By Richard Walker The Charlotte 49ers won their first national postseason tournament on Wednesday with a 71-68 victory over Eastern Kentucky to take the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) championship at Daytona Beach, Fla. The 49ers (22-14) never trailed and twice led by 21 points in the first half before surviving a rally by Eastern Kentucky. […]
By Richard Walker Gastonia’s Harold Varner III is now a part of sponsoring a college golf championship. Varner, a 2008 Forestview High graduate and first touring PGA pro from Gastonia in history, will use his charitable HV3 Foundation to partner with the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and be a part of their 59th annual […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte 49ers advanced to the semifinals of the CBI postseason tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Monday night with a 76-65 victory over Milwaukee. The 49ers (20-14) advance to face Radford at 9 p.m. in Tuesday’s semifinals. In Monday’s win, which came against a Milwaukee (22-12) team coached by former Queens […]
By Richard Walker All area high school baseball teams have started conference play. Here are the area’s standings with conference record, overall record through games of March 17: Big South 3A Crest 2-0, 4-3 South Point 2-0, 4-3 Cramer 1-0, 6-0 Kings Mountain 1-0, 4-1 North Gaston 0-1, 3-4 Ashbrook 0-1, 0-5 Forestview 0-2, 2-5 […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte 49ers posted their first men’s basketball postseason victory since 2006 by rallying past Western Carolina 65-56 on Saturday in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. Charlotte (19-14) outscored the Catamounts (18-16) by a 45-25 margin in the second half with […]
By Richard Walker One of Gaston College’s most accomplished alumni will be honored for his athletic accomplishments this summer in Charlotte by the National Junior College Athletic Association. Leonard Hamilton, who was a racial pioneer for the school when he played basketball there from 1966 to 1968, will be a member of the third annual […]
By Richard Walker Michael Jordan’s tenure as Charlotte Hornets’ NBA owner is coming to an end according to a ESPN report that came out Thursday evening. Jordan, one of the greatest players in NBA history, is “engaged in serious talks to sell a majority stake in the franchise to a group led by Hornets minority […]
By Richard Walker Historic runs by a pair of NCAA women’s basketball tournament participants and a NJCAA women’s basketball team, two more women’s basketball postseason teams and another junior college national tournament participant highlight six local products who remain alive in college basketball postseason play. Gardner-Webb, Catawba and Catawba Valley Community College are on historic […]
2023 high school football schedules Here are the full 2023 schedules for the high schools of Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties: Game times at 7:30 p.m. unless noted ALL CAPS indicate conference games Ashbrook Aug. 18 Forest Hills Aug. 25 OFF Sept. 1 West Meck Sept. 8 at East Gaston Sept. 15 CREST Sept. 22 […]
By Richard Walker Former Crest High standout Lawson Harrill of Campbell and Gardner-Webb junior pitcher Casey Young on Monday were given top baseball honors by the Big South Conference. Harrill, a 2019 Crest graduate and junior outfielder for the Camels, was named the league’s player of the week after hitting three home runs with a […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team has been invited to take part in the 2023 Discount Tire College Basketball Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla. The 16-team tournament begins on Saturday at the Ocean Center. Charlotte (18-14) is a No. 3 seed and will face No. 14 Western Carolina in its opening round […]
By Richard Walker Gardner-Webb’s history-making women’s basketball learned its NCAA tournament fate Saturday evening. And the Runnin’ Bulldogs (29-4) were announced as a No. 15 seed in one of the four regionals and will play No. 2 seed Utah (25-4) in a first round game on Friday in Salt Lake City. Gardner-Webb set school and […]
By Richard Walker North Carolina Area IV American Legion recently met to discuss the upcoming season and its membership for the 2023 season. Area IV will be divided again into two divisions – the East and West. The Eastern Division will include teams from Gaston, Lincoln and Mecklenburg counties – Gastonia Post 23 and the […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers will now have the opportunity to pick their quarterback of the future after dealing away four draft picks and wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 overall pick in the April 27-29 NFL Draft. Four quarterbacks are considered first-round possibilities in most mock drafts […]
By Richard Walker One area athlete and one area coach took top honors and 15 players from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties were honored in the N.C. Basketball Coaches Association (ncbca.com) District 10 all-star teams. Shelby’s Ally Hollifield was named District 10 girls player of the year and East Lincoln’s Jason Otey was named District […]
By Richard Walker Southwest Middle School broke a tie with longtime rival York Chester for the all-time winningest Gaston County Conference boys basketball champion on Wednesday. The Roadrunners completed a 12-0 season with a 51-49 win over Holbrook in a game played at the Huss High School gymnasium. It marks the 10th county tite in […]
By Richard Walker Holbrook Middle School’s girls basketball team completed a second straight unbeaten season on Tuesday night to claim the Gaston County Conference title. The 39-18 victory over Belmont at the Ashbrook High School gymnasium increased the Lions’ winning streak to 25 games. Only three streaks have been longer in league history – 36 […]
By Richard Walker Two teams will pursue unbeaten seasons when the Gaston County Conference’s boys and girls championship games are played on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. The girls championship on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Ashbrook High gymnasium, Holbrook (11-0) looks to extend its winning streak to 25 games and complete a second […]
By Richard Walker For the second time in school history, Gardner-Webb’s women’s basketball team will be playing in the NCAA tournament. The Runnin’ Bulldogs completed an unbeaten run through the Big South Conference on Sunday night with a 74-61 victory over High Point at Charlotte’s Bojangle’s Arena. Gardner-Webb improved to 29-4 overall with their 21st […]
By Richard Walker It was a tough day for Lincoln County’s state championship basketball hopefuls on Saturday. East Lincoln’s girls saw their title hopes and pursuit of an unbeaten season vanquished in a 49-42 Western 3A finals loss to West Rowan at the McDowell High School gymnasium. Coach Jason Otey’s finishes 31-1 and with the […]
By Richard Walker The two remaining area state playoff basketball hopefuls took as different a paths as you can take to reach today’s regional finals. But East Lincoln’s girls and Lincoln Charter’s boys are one step away from a March 11 date in their respective state championship games. East Lincoln’s girls entered the season with […]
By Richard Walker Next week’s Gaston County Conference middle school basketball championship finals matchups have been set after Thursday’s semifinals saw three favorites and one underdog take victories. In the boys final, unbeaten Southwest (11-0) will host No. 3 seed Holbrook (9-2) next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Huss High School gymnasium. And in […]
By Richard Walker South Point, Huss and Crest lead the 2023 All-Big South 3A Conference boys basketball selections in voting by league coaches. The Red Raiders, who took their first conference regular season title in school history, were represented by first team selection Greyson Kines and second team selections Sean Gore, Jaquis Rumph and Dylan […]
By Richard Walker A pair of Lincoln County schools are the area’s last remaining playoff teams after Tuesday’s regional semifinals. And both will pursue Western titles on Saturday. Lincoln Charter’s boys advanced to the Western final for the fifth time in eight years after knocking off East Gaston 73-57. The Eagles (25-11) previously finished as […]
By Richard Walker East Gaston High’s historic boys basketball playoff run continues on Tuesday when they face the area’s most experience postseason team in the Western N.C. 2A semifinals. East Gaston (25-2), which has never been this far in the playoffs in school history, will host Lincoln Charter (24-11) at 7 p.m. The Warriors’ historic […]
By Richard Walker After winning their respective leagues last season, four area teams are favorites to repeat as the 2023 softball season begins. Crest is the overwhelming favorite in the Big South 3A with Burns favored in the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A, East Lincoln in the Western Foothills 3A and Lincoln Charter in the Catawba Shores […]
By Richard Walker Gardner-Webb’s women’s basketball team completed a historic run through the Big South Conference on Saturday. The Runnin’ Bulldogs defeated USC Upstate 83-58 on “Senior Day” to complete the first 18-0 run through the league by a men’s team or women’s team in Big South Conference history. In fact, only seven other team […]
By Richard Walker There was a changing of the guard last year in area high school baseball. And, yet, even as there was a change with Burns and Kings Mountain claiming their first titles in many years, the area’s most prominent program (Cherryville) remained the last team standing as a N.C. 1A runner-up. This season, […]
By Richard Walker Five area high school basketball teams advanced to next Tuesday’s Western semifinals. In Class 3A boys, Crest won 85-70 at South Point to advance the No. 13-seeded Chargers into a matchup at top-seeded Central Cabarrus. In Class 2A boys, East Gaston won its first-ever third round game 58-40 over visiting Hendersonville and […]
By Richard Walker Eight area high school basketball teams enter Saturday’s third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association still in pursuit of state titles. Boys teams from East Gaston and South Point are in the midst of historic seasons while Crest and Lincoln Charter and in somewhat familiar situations. The girls team from […]
By Richard Walker The 2023 Gaston County Sports Hall of Fame will hold induction ceremonies on May 22 at the Gastonia Conference Center. University of North Carolina head football coach Mack Brown will be the featured speaker for the 5 p.m. event. Brown becomes the 10th national championship-winning coach to speak at the banquet that […]
By Richard Walker Former Forestview and Gaston Day standout Nate Hinton was invited to be a member of USA Basketball’s 12-man roster for the 2023 USA Men’s World Cup qualifying team. Hinton and his teammates have two games this week as the United State played Uruguay in Montevideo, Uruguay on Tuesday before playing Brazil in […]
By Richard Walker The winningest basketball coach in Gaston County history had his career come to an end in Tuesday’s first round of the 2023 state playoffs. Cherryville’s Scott Harrill, who announced his retirement earlier this month, had his Ironmen eliminated 95-60 by No. 3-seeded Eastern Randolph in the Class 1A playoffs. A 1989 Cherryville […]
By Richard Walker Whether you have state playoff experience or not, this week offers the opportunity to make history for 27 high school basketball teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties as the N.C. High School Athletic Association tournament begins on Tuesday. Here are the pairings of area teams for Tuesday’s opening round games: -BOYS […]
By Richard Walker Cramer’s Charlie Sly was a superlative award from Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln counties area on Saturday as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) concluded its 87th annual individual wrestling state tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum. The event ended with four team champions and 56 individual champions in the state’s four classifications. […]
By Richard Walker Twenty seven boys and girls high school basketball teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties found out their 2023 N.C. High School Athletic Association tournament pairings for the upcoming playoffs. The tournament begins with opening round games on Tuesday, Thursday and next Saturday before regional semifinals on Feb. 28 and March 4 […]
By Richard Walker Basketball teams from East Gaston and Cramer high schools set history with their conference tournament victories on Friday night. East Gaston’s boys edged Bessemer City 76-75 in overtime for the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference title on Friday. It was the Warriors first conference tournament title since 2005 and coach Gene Farrar’s team […]
By Richard Walker In Friday night’s Big South 3A and Southern Piedmont 1A/2A boys and girls basketball title games, the regular season seeds mostly held in the first two rounds as history will be set in all four championship games. In the Big South 3A boys game at Huss, South Point will seek its first […]
By Richard Walker Gardner-Webb basketball pioneer Laurence “Sonny” Johnson will be honored by his hometown in August. Johnson, the first African-American basketball player in Gardner-Webb history during the 1966-67 season, is part of the 2023 induction class of the Real Harlem Basketball Hall of Fame with 14 others on Aug. 12 at Salem United Methodist […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln High’s boys and girls swimming teams won the Western Foothills 3A Conference titles and its all-conference teams. Here are the league championship results and all-conference selections and top honors: (Boys) Final Team Standings: 1. East Lincoln 373 2. St. Stephens 365 3. North Lincoln 262 4. Hickory 139 5. Statesville […]
By Richard Walker Regular season champion Gaston Christian and fourth-place finisher Gaston Day comprised five of the 16 players honored by the Metrolina Athletic Conference boys high school basketball all-league team. Gaston Christian, which went 12-2 in league play, was represented by Corey Gaines, Makoi Mabor Marier and Cameron Newman. And Gaston Day, which went […]
By Richard Walker Lincoln Charter repeated as girls Class 1A/2A N.C. High School Athletic Association champion on Friday. Also, Burns’ Jacob Jensen won top honors as the Most Outstanding Performer in the meet. He set a new 1A/2A State Meet Record in the 50 Freestyle with a 20.33-second clocking to win the event. He also […]
By Richard Walker N.C. High School Basketball Association regular seasons ended on Friday all across the state and conference tournaments are slated to begin on Monday. Once the league tournaments are completed the NCHSAA will announce state playoff pairings on Feb. 18 and begin play in that tournament on Feb. 21. Here’s the final regular […]
By Richard Walker South Point, East Gaston and Huss set basketball history for their respective high school programs on Friday night with convincing victories. South Point’s boys (21-3, 11-3) rolled past North Gaston 83-45 on Friday to wrap up the Red Raiders’ first regular season conference title in school history. Coach Kody Kubbs’ team will […]
By Richard Walker The N.C. High School Athletic Association basketball regular seasons come to a close tonight and two Gaston County boys teams and one Gaston County girls team are on the cusp of history. South Point’s boys (20-3, 10-3) needs only to win at North Gaston on Friday night to clinch at least a […]
By Richard Walker Eighty-nine Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln county products begin college baseball seasons all over the country this year, including four preseason All-South Atlantic Conference selections, two players from the defending NCAA Division II championship team and a member of the country’s second-ranked team in a preseason ranking. At Wingate, the 2021 NCAA Division […]
By Richard Walker A former Shelby High football standout will be at the Super Bowl LVII as a coach – and extending a family legacy started by his father 23 years ago. Jeremiah Washburn, an offensive lineman at Shelby High from 1991 to 1993, is in his fourth season as defensive ends/outside linebackers coach for […]
By Richard Walker The coach who helped lead the Carolina Panthers into playoff contention has found a new home after the organization picked another coach to take the job on a full time basis. Steve Wilks, a 1987 West Charlotte High graduate, will become the new defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Wilks will […]
By Richard Walker Since most who know Belmont’s Art Shoemaker have either witnessed one of his pranks, been a victim of them or both says a lot that about 200 of his closest friends were able to surprise him last Friday. Shoemaker, who turned 80 last weekend, was honored as a Gaston County Hometown Hero […]
By Richard Walker Former Burns High state champion Scottie Montgomery has a new NFL coaching job. Montgomery, a 1996 Burns High graduate, has been hired as Detroit Lions assistant head coach and running backs coach. A 1994 Burns state championship player who earned All-ACC honors at Duke before playing in the NFL, Montgomery had been […]
By Richard Walker There’s been shift in the fortunes on three programs that have usually struggled in area high school basketball. East Gaston, Gaston Christian and South Point are enjoying historic seasons – and all three have either won or have a chance to win rare league titles. Gaston Christian clinched the first conference regular […]
By Richard Walker Gaston County’s all-time winningest basketball coach announced on Friday that he would be retiring from coaching at the end of this season. Cherryville High School coach Scott Harrill announced during the Ironmen’s 63-48 win over Highland Tech during “Senior Night” in their final game of the 2022-23 season at Nixon Gym. Harrill, […]
By Richard Walker Two of the winningest basketball programs in the Carolinas reside 40 miles apart in the North Carolina Piedmont. Unbeaten Conference Carolinas leader Belmont Abbey has a 15-game winning streak and is ahead by two games in the loss column with three weeks to go in its regular season starting with Saturday’s 2 […]
By Richard Walker Anyone in Gaston County who first meets Belmont’s Art Shoemaker walks away feeling good about a new relationship and can feel his passion for local athletics and community affairs that date to his childhood in the 1950s. A lifelong sports fan, Shoemaker played for Cramerton’s basketball team and was a manager for […]
By Richard Walker Cleveland County’s winningest high school football coach is a member of the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association 2023 Hall of Fame induction class. Jim Taylor led Shelby High to a 201-54-2 record as head coach from 1977 to 1997. During his tenure, the Golden Lions won 11 conference championships, three state titles […]
By Richard Walker Cherryville High School added two more trophies last weekend when its cheerleading team won its 24th and 25th state championships. The Ironmen cheerleaders won the North Carolina Cheerleading Coaches Association on Saturday at North Raleigh Christian Academy. Cherryville took titles in the Varsity D2 Game Day Division and the Small Varsity D2 […]
By Richard Walker During the recent Carolina Panthers head coaching search, reports indicated team owner David Tepper was interested in an offensive-minded coach. At Tuesday’s news conference to officially introduce Frank Reich, Tepper confirmed them. “Every year we get in these NFL (owners) meetings and every year they put some new rule in to benefit […]
By Richard Walker Less than a week after winning its first N.C. High School Athletic Association dual team wrestling match, Lincolnton High School will host the Western N.C. 2A regional on Wednesday night. And the Wolves will be hosting familiar opponents as all four Western N.C. 2A wrestling semifinalists are members of the Catawba Valley […]
By Richard Walker Three local high school basketball players are closing in school scoring records. Piedmont Community Charter’s Grace East surpassed 1,000 points last week and now has 1,019 points in 75 career games for the Patriots. She’s the third 1,000-point scorer in school history and has passed 2018 graduate Courtney Williams’ 1,017 career points. […]
By Richard Walker History was made and extended on Saturday during the opening two rounds of the N.C. High School Athletic Association dual team wrestling playoffs. Lincolnton won its first dual match in history and followed it up with a second straight win to advance into Wednesday’s Class 2A regional finals. The Wolves, who are […]