
Fri. 11 at Boston 7:30
Sun. 13 at Boston 1:00
Pro football
The 2024-25 NFL playoff schedule:
(Wild Card weekend – Jan. 11-13)
-AFC
No. 1 Kansas City – bye
(Saturday, Jan. 11)
No. 5 L.A. Chargers at No. 4 Houston – Houston 32-12
No. 6 Pittsburgh at No. 3 Baltimore – Baltimore 28-14
(Sunday, Jan. 12)
No. 7 Denver at No. 2 Buffalo – Buffalo 31-7
-NFC
No. 1 Detroit – bye
(Sunday, Jan. 12)
No. 7 Green Bay at No. 2 Philadelphia – Philadelphia 22-10
No. 6 Washington at No. 3 Tampa Bay, 8 p.m.
(Monday, Jan. 13)
No. 5 Minnesota at No. 4 L.A. Rams, 8 p.m.
(Conference semifinals – Jan. 18-19)
-AFC
No. 4 Houston at No. 1 Kansas City
No. 3 Baltimore at No. 2 Buffalo
-NFC
Lowest remaining seed at No. 1 Detroit
Other 2 Jan. 12-13 winners at highest remaining seed
(Conference finals – Jan. 26)
(Super Bowl – Feb. 9 at New Orleans)
AFC champion vs. NFC champion
College basketball
Here are the area men’s results and schedule:
(Tuesday, Jan. 7)
Catawba Valley CC 85, Cleveland CC 77
Gaston College 100, Converse JV 65
(Wednesday, Jan. 8)
Converse 68, Belmont Abbey 60
Florida Atlantic 75, Charlotte 64
Gardner-Webb 89, Winthrop 83
(Thursday, Jan. 9)
J.C. Smith 71, Elizabeth City State 55
Queens 75, Lipscomb 73
(Saturday, Jan. 11)
Bryant & Stratton Va. at Cleveland CC (ppd., no date)
Emmanuel at Belmont Abbey (ppd., no date)
Davidson 74, Fordham 64
High Point 96, Gardner-Webb 55
Pitt CC at Gaston College (ppd., no date)
Queens 67, Austin Peay 60
(Sunday, Jan. 12)
Tulsa 69, Charlotte 63
Pitt CC at Cleveland CC (ppd., no date)
(Monday, Jan. 13)
J.C. Smith at Fayetteville State
(Tuesday, Jan. 14)
Charlotte at Wichita State
(Wednesday, Jan. 15)
Davidson at LaSalle
Gardner-Webb at Radford
Gaston College at Denmark Tech
J.C. Smith at Bluefield State
Lees-McRae at Belmont Abbey
Southwest Virginia at Cleveland CC
(Thursday, Jan. 16)
Queens at Stetson
(Saturday, Jan. 18)
Belmont Abbey at UNC Pembroke
Cape Fear CC at Gaston College
Davidson at Rhode Island
Queens at Florida Gulf Coast
Sandhills CC at Cleveland CC
USC Upstate at Gardner-Webb
(Sunday, Jan. 19)
Memphis at Charlotte
(Monday, Jan. 20)
Belmont Abbey at Southern Wesleyan
(Tuesday, Jan. 21)
Livingstone at J.C. Smith
Saint Joseph’s at Davidson
(Wednesday, Jan. 22)
Cleveland CC at Guilford Tech
King at Belmont Abbey
Queens at North Florida
South Florida at Charlotte
UNC Asheville at Gardner-Webb
USC Salkehatchie at Gaston College
(Saturday, Jan. 25)
Belmont Abbey at Chowan
Davidson at Richmond
Fayetteville Tech at Cleveland CC
Gaston College at Richard Bland
Jacksonville at Queens
(Tuesday, Jan. 28)
Belmont Abbey at Erskine
J.C. Smith at Shaw
(Wednesday, Jan. 29)
Charlotte at Temple
Denmark Tech at Gaston College
Franklin Prep at Cleveland CC
Longwood at Gardner-Webb
North Alabama at Queens
(Thursday, Jan. 30)
Winston-Salem State at J.C. Smith
(Saturday, Feb. 1)
Central Carolina CC at Gaston College
Charlotte at UAB
Cleveland CC at Fayetteville Tech
Francis Marion at Belmont Abbey
Gardner-Webb at Winthrop
George Mason at Davidson
West Georgia at Queens
(Sunday, Feb. 2)
Cleveland CC at Johnston CC
College football
2024-25 College football Division I playoff/bowl schedule:
-College Football Playoff
(Friday, Dec. 20)
No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame – ND 27-17
(Saturday Dec. 21)
No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State – PS 38-10
No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas – Texas 38-24
No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State – OS 42-17
(Tuesday, Dec. 31)
-CFP Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 3 Boise State – PS 31-14
(Wednesday, Jan. 1)
-CFP Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
No. 5 Texas vs. No. 4 Arizona State – Texas 39-31 (2 OT)
-CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game
No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Oregon – OS 41-21
(Thursday, Jan. 2)
-CFP Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Georgia – ND 23-10
(postponed from Jan. 1 due to terrorist attack)
(Thursday, Jan. 9)
-CFP Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl
No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame – ND 27-24
(Friday, Jan. 10)
-CFP Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State – OS 28-14
(Monday, Jan. 20)
-CFP National Championship Presented at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 8 Ohio State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
-Bowl schedule
(Saturday, Dec. 14)
-Cricket Celebration Bowl at Atlanta
Jackson State vs. South Carolina State – JS 28-7
-IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl at Montgomery, Ala.
South Alabama vs. Western Michigan – SA 30-23
(Tuesday, Dec. 17)
-Scooter’s Coffee Frisco (Tex.) Bowl
Memphis vs. West Virginia – Memphis 42-37
(Wednesday, Dec. 18)
-Boca Raton (Fla.) Bowl
Western Kentucky vs. James Madison – JM 27-17
-Art of Sport LA Bowl at Inglewood, Cal.
Cal vs. UNLV – UNLV 24-13
(Thursday Dec. 19)
-R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston – SH 31-26
(Friday, Dec. 20)
-StaffDNA Cure Bowl at Orlando, Fla.
Ohio U. vs. Jacksonville State – Ohio 30-27
-Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Tampa, Fla.
Tulane vs. Florida – Florida 33-8
(Monday, Dec. 23)
-Myrtle Beach Bowl at Conway, S.C.
Coastal Carolina vs. UTSA – UTSA 44-15
-Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Boise, Id.
Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State – NI 28-20 (2 OT)
(Tuesday, Dec. 24)
-Hawai’i Bowl at Honolulu
South Florida vs. San José State – SF 41-39 (5 OT)
(Thursday, Dec. 26)
-GameAbove Sports Bowl at Detroit
Pittsburgh vs. Toledo – Toledo 48-46 (6 OT)
-Rate Bowl at Phoenix
Rutgers vs. Kansas State – KS 44-41
-68 Ventures Bowl at Mobile, Ala.
Arkansas State vs. Bowling Green – AS 38-31
(Friday, Dec. 27)
-Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl at Fort Worth, Tex.
Oklahoma vs. Navy – Navy 21-20
-Birmingham (Ala.) Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt – Vanderbilt 35-27
-AutoZone Liberty Bowl at Memphis, Tenn.
Texas Tech vs. Arkansas – Arkansas 39-26
-DirecTV Holiday Bowl at San Diego
Syracuse vs. Washington State – Syracuse 52-35
-SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Texas A&M vs. USC – USC 35-31
(Saturday, Dec. 28)
-Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Boston
North Carolina vs. UConn – UConn 27-14
-Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Bronx, N.Y.
Boston College vs. Nebraska – Nebraska 20-15
-Isleta New Mexico Bowl at Albuquerque, N.M.
Louisiana vs. TCU – TCU 34-3
-Pop-Tarts Bowl at Orlando, Fla.
Iowa State vs. Miami – Iowa State 42-41
-Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl at Tucson, Ariz.
Miami, Ohio vs. Colorado State – Miami 43-17
-Go Bowling Military Bowl at Annapolis, Md.
East Carolina vs. N.C. State – EC 26-21
-Valero Alamo Bowl at San Antonio
BYU vs. Colorado – BYU 36-14
-Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La.
Louisiana Tech vs. Army – Army 27-6
(Marshall opts out Dec. 14 due to transfer portal departures)
(Monday, Dec. 30)
-TransPerfect Music City Bowl at Nashville, Tenn.
Iowa vs. Missouri – Missouri 27-24
(Tuesday, Dec. 31)
ReliaQuest Bowl at Tampa, Fla.
Alabama vs. Michigan – Michigan 19-13
-Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl at El Paso, Tex.
Louisville vs. Washington – Louisville 35-34
-Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Orlando, Fla.
South Carolina vs. Illinois – Illinois 21-17
-Kinder’s Texas Bowl at Houston
Baylor vs. LSU – LSU 44-31
(Thursday, Jan. 2)
-TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at Jacksonville, Fla.
Duke vs. Ole Miss – Ole Miss 52-20
(Friday, Jan. 3)
-SERVPRO First Responder Bowl at Dallas
North Texas vs. Texas State – TS 30-28
-Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Charlotte
Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech – Minnesota 24-10
(Saturday, Jan. 4)
-Bahamas Bowl at Nassau, Bahamas
Buffalo vs. Liberty – Buffalo 26-7
Pro soccer
The Charlotte FC MLS team’s 2025 schedule:
Saturday, Feb. 22 at Seattle 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 1 Atlanta 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 9 at Miami 5 p.m.
Saturday, March 15 Cincinnati 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 22 San Jose 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 29 at Colorado 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 5 Nashville 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 12 at Montreal 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 19 San Diego 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 26 New England 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 3 at Columbus 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 10 at Nashville 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 14 at Orlando 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 17 Chicago 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 24 Columbus 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 28 at NY Red Bulls 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 31 at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 14 at Philadelphia 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 25 at Kansas City 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 28 at Chicago 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 5 Orlando 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 12 New York 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 16 DC 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 19 at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 10 at Cincinnati 6 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 16 Real Salt Lake 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 24 NY Red Bulls 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 30 at New England 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 13 Miami 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 19 at New York 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 27 Montreal 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 4 at DC 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 18 Philadelphia 6 p.m.