Friday’s roundup: High school basketball football, soccer, Middle schools and College basketball
By Richard Walker
Home sweet home. Well, sort of for Ashbrook High’s football team in this unprecedented winter and spring season caused by the COVID pandemic.
The Green Wave of first-year coach Darius James rallied late to win for the second time this season on Cramer’s turf field.
This time, Ashbrook beat Cramer 35-27 in a game originally slated to be played at Ashbrook. Earlier this season, Ashbrook beat Forestview 9-7 on the Cramer field in a game originally slated for Forestview.
The Green Wave improved to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big South 3A Conference entering the final two games of the season – at North Gaston next Friday and at home against Huss on April 9.
Cramer (1-4, 1-3) hosts Huss next Friday.
In other games:
West Lincoln 27, Bandys 7: The Rebels won their third straight as Mason Huitt and Hunter Leonhardt scored touchdowns. West Lincoln (3-2, 3-2) hosts East Lincoln next Friday.
Thomas Jefferson 42, Cherryville 14: The Gryphons (5-0, 4-0) stayed unbeaten against visiting Cherryville (1-4, 1-3), which plays again on Wednesday at Christ the King in Huntersville.
Christ the King 32, Bessemer City 28: A late Bessemer City rally came up just short. P.J. Tribble scored three touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets (1-4, 1-3), who visit Thomas Jefferson next Thursday.
Burns 49, East Gaston 6: Jeremiah Norris scored three touchdowns, Cam’Ron Sweezy two and Ben Mauney threw two touchdown passes for the Bulldogs (4-1, 4-1), who visit county rival Crest next Thursday for a non-conference game.
Community School of Davidson 42, Highland Tech 14: The visiting Rams fell to 1-2 overall and 1-2 in the Southern Piedmont Conference entering next Thursday’s home game against Union Academy.
Maiden 46, East Lincoln 38: The Blue Devils (4-0, 4-0) won the battle of the unbeatens at East Lincoln (4-1, 3-1), who visit West Lincoln next Friday. Tyler Mizzell had two touchdown runs and threw one touchdown pass and Paulie Menegay had two touchdown runs for the East Lincoln.
Pine Lake Prep 46, Mountain Island Charter 26: The visiting Raptors fell to 1-4, 1-3 entering next Thursday’s home game against Community School of Davidson.
Newton-Conover 27, North Lincoln 16: The Knights (2-3, 1-3) lost their third straight game enering next Friday’s game at county rival Lincolnton.
R-S Central 21, South Point 19: For the second time this season, a late two-point conversion try came up short in a Red Raiders’ loss. South Point (3-2, 2-2), which visits Shelby next Friday, got two touchdowns from Hunter Hogue and two field goals from Carson Smith.
Saturday’s schedule
North Gaston at Crest, noon
Forestview vs. Huss at Cramer, 2 p.m.
Kings Mountain at Shelby, 7:30 p.m.
More Friday scores:
Chase 51, East Rutherford 8
Kell 70, Berry Academy 7
Butler 52, Hickory Ridge 14
Myers Park 58, East Meck 0
Providence 47, Harding 0
Hough 50, West Charlotte 14
Independence 31, Garinger 0
Mallard Creek 49, North Meck 20
Hopewell 20, Mooresville 14
Olympic 35, West Meck 6
Porter Ridge 30, Rocky River 16
South Meck 17, Kannapolis Brown 14
Vance 35, Lake Norman 16
College football
Kings Mountain senior quarterback Ethan Reid announced on twitter that he has committed to play football at Appalachian State. A 6-foot-4, 225-pounder, Reid also had received offers from Akron, Bryant and VMI and had received interest from the Charlotte 49ers.
High school softball
Bessemer City High School announced on Friday that it will remember late coach Calvin Albright at the school’s home softball game against Cherryville on Tuesday, April 13th. The program will begin at 4:30 p.m. followed by the game at 5 pm.
High school boys soccer
NCHSAA regional finals results and state finals pairings:
1A
East – #9 Franklin Academy 3, #7 Voyager Academy 2
West – #9 Pine Lake Prep 1, #3 Community School of Davidson 0
Final – #9 Franklin Academy Patriots (9-1-0) vs. #9 Pine Lake Prep Pride (13-2-1), Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Koka Booth Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary
2A
East – #10 Croatan 2, #16 Richlands 0
West – #1 Hibriten 2, #7 Ledford 0
Final – #10 Croatan 4, #1 Hibriten 1 (OT)
3A
East – #2 New Hanover 3, #4 Southern Alamance 0
West – #3 Weddington 3, #16 Hickory 2
Final – #2 New Hanover Wildcats (15-0-0) vs. #3 Weddington Warriors (15-1-1), Saturday at 6 p.m. at Koka Booth Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary
4A
East – #8 Cardinal Gibbons 2, #10 Apex 1
West – #1 Myers Park 1, #2 Northwest Guilford 0
Final – #8 Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders (13-2-1) vs. #1 Myers Park Mustangs (12-0-1), Saturday at 11 a.m. at Koka Booth Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary
High school lacrosse
Boys 1A/2A/3A – Saturday at 6 p.m at Cardinal Gibbons HS, Raleigh
#6 East Chapel Hill Wildcats (10-4) vs. #5 Marvin Ridge Mavericks (14-3)
Boys 4A – Friday at 7 p.m. at Cardinal Gibbons HS, Raleigh
#5 Cardinal Gibbons 14, #5 Hough 5
Girls Open – Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Cardinal Gibbons HS, Raleigh
#3 East Chapel Hill Wildcats (15-2) vs. #1 Weddington Warriors (17-1)
Middle school softball
Gaston County Conference standings:
-Division I
Holbrook 2-0
Mount Holly 2-0
Cramerton 1-1
Southwest 0-2
Grier 0-2
-Division II
Belmont 2-0
Chavis 2-0
Stanley 1-2
Bessemer City 0-1
W.C. Friday 0-2
Monday’s games
Grier at Cramerton
Stanley at York Chester
Holbrook at Mount Holly
Belmont at Chavis
Bessemer City at W.C. Friday
Tuesday’s game
Southwest at Grier
Wednesday’s game
Belmont at Bessemer City
Thursday’s games
Bessemer City at Stanley
Mount Holly at Southwest
Cramerton at Holbrook
York Chester at Belmont
Chavis at W.C. Friday
(End of regular season)
Middle school boys soccer
Gaston County Conference standings:
-Division I
Holbrook 2-0, 2-1
Cramerton 2-0, 3-0
Grier 2-1, 2-1
Mount Holly 0-2, 0-2
Southwest 0-3, 0-3
-Division II
Belmont 2-0, 3-0
Stanley 2-1, 2-1
W.C. Friday 1-2, 1-2
Chavis 0-1-1, 0-2-1
York Chester 0-1-1, 0-1-1
Monday’s games
Cramerton at Grier
York Chester at Stanley
Mount Holly at Holbrook
Chavis at Belmont
Thursday, April 1
Southwest at Mount Holly
Holbrook at Cramerton
Belmont at York Chester
W.C. Friday at Chavis
(End of regular season)
College men’s basketball
2021 NCAA basketball tournament results and pairings:
East Region
March 18 opening round
UCLA 86, Michigan State 80, OT
Texas Southern 60, Mount St. Mary’s 52
March 20 first round
Michigan 82, Texas Southern 66
LSU 76, St. Bonaventure 61
Colorado 96, Georgetown 73
Florida State 64, UNC-Greensboro 54
UCLA 73, BYU 62
Abilene Christian 53, Texas 52
Maryland 63, Connecticut 54
Alabama 68, Iona 55
March 22 second round
Michigan 86, LSU 78
Florida State 71, Colorado 53
UCLA 67, Abilene Christian 47
Alabama 96, Maryland 77
Sunday regional semifinals
Michigan vs. Florida State, 5 p.m.
UCLA vs. Alabama, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday regional final
TBA
South Region
March 19 first round
Baylor 79, Hartford 55
Wisconsin 85, North Carolina 62
Villanova 73, Winthrop 63
North Texas 78, Purdue 69, OT
Texas Tech 65, Utah State 53
Arkansas 85, Colgate 68
Florida 75, Virginia Tech 70, OT
Oral Roberts 75, Ohio State 72, OT
March 21 second round
Baylor 76, Wisconsin 63
Villanova 84, North Texas 61
Arkansas 68, Texas Tech 66
Oral Roberts 81, Florida 78
Saturday regional semifinals
Baylor vs. Villanova, 5:15 p.m.
Arkansas vs. Oral Roberts, 7:25 p.m.
Monday regional final
TBA
Midwest Region
March 19 first round
Illinois 78, Drexel 49
Loyola-Chicago 71, Georgia Tech 60
Oregon State 70, Tennessee 56
Oklahoma State 69, Liberty 60
Syracuse 78, San Diego State 62
West Virginia 84, Morehead State 67
Rutgers 60, Clemson 56
Houston 87, Cleveland State 56
March 21 second round
Loyola-Chicago 71, Illinois 58
Oregon State 80, Oklahoma State 70
Syracuse 75, West Virginia 72
Houston 63, Rutgers 60
Saturday regional semifinals
Loyola-Chicago vs. Oregon State, 2:40 p.m.
Syracuse vs. Houston, 9:55 p.m.
Monday regional final
TBA
West Region
March 18 opening round
Drake 53, Wichita State 52
Norfolk State 54, Appalachian State 53
March 20 first round
Gonzaga 98, Norfolk State 55
Oklahoma 72, Missouri 68
Creighton 63, UC-Santa Barbara 62
Ohio U. 62, Virginia 58
Southern California 72, Drake 56
Kansas 93, Eastern Washington 84
Oregon advances over VCU, no contest (COVID protocols)
Iowa 86, Grand Canyon 74
March 22 second round
Gonzaga 87, Oklahoma 71
Creighton 72, Ohio U. 58
Southern California 85, Kansas 51
Oregon 95, Iowa 80
Sunday regional semifinals
Gonzaga vs. Creighton, 2:10 p.m.
Southern California vs. Oregon, 9:45 p.m.
Tuesday’s regional final
TBA
NIT pairings and results at Comerica Center in Frisco, Tex. and University of North Texas Coliseum in Denton, Tex.:
March 17 first round
Richmond 76, Toledo 66
Western Kentucky 69, Saint Mary’s, Cal. 67
March 18 first round
N.C. State 75, Davidson 61
Boise State 85, SMU 84
March 19 first round
Colorado State 75, Buffalo 73
Louisiana Tech 70, Mississippi 61
March 20 first round
Memphis 71, Dayton 60
Mississippi State 74, Saint Louis 68
Thursday’s quarterfinals
Colorado State 65, N.C. State 61
Memphis 59, Boise State 56
Mississippi State 68, Richmond 67
Louisiana Tech 72, Western Kentucky 67
Saturday’s semifinals
Colorado State (20-6) vs. Memphis (18-7), noon
Mississippi State (17-14) vs. Louisiana Tech (23-7), 3 p.m.
March 28 championship game
noon
The NCAA Division II Elite Eight at Evansville, Ind., results and pairings:
Wednesday’s quarterfinals
#4 Lincoln Memorial 90, #5 Colorado School of Mines 76
#1 West Texas A&M 97, #8 Daemen 83
#2 Northwest Missouri State (25-2) 98, #7 West Liberty 77
#3 Flagler 70, Truman 69
Thursday’s semifinals
#1 West Texas A&M 87, #4 Lincoln Memorial 86
#2 Northwest Missouri State 77, #3 Flagler 46
Saturday’s championship game
#1 West Texas A&M (19-2) vs. #2 Northwest Missouri State (27-2), Noon
College women’s basketball
2021 NCAA basketball tournament results and pairings:
ALAMO Region
March 21 first round
Stanford 87, Utah Valley 44
Oklahoma State 84, Wake Forest 61
March 22 first round
Missouri State 70, UC Davis 51
Wright State 66, Arkansas 62
Oregon 67, South Dakota 47
Georgia 67, Drexel 53
Northwestern 62, Central Florida 51
Louisville 74, Marist 43
March 23 second round
Stanford 73, Oklahoma State 62
March 24 second round
Missouri State 64, Wright State 39
Oregon 57, Georgia 50
Louisville 62, Northwestern 53
Sunday’s regional semifinals
Stanford vs. Missouri State, 3 p.m.
Oregon vs. Louisville winner, 5 p.m.
Tuesday’s regional final
TBA
MERCADO Region
March 21 first round
N.C. State 79, North Carolina A&T 58
South Florida 57, Washington State 53
March 22 first round
Belmont 64, Gonzaga 59
Indiana 63, VCU 32
BYU 69, Rutgers 66
Arizona 79, Stony Brook 44
Iowa State 79, Michigan State 75
Texas A&M 84, Troy 80
March 23 second round
N.C. State 79, South Florida 67
March 24 second round
Indiana 70, Belmont 48
Arizona 52, BYU 46
Texas A&M 84, Iowa State 82, OT
Saturday’s regional semifinals
N.C. State vs. Indiana, 6 p.m.
Arizona vs. Texas A&M, 8 p.m.
Monday’s regional final
TBA
RIVER WALK Region
March 21 first round
Connecticut 102, High Point 59
Syracuse 72, South Dakota State 55
Iowa 87, Central Michigan 72
Kentucky 71, Idaho State 63
Michigan 87, Florida Gulf Coast 66
Tennessee 87, Middle Tennessee 62
Virginia Tech 70, Marquette 63
Baylor 101, Jackson State 52
March 22 second round
Connecticut 83, Syracuse 47
Iowa 86, Kentucky 72
Michigan 70, Tennessee 55
Baylor 90, Virginia Tech 48
Saturday’s regional semifinals
Connecticut vs. Iowa, 1 p.m.
Michigan vs. Baylor, 3 p.m.
Monday’s regional final
TBA
HEMISFAIR Region
March 21 first round
South Carolina 79, Mercer 53
Oregon State 83, Florida State 59
Georgia Tech 54, Stephen F. Austin 52, OT
West Virginia 77, Lehigh 53
March 22 first round
Texas 81, Bradley 62
UCLA 69, Wyoming 48
Alabama 80, North Carolina 71
Maryland 98, Mount St. Mary’s 45
March 23 second round
South Carolina 59, Oregon State 42
Georgia Tech 73, West Virginia 56
March 24 second round
Texas 71, UCLA 62
Maryland 100, Alabama 64
Sunday’s regional semifinals
South Carolina vs. Georgia Tech, 1 p.m.
Texas vs. Maryland, 9 p.m.
Tuesday’s regional final
TBA
The NCAA Division II Elite Eight at Columbus, Ohio, results and pairings:
Tuesday’s quarterfinals
#2 Lander 88, #7 Azusa Pacific 76
#3 Drury 74, #6 Charleston, W.Va. 66
#1 Lubbock Christian 66, #8 Daemen 49
#5 Central Missouri 65, #4 Belmont Abbey 42
Wednesday’s semifinals
#3 Drury 74, #2 Lander 65
#1 Lubbock Christian 63, #5 Central Missouri 61
Friday’s championship game
#1 Lubbock Christian 69, #3 Drury 59