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3-23-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school baseball, softball and soccer, College basketball and baseball, Middle school baseball and soccer

By Richard Walker Former North Gaston High standout Tyler Bradley recently was named NCAA Division II national player of the week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association on March 8. A 2018 North Gaston graduate who helped Caldwell Tech to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III World Series last season, Bradley batted […]

3-22-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school baseball and softball, College basketball, Middle school baseball and soccer

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. […]

3-21-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school baseball, softball, soccer and track, College basketball, football and golf, Middle school baseball and soccer

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 […]

3-20-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school baseball and softball, Middle school baseball and soccer, College basketball

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 […]

3-19-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school baseball and softball, College basketball

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 […]

3-18-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school baseball and softball, College basketball

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 […]

3-16-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school baseball, softball and soccer, College basketball

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 […]

3-15-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school baseball and softball, College basketball

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 […]

3-14-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school baseball, softball and soccer, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

3-13-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school baseball, softball and soccer, College basketball

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 […]

3-12-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school baseball and softball, College basketball

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 […]

3-11-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school basketball, baseball and softball, College basketball, Legion baseball

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 […]

3-10-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school basketball, baseball and softball, College basketball

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 […]

3-9-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, baseball and softball, Middle school baseball, College basketball and football

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 […]

3-8-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, baseball and softball, Middle school basketball and baseball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

3-7-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, baseball and softball, Middle school basketball and baseball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

3-6-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, baseball, softball and girls soccer, Middle school basketball, College basketball

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 […]

3-5-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, baseball and softball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

3-4-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, baseball and softball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

3-3-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, baseball and softball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

3-2-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school football, basketball, baseball and softball, Middle school basketball, College basketball

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 […]

3-1-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, baseball and softball, Middle school basketball, College basketball

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 […]

2-28-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, baseball and softball, Middle school basketball, College basketball

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 […]

2-27-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school basketball, baseball and softball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

2-26-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, baseball and softball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

2023 high school baseball preview: Kings Mountain, Burns, Cherryville, East Lincoln and Lincoln Charter are favorites in 4 local leagues

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, […]

2-25-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

2-24-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

2-23-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball, Hall of Fame

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 […]

2-22-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and football

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 […]

2-21-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and football

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 […]

2-20-23 roundup: Pro basketball, High school basketball and wrestling, Middle school basketball, College basketball and football

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 […]

2-19-23 roundup: Pro basketball, soccer and auto racing, High school basketball and wrestling, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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. […]

2-18-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

2-17-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball, football and baseball

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 […]

2-16-23 roundup: Pro basketball, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball, football and baseball

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 […]

2-15-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball

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 […]

2-14-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball and swimming, Middle school basketball, College basketball

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 […]

2-13-23 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

2-12-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball and swimming, Middle school basketball, College basketball

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 […]

2-11-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

2-10-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

2-9-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball and football

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 […]

2-8-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball, baseball and softball

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 […]

2-7-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball

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 […]

2-6-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball and wrestling, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

2-5-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball and wrestling, Middle school basketball, College basketball and baseball

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 […]

2-3-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College football and basketball

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 […]

2-2-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College football and basketball

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 […]

1-31-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school basketball and wrestling, Middle school basketball, College football and basketball

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 […]

1-30-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College basketball

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 […]

1-29-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, Middle school basketball

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. […]

1-27-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, Middle school basketball, College football

By Richard Walker The oldest Gaston County high school basketball rivalry resumed Friday night at Bessemer City. And Cherryville led much of the second half, was tied in regulation before taking an 83-78 overtime win over their longtime rivals. Numerius Good had 26 points, Carson Kelly 18 and Landon Hahn 14 to lead Cherryville and […]

1-26-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and baseball, High school football, basketball and wrestling, Middle school basketball, College basketball, football and softball

By Richard Walker The winningest coach in Kings Mountain High School football history has resigned. Greg Lloyd had a 133-71 record in 16 years as the Mountaineers’ head coach, a tenure highlighted by four conference titles and four trips to the regional finals. “First off, I would like to thank and congratulate Coach Greg Lloyd […]

1-24-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball and football, Middle school basketball, College basketball and football, Hall of Fame

By Richard Walker East Lincoln High School’s girls basketball team improved to 19-0 following Tuesday’s 65-23 home win over Statesville. Coach Jason Otey’s Mustangs improved to 9-0 in the Western Foothills 3A Conference and are one win away from becoming the school’s 10th 20-game winner since 1972. East Lincoln’s all-time best team – its unbeaten […]

1-23-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball and track, Middle school basketball, College baseball and basketball

By Richard Walker The Big South 3A boys and girls races and the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A boys races head into the final three weeks of the regular season with multiple teams currently tied at the top of the standings. Meanwhile, in the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A girls race and the Western Foothills 3A and Catawba Valley […]

1-22-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, Middle school basketball

By Richard Walker Only once in Gaston County’s basketball conference championship history has the same school won both the boys and girls titles. It was the Southwest Roadrunners in 2009 as the boys edged Grier 42-38 and the girls rolled past Belmont 40-12 to complete 11-1 seasons. If the preseason coaches’ polls are correct, Holbrook […]

1-21-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, College football

By Richard Walker Belmont Abbey and Gardner-Webb recorded conference sweeps on Saturday to highlight the area’s college basketball. Belmont Abbey swept visiting North Greenville in a Conference Carolinas home doubleheader on Saturday afternoon with the men winning 91-72 and the women recording its 12th straight victory by an 80-44 margin. Gardner-Webb swept nearby rival Winthrop […]

1-20-23 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school basketball, College football

By Richard Walker One of the longest conference winning streaks in area history came to an end on Friday night when Huss won 77-70 in a Big South 3A Conference game. Crest’s league regular season winning streak lasted a school-record 35 games and dated to February 2020. Including the 2022 league tournament, Crest also won […]

1-19-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, High school basketball, College basketball and football, Legion baseball

By Richard Walker A date and site has been chosen for the North Carolina American Legion Hall of Fame class of 2022 inductions that include two Gaston County inductees and one from Lincoln County. Cherryville Baptist Church will host the event on May 6 at 6 p.m. and tickets are $20 each for a ceremony […]