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 Former Piedmont Community Charter and Kings Mountain High standout Adrian Delph was named Sun Belt Conference basketball player of the week for the second time of his career on Tuesday. Delph, a 2018 Kings Mountain High graduate, was honored after leading Appalachian State to wins over Coastal Carolina last week. Honored previously […]
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 At the halfway point of most high school conference basketball play, several teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties are atop their respective league standings or are in title contention. Here’s a look at those races: Big South 3A Conference boys – Kings Mountain (8-5, 5-0) and Crest (8-2, 3-0) are the […]
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 Three local products completed their NFL seasons this, including two who were making their debuts. Veteran Jonathan Bullard, a 2012 Crest High graduate, completed his sixth NFL season with 21 tackles in nine games (four starts) for the Atlanta Falcons. Tanner Muse (South Point 2015) made his NFL debut in his second […]
By Richard Walker Twenty five years ago today, the Charlotte Hornets were a part of a historic NBA overtime period. A record-low two points were scored in that extra period, as Charlotte guard Tony Smith’s 10-footer with 1:29 left in the extra period was enough to give the Hornets a 102-100 victory over the Denver […]
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 The North Carolina American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony is returning to Cherryville. The 2022 ceremony inducting the 2021 class will be held on Saturday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Cherryville Post 100 Legion hut. Tickets are $10. Call Jerry Hudson (704-460-4855), Tony Robinson (980-329-7200), Mike Robinson (704-473-9310), Ned […]
By Richard Walker Cramer High’s fast start continued Friday as the Storm boys basketball team won 84-58 over visiting Ashbrook to improve to 11-0 overall. It’s the fastest start in the school’s nine-year history and comes after the Storm started 0-10 last season before finishing 1-13. This season’s start marks only the fourth time Cramer […]
By Richard Walker When Kings Mountain returns to action on Friday in a Big South 3A Conference home game against South Point, the Mountaineers will be playing the first game since senior guard Zeke Cannedy tied a 67-year record. Cannedy tied a Cleveland County record set in 1954 with 55 points in Kings Mountain’s 83-74 […]
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 The return of the North Carolina/South Carolina Challenge of American Legion baseball teams has tweaked its upcoming 2022 lineup with a new team. Rutherford County Post 423 will now join host Cherryville Post 100 and Fuquay-Varina Post 116 as N.C. teams for the June 24-26 event that will be played at Cherryville’s […]
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 Charlotte had a tough professional sports start to the new year as the NFL Carolina Panthers and the NBA Charlotte Hornets both suffered disappointing losses on Sunday. In the 54th day the teams have played on the same day, Charlotte teams were swept for the 23rd time – and third time this […]
By Richard Walker DeaconsIllustrated, a website devoted to Wake Forest University athletics, made the case in a story posted Saturday morning that Clover’s Nick Sciba became the NCAA’s most accurate kicker in history this season based on that organization’s record book. Sciba, a 2018 Clover graduate, finished his four-year Wake Forest career with 80 field […]
By Richard Walker One of the greatest legends in basketball has died as Sam Jones passed on Thursday evening at 88. Jones played his entire 12-year NBA career with the Boston Celtics and won 10 titles between 1957-69. Jones, Bill Russell and K.C. Jones were the only three players to be a part of Boston […]
By Richard Walker Cramer won a second straight People’s Bank Classic boys basketball title and Gaston Day knocked off host Kings Mountain in the Mountaineers Classic boys tournament championship game to highlight a huge Thursday night of high school basketball. At the 18th People’s Bank Classic at Lincolnton High School, Cramer edged host Lincolnton 67-62 […]
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 Cherryville’s boys and South Point’s girls won championship games Tuesday night in the Bud Black/Dennis Tate Classic at Cherryville’s Nixon Gymnasium. Cherryville downed Thomas Jefferson 73-62 to give the Ironmen their 12th title in the history of the tournament that dates to 1981. Tournament MVP Carson Kelly (33 points) and all-tournament members […]
By Richard Walker Thomas Jefferson and Cherryville will meet for the second straight time in the Bud Black/Dennis Tate Holiday Classic boys championship game on Tuesday after each won opening round games on Monday. Thomas Jefferson won 74-65 in 2019 in the last tournament title game – there was no holiday tournament in 2020 due […]
By Richard Walker The Cam Newton era at Bank of America Stadium may well have ended Sunday – and it ended in a 32-6 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Newton started Sunday’s game, a 136th start in Panthers’ history, before he was replaced in the second quarter by Sam Darnold […]
By Richard Walker As we enter Week 16 of the NFL season, here’s an update on the area’s three local pro football players: For the Atlanta Falcons, defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard (Crest 2012 graduate) has 18 tackles in eight games (four starts) but has been inactive for the last four games. Atlanta (6-8) hosts Detroit […]
By Richard Walker If Sunday’s 1 p.m. game is Cam Newton’s last start at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, there’s little that will change the notion many observers have that Newton is the greatest to ever play for the franchise. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft out of Auburn, Newton holds franchise […]
By Richard Walker Clover’s Nick Sciba has been invited to a prestigious All-Star that could lead to a career in the NFL. A 2018 Clover High graduate, Sciba will play in the 10th annual NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 29 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Cal. A 2021 All-ACC kicker, Sciba enters Wake Forest’s […]
By Richard Walker Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule announced his starting quarterback for Sunday’s regular season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but added he would use two quarterbacks in the game. Cam Newton will get the start at quarterback and Sam Darnold is expected to see some playing time after missing the last […]
By Richard Walker A championship-winning coach at Kings Mountain and North Gaston high schools died in a car crash in Duncan, S.C. on Tuesday evening. Bruce Clark, who guided Kings Mountain to two state baseball titles and led North Gaston to its only state football championship, was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash. […]
By Richard Walker Former North Lincoln High standout Travali Price made the most of his redshirt freshman season at N.C. State. Price, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end, was named the Wolfpack’s Defensive scout team player of the year. A 2021 North Lincoln High graduate, Price was a two-time all-conference player for the Knights and helped […]
By Richard Walker A pregame injury to kicker Zane Gonzalez proved a bad omen for the Carolina Panthers in a 31-14 loss at the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. It was Carolina’s fourth straight loss, drops the team to 5-9 overall this season to guarantee a fourth straight losing record and quarterback Cam Newton lost his […]
By Richard Walker Record-setting performers from Shelby, South Point, Burns, Mountain Island Charter, Crest and East Gaston are the top high school football statistical leaders in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties for the 2021 season. Shelby’s Daylin Lee was the leading passer with 3,837 yards, South Point’s Tyson Riley the leading rusher with 2,485 yards, […]
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 Earlier this week, a former Shelby High standout added to area football history when Demerio Houston was on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ roster when they won the 108th Grey Cup championship for the Canadian Football League on Sunday. The Blue Bombers knocked off the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33-25 as former Cincinnati Bearcats […]
By Richard Walker With Shelby’s N.C. 2A championship game on Saturday, local high schools can now focus on high school basketball which has been underway for a month for some teams. League play in the Big South 3A and Western Foothills 3A conferences began on Friday. With that in mind, here’s preseason projections for the […]
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 Cramerton will be hosting both the boys soccer and volleyball Gaston County Conference championship games on Thursday. Since both games are being played at Cramerton and a 3:30 p.m. school dismissal, all fans are encouraged to park at Life Church. The game time for boys soccer is 3:45 p.m. with volleyball slated […]
By Richard Walker Crest won three top awards and Cramer, Kings Mountain and South Point got one top honor apiece in All-Big South 3A Conference football honors that were announced on Monday. Crest’s Mari Adams (offensive player of the year), Eli Hall (defensive lineman of the year) and Nick Eddins (coach of the year) helped […]
By Richard Walker Cherryville High School won its 10th N.C. High School Athletic Association state championship in the 19 years cheerleading competition has been held. This year, Cherryville won the Varsity Game Day D2 title and the Small Varsity D2 division. Cherryville has also competed for the N.C. Cheerleading Coaches state title since it began […]
By Richard Walker For the first time in its 20-year, Charlotte’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl will be an all-Carolinas matchup as North Carolina will meet South Carolina in the 2021 game that will be played at 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 30 at Bank of America Stadium. This will be the 59th football meeting between the schools […]
By Richard Walker A huge second quarter propelled Shelby to its 29th state championship football game in school history with a 45-13 win over East Surry on Friday night in the Western N.C. 2A championship game. South Point wasn’t as fortunate as Greensboro Dudley returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and the momentum never […]
By Richard Walker State championship pairings will be finalized for N.C. High School Athletic Association football teams after Friday’s regional finals across the state. The state announced earlier this week the following state championship times, dates and sites: Class 1A: Dec. 11 at noon (Kenan Stadium, North Carolina) Class 2A: Dec. 11 at 3 p.m. […]
By Richard Walker Earlier this season, Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tanner Muse became the second South Point High product to play in the NFL. Tanner Muse’s younger brother Nick Muse earned an invitation to a prestigious postseason game that has him on the path to becoming the third Red Raiders’ NFL player. Nick Muse, a 6-foot-5, […]
By Richard Walker One of the most popular American Legion baseball regular season events will return in 2022 after two seasons off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cherryville’s Fraley Field will be the site of the 14th North-South Challenge that pits three teams from North Carolina against three teams from South Carolina on June 24 […]
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 The Carolina Panthers’ 2021 season is spiraling downward after Sunday’s 33-10 loss at the Miami Dolphins. Not only are the Panthers 5-7 overall, but they now have a week off to hear rumors of imminent change that could include Carolina’s second-year head coach Matt Rhule. After a Miami blocked punt gave the […]
By Richard Walker After a year in which the Shelby’s girls won a state title, Lincoln Charter and Gaston Christian were boys state runner-ups and Crest and North Lincoln were boys Western runner-ups, what can teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties do for an encore? It’ll be hard but local teams are expected to […]
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 After the COVID-19 pandemic limited last year’s high school baskeball season, it has returned with a full schedule for this season. While many games have already been played, the most common opening date is Tuesday for Gaston and Lincoln counties. Cleveland County’s first basketball game isn’t scheduled until next week. Five doubleheaders […]
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 […]
By Richard Walker Cramer got top honors in Big South 3A Conference soccer this season after the Storm won its first league title. In voting done by the league’s coaches, senior Joseph Bravo was named offensive player of the year, senior Noah Arrowood was named defensive player of the year and Matthew Robertson was named […]
By Richard Walker Several former local products will be playing and coaching college basketball as the 2021-22 season gets into full swing. That includes Gastonia’s Leonard Hamilton, a 1966 Highland High graduate and 1968 Gaston College graduate who entered the season as the 75th-winningest men’s basketball coach in NCAA major college history. Hamilton, who has […]
By Richard Walker Could Cam Newton’s return to the Carolina Panthers have gone any better? Signed officially on Thursday, Newton was productive in a limited role as the Panthers routed the Arizona Cardinals 34-10 on Sunday to even their record at 5-5 on the season. Arizona, whose 8-2 record remains the best in the NFC […]
By Richard Walker Wake Forest took a huge step toward the Dec. 4 ACC football championship game in Charlotte with a 45-42 home win over N.C. State Saturday night. The Deacons (9-1, 6-0) has a two-game lead over every other team in the Atlantic Division entering its final two games of the season – at […]
By Richard Walker The Big South 3A Conference enters the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association with the best record of any league in the state. The good news is that at least one team will advance to the regional semifinals. The bad news is the league is assured of losing at […]
By Richard Walker Big South 3A Conference football teams continued their extraordinary postseason run with a perfect second round performance that included three road victories. The wins set up an all-league 3A Western semifinal in Belmont with South Point hosting Forestview. Crest and Kings Mountain also were winners from the Big South, which is off […]
By Richard Walker A week ago, 15 teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties began N.C. High School Athletic Association football playoff journeys. This week, nine of them are still pursuing state titles after first-round victories. Here’s a look at each of those team’s Friday night matchups: (Class 3A) South Point at Pisgah Series: South […]
By Richard Walker After five straight losses, the Charlotte emphatically snapped their slump with a 118-108 win at the Memphis Grizzlies behind a record-setting performance from Kelly Oubre, Jr. Oubre scored 37 points to set a franchise record for points off the bench. It came in a game Charlotte trailed by eight with 5:31 left […]