By Richard Walker The Charlotte Hornets went big in the draft as they drafted two college centers. But the franchise traded one center away in a deal that will reportedly net five future draft picks and kept the other one. Charlotte first selected Memphis center Jalen Duren with the 13th overall pick in the draft […]
By Richard Walker The ACC baseball tournament semifinal pairings are set and two of the four teams can expect large crowds supporting them on Saturday when the try to advance to Sunday’s championship game. North Carolina, fresh off a 10-0 win over top-seeded Virginia Tech in Friday’s pool play finale, will meet Notre Dame at […]
By Richard Walker Gaston Day School set school and county history on Thursday when it found out it won the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Wells Fargo all-sports award for Class 2A schools. The Spartans become the first Gaston County school in history to win a statewide all-sports award. In the 2021-22 school year, Gaston […]
By Richard Walker Three former local standouts will participate in upcoming National Junior College Athletic Association World Series games for the nation’s No. 1 ranked teams in two divisions. In the Division I tournament at Grand Junction, Col., that begins on Saturday, former East Lincoln High standout Ty Cobb and Walters State, Tenn., qualified as […]
By Richard Walker Gaston County’s first Olympian has a new coaching job. Former North Gaston High star Duane Ross was hired on Tuesday as University of Tennessee track and field coach. A 1991 North Gaston High graduate, Ross is a 2017 Gaston County Sports Hall of Fame inductee who was a state champion hurdler in […]
By Richard Walker Kings Mountain High’s first conference title in 13 years led to the team getting top honors in the 2022 Big South Conference all-league selection, highlighted by player of the year Zane Brockman and coach of the year Brad Melton. Kings Mountain had three other all-league picks in Charlie Melton, Caleb Broome and […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers stayed at No. 6 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft and chose a local player. Carolina selected N.C. State offensive tackle Ikem Okwunu, who played high school football at Providence Day. Ekwonu is the first N.C. State player drafted by the Panthers in their history. Carolina has five more […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Hornets will have a new head basketball coach after the team fired James Borrego after four years in that position. Borrego was named the 11th head coach in team history on May 10, 2018 and had guided the franchise to a 138-163 record in four seasons. “I want to thank […]
By Richard Walker When Alec Burleson was helping lead the East Lincoln High baseball program to four straight state playoff appearances as a standout pitcher and hitter, he dreamed of making the major leagues. Now in his third year as a professional in the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization, Burleson is one step away as a […]
By Richard Walker For the second straight season, the Charlotte Hornets saw their season end on the short end of a road NBA play-in tournament loss. A year after getting routed 144-117 at the Indiana Pacers in the league’s inaugural playoff tournament, the Hornets were blasted again on Wednesday in a 132-103 loss at the […]
By Richard Walker John Drew, one of Gardner-Webb’s greatest basketball players in history, died on Sunday at 67 in Houston, Tex., of bone cancer. Drew is one of four eventual NBA players for the Runnin’ Bulldogs – Artis Gilmore, George Adams and Eddie Lee Wilkins are the others – and his No. 22 jersey is […]
By Richard Walker Former Gardner-Webb and Belmont Abbey baseball standout Emilio Pagan has a new major league home as the 2022 major league and minor league season gets underway. Pagan was acquired in trade by the Minnesota Twins from the San Diego Padres. Entering his sixth season in the major leagues, Pagan has been in […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Knights begin their 2022 season with a six-game road trip to Norfolk that begins Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. The team held its annual media day and Gastonia’s Wes Helms, entering his second season as manager, is thrilled to have a traditional schedule and protocol after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled […]
By Richard Walker Former Belmont Abbey assistant coach Jonas Hayes guided Xavier to Thursday’s NIT championship as an interim head coach. Named interim head coach on March 16 when Xavier fired head coach Travis Steele, Hayes was an assistant coach at Belmont Abbey for five seasons (2007-08 to 2011-12) and has also been an assistant […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte 49ers and Gardner-Webb announced their 2022 college football schedules on Wednesday. Charlotte plays a schedule with eight Conference USA games and seven 2021 bowl teams and includes a first-ever home game against a Big Ten opponent (Maryland) and first-ever road game at South Carolina of the SEC. Fourth-year 49ers head […]
By Richard Walker Former Piedmont Community Charter and Kings Mountain High standout Adrian Delph continues picking up honors. Already named All-Sun Belt Conference for Appalachian State University, Delph on Wednesday was named first-team All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). All-District honors are voted on by NABC-member coaches across NCAA Division I and […]
By Richard Walker Most colleges transitioning to a higher level of competition generally struggle. Not Gardner-Webb’s basketball program. When the Runnin’ Bulldogs moved from junior college to senior college, they needed just three years for the school’s best national finish 50 years ago this week. After making back-to-back trips to the National Junior College Athletic […]
By Richard Walker The NCAA men’s basketball tournament field was announced on Sunday and five ACC teams, nearby Davidson and three teams with local connections in the 68-team field. ACC champion Virginia Tech, which became the first No. 7 seed to win the tournament when it knocked off top-seeded Duke 82-67 on Saturday, is the […]
By Richard Walker Quest Aldridge scored 23 points, hitting 13 of 15 free throws, and No. 3 seed Belmont Abbey used a late run to upset ninth-ranked and top-seeded UNC-Pembroke 79-73 on Sunday in the 2022 Conference Carolinas men’s basketball championship game played at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. It was the Crusaders’ (22-9) second […]
By Richard Walker Charlotte’s Major League Soccer debut drew a record crowd at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday night as Charlotte FC fell 1-0 to LA Galaxy. A MLS-record crowd of 74,749 attended the contest. Efrain’ Alvarez’s goal in the 77th minute was the only score of the contest. Here’s the full Charlotte FC […]
By Richard Walker Before last season, Shelby High’s girls basketball team had never even advance to a state championship. On Saturday at noon at Greensboro Grimsley High School, the defending state champion Golden Lions (22-2) will look to make their second straight appearance in the title game. The task will be daunting as Shelby faces […]
By Richard Walker Southwest’s boys and Holbrook’s girls will seek to finish off unbeaten Gaston County Conference championship seasons next week after posting semifinal victories on Thursday. Southwest (11-0) knocked off York Chester 53-42 and advances to host Belmont on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Hunter Huss High School gymnasium; Belmont (9-2) won 48-45 […]
By Richard Walker The N.C. High School Athletic Association set regional sites and times for Saturday’s regional boys and girls championship games. Here is the full statewide schedule: (West) 1A at Asheville A.C. Reynolds High School 4 p.m. – Girls: (2) Mountain Heritage vs. (5) Bishop McGuinness 6 p.m. – Boys: (1) Hayesville vs. (2) […]
By Richard Walker Tickets are available for the 2022 Gaston County Sports Hall of Fame. This year’s event will be held May 2 that starts with a 5 p.m. social and 6:30 p.m. dinner at the Gastonia Conference Center. The induction class is comprised of Cherryville’s Stan Crisson, Cramerton’s Joe Eller and Gastonia’s Bob Frye, […]
By Richard Walker Bessemer City’s boys and Shelby’s girls will play N.C. High School Athletic Association Western semifinal basketball playoff games on Tuesday. Bessemer City (23-4), in the Western semifinals for the first time since 1995, will visit perennial power Winston-Salem Prep in a 1A Western boys semifinal. Tuesday’s winner advances to Saturday’s Western 1A […]
By Richard Walker Two local teams survived Saturday’s third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association basketball playoffs. Bessemer City’s boys and Shelby’s girls won and advanced into the Western 1A and Western 2A semifinals, respectively, that will be played on March 1. Meanwhile, Crest and North Lincoln in 3A boys, Lincoln Charter in […]
By Richard Walker Eight boys teams and four girls teams remain alive as the N.C. High School Athletic Association basketball playoffs continue with second round play on Thursday. Following the first round, trends are already emerging from postseason play. Unbeaten area conferences include Queen City 3A/4A boys (4-0), Western Foothills 3A boys (5-0), Mountain Foothills […]
By Richard Walker Twenty-three high school basketball teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties found out their N.C. High School Athletic Association playoff pairings on Saturday. Boys teams from Burns, Crest, Kings Mountain and Shelby in Cleveland County, Bessemer City, Cherryville, Cramer, East Gaston, Mountain Island Charter and South Point in Gaston County and East […]
By Richard Walker Bessemer City’s Janiya Adams broke her own Gaston County High School girls basketball single game scoring record on Tuesday night in the Yellow Jackets’ 77-27 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference tournament victory over Cherryville. A junior guard, Adams scored 55 points to break her previous best of 50 points scored against Cherryville on […]
By Richard Walker Mountain Island Charter’s boys track team took a second straight state title on Friday night as they won the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1A/2A indoor track championship in Winston-Salem. The Raptors won the 2021 1A outdoor track title last spring. In Friday’s title-winning effort, Mountain Island Charter had 57 team […]
By Richard Walker Bessemer City High School’s boys basketball team enters Thursday’s home game with East Gaston seeking a historic title. The Yellow Jackets of coach Danny McDowell would clinch a least a share of the school’s first regular season boys basketball title since 1996 – and 10th in history. Monday’s 67-65 victory over preseason […]
By Richard Walker A sellout crowd of 19,420 at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center went home disappointed on Saturday as a huge third quarter lifted the Miami Heat past the Charlotte Hornets 104-86. It was Charlotte’s fourth straight loss to drop its record to 28-26. On a night when Gordon Hayward went zero for seven with no […]
By Richard Walker Eighty-six Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln county products begin college baseball seasons all over the country this month, including a preseason All-American and a starting outfielder for nationally-ranked East Carolina, Sophomore left-hander C.J. Mayhue, a 2019 Crest High graduate, was named third team preseason All-American by National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) earlier […]
By Richard Walker Former Ashbrook High and Gastonia American Legion Post 23 baseball star Wes Helms will be returning as manager of the Class AAA Charlotte Knights, the Chicago White Sox organization announced on Wednesday. Helms, a 1994 Ashbrook graduate who played 13 seasons in the major leagues, made his managerial debut last year with […]
By Richard Walker Four teams from Gaston County and one from Lincoln will represent the area in the N.C. High School Athletic Association dual team playoffs that begin on Monday. In Class 1A, Cherryville is the highest local seed and will host playoff matches. The Ironmen, in the playoffs for the 14th time in 16 […]
By Richard Walker Ever since middle school athletic programs began in Gaston County in 1949, basketball seasons had been held every year until last year’s schedule was completely wiped away by the coronavirus pandemic. That means the 11 schools in the Gaston County Conference are excited to get back in action in 2022 even as […]
By Richard Walker Cleveland County’s Kings Mountain and Shelby sit atop the standings in the Big South 3A boys and girls and Southern Piedmont 1A/2A boys and girls races, respectively, following a week in more games were postponed than played due to inclement weather. Here’s a result from Friday: South Point boys 73, Cramer 71: […]
By Richard Walker A Gastonia native, an original Charlotte Hornets player and an original Carolina Panthers player highlight a group of 11 that will be honored during the 2022 induction ceremonies for the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Gastonia’s Dave Robbins, a two-sport star at old Ashley High School, is being inducted for leading […]
By Richard Walker Inclement weather has pushed back Tuesday’s high school basketball a day as all schools in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties will be closed on Tuesday. Here’s the schedule of girls/boys doubleheaders that have been moved: (Tuesday) Ashbrook at Huss (ppd., Wednesday) Crest at Kings Mountain (ppd., Wednesday) Forestview at Cramer (ppd., Wednesday) […]
By Richard Walker A former South Point High football state champion will finish his college career at another school. Matthew Robinson, a 2018 South Point High graduate who was a member of the Red Raiders’ 2016 state championship team, announced on Friday on twitter that he was leaving Gardner-Webb and entering the college transfer portal. […]
By Richard Walker Crest is looking for a new football coach. Nick Eddins has left after five seasons to become head coach at Class 4A Pinecrest. The ninth head coach in Crest history, Eddins had a 43-17 overall record, 6-5 playoff record and led the Chargers to the 2019 and 2021 Big South 3A Conference […]
By Richard Walker Cramer High’s boys basketball team has moved into historic territory during the Storm’s 11-0 start to the season entering Tuesday’s Big South 3A Conference game at Kings Mountain. Coach Brad Sloan’s team is off to the 11th boys basketball start of 10-0 or better in Gaston County in the last 40 years. […]
By Richard Walker Friday night was milestone night for local high school basketball as a pair of Bessemer City High juniors surpassed 1,000 career points and a Lincoln Charter coach reached a victory milestone. Bessemer City’s Janiya Adams and Randall Pettus surpassed 1,000 career points as Bessemer City swept rival Cherryville with a 75-29 girls […]
By Richard Walker Coming off its largest win over a power five conference opponent in its last game, Gardner-Webb used that momentum to open its Big South Conference schedule with an 88-63 win at Charleston Southern on Wednesday. The Runnin’ Bulldogs improved to 7-7 overall in their first game since a 77-60 win at Georgia […]
By Richard Walker A 14-point lead in the middle of the third quarter wasn’t enough for the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night in a 124-121 loss at the Washington Wizards. Charlotte, which fell to 19-19 overall, led 82-68 with 5:17 left in the third quarter before Washington rallied by Kyle Kuzma’s game-high 36 points. Gordon […]
By Richard Walker Championship games will be held at Lincolnton, East Lincoln and Kings Mountain involving high school basketball teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties. In the People’s Bank Holiday Classic at Lincolnton High School, defending champion Cramer meets host Lincolnton for the boys championship and two-time defending champion Bandys meets West Lincoln for […]
By Richard Walker Wake Forest’s Isaiah Mucius hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for an 82-79 Deacons’ victory over the Charlotte 49ers on Friday to cap the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center. The Deacons (11-1) had led by as many as 19 points before Charlotte (5-5) rallied to tie the […]
By Richard Walker Three major college recruits from Cleveland County highlighted Wednesday’s national signing day as Crest’s Eli Hall signed with Wake Forest and Shelby’s Malaki Hamrick signed with North Carolina and Santana Hopper with Appalachian State. Additionally, Charlotte and Gardner-Webb added several players to their respective programs. At Charlotte, coach Will Healy signed 12 […]
By Richard Walker In an offensive shootout against North Carolina’s most prolific high school rushing attack in history, Shelby downed Wallace-Rose Hill 55-34 to win the 2021 N.C. 2A title at N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday. It was Shelby’s 19th state in school history – and seventh championship in nine years. Even after falling […]
By Richard Walker Former Ashbrook High standout British Brooks will be returning for another season with the University of North Carolina, the school announced on Wednesday. A 2018 Ashbrook graduate, Brooks has gone from recruited walkon to special teams standout and offensive contributor for the Tar Heels. This season, Brooks rushed for 223 yards and […]
By Richard Walker Lincoln County schools found out their all-conference award winners on Monday and all four schools are well represented in the Western Foothills 3A and Catawba Valley 2A conferences, respectively, in voting done by those league’s coaches. In the Western Foothills 3A, North Lincoln’s Kyle Kovalchuk and East Lincoln’s Ben Cutter came away […]
By Richard Walker It’ll be Wake Forest against Pittsburgh in next Saturday’s 8 p.m. ACC championship game at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. Wake Forest (10-2, 7-1) clinched the Atlantic Division title on Saturday with a 41-10 win at Boston College. Pittsburgh (10-2, 7-1) wrapped up the Coastal Division title last week and closed its […]
By Richard Walker Several area players made the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association all-state teams, including one player each from the state championship teams of Shelby (David Twiggs) and Gaston Day (Marco Wright). Also honored from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties were Joseph Bravo and Jack Matz from Cramer and Zach Zagorski from Lincolnton. Here are […]
By Richard Walker Highland Tech’s Ashlynn Stephens has been named North Carolina’s Class 1A high school player of the year by the N.C. Volleyball Coaches Association. Stephens, a senior, helped the Rams finish 19-4 overall, 10-1 in the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference and to a historic playoff run as Highland Tech advanced to the third […]
By Richard Walker The excitement of the 73,350 fans who came to Bank of America Stadium on Sunday and many more who watched on television was the return of quarterback Cam Newton to town as the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback. Newton had a solid game but it was the return of three members of the […]
By Richard Walker Shelby won its third N.C. High School Athletic Association soccer championship in dramatic fashion on Saturday. After Shelby and Greene Central went 120 minutes of regulation and overtime play with a scoreless tie, Shelby won the championship 5-3 on penalty kicks at Cary’s WakeMed Soccer Park. Golden Lions keeper Eli Wilbanks, who […]
By Richard Walker Crest, Shelby and South Point will be practicing on Thanksgiving Day. All three perennial local high school football powers took convincing playoff wins on Friday night to advance into next Friday’s regional semifinal round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs. Crest scored the first 21 points of the game before […]
By Richard Walker Six teams from Cleveland and Gaston counties remain in the N.C. High School Athletic Association high school football playoffs in Friday’s third round. The four games include a pair of regular season rematches as South Point hosts Forestview in Class 3A and Shelby hosts East Gaston in Class 2A. In the other […]
By Richard Walker Shelby will meet Greene Central on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary for the 2021 N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 2A state championship. The Golden Lions have previously advanced to the state finals three times – finishing as runner-up in 2008 and winning the 2009 and 2010 […]
By Richard Walker Shelby’s Jack Berkowitz scored the only goal of the Western N.C. 2A soccer championship less than three minutes in on an assist from Carter Bridges and the Golden Lions’ defense made the goal stand up for a 1-0 victory. The win sends Shelby (22-1-2) to its fourth state title game and first […]