By Richard Walker Local products came away with top league honors on Monday after having impressive efforts in Saturday college football games. At Charlotte, quarterback Chris Reynolds was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week. At Gardner-Webb, two players were honored by the Big South Conference. And at N.C. State and Wake Forest, local […]
By Richard Walker Former South Point High standout Garrett Davila last week won his second minor league championship as a member of the Kansas City Royals’ organization. A 2015 South Point High graduate, Davila was the winning pitcher for Northwest Arkansas in the second game of the Naturals’ three games to none Class AA Central […]
By Richard Walker Gardner-Webb trailed at halftime against Western Carolina before its offense got untracked for a 52-34 victory at Spangler Stadium. The Runnin’ Bulldogs (2-2) won their second straight game by scoring the game’s final 28 points – or after trailing 34-24 with 8:09 left in the third quarter. Gardner-Webb quarter B Fisher completed […]
By Richard Walker The first big Southern Piedmont 1A/2A matchup of the season turned into a rout for Shelby as the Golden Lions rolled to a 55-7 win at previously unbeaten Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy on Friday night. Shelby improved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in league play by scoring the game’s last 49 points […]
By Richard Walker As the high school football season hits the midway point of the 11-week, 10-game season on Friday, we look at individuals who have shined brighest so far this season. Already, two quarterbacks in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties have surpassed 1,000 yards passing and many others are having strong seasons. No running […]
By Richard Walker How important is winning your conference football opener? In the Big South Conference, it’s imperative if you want to win the league championship. How so? With Friday featuring six teams opening their league slate – Crest beat North Gaston 42-16 last week – none of the previous league champions or co-champions have […]
By Richard Walker Holbrook and Southwest stayed unbeaten in Gaston County Conference middle school football action after wins on Wednesday. Holbrook defeated Mount Holly 36-6 to improve to 4-0 and Southwest edged Southwest 6-0 to improve to 5-0. Grier (3-0) also is unbeaten in the Gaston County Conference. Here are Wednesday’s Gaston County Conference results: […]
By Richard Walker Former South Point High standout Tanner Muse has a new NFL home. Muse, a 2015 South Point High graduate, signed to play on the Seattle Seahawks practice squad on Wednesday. It comes two days after the Las Vegas Raiders released Muse from their roster. Muse had made eight tackles with half a […]
By Richard Walker Former Forestview and Gaston Day standout Nate Hinton has a new NBA team. Hinton signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. Indiana’s new head coach is Hinton’s former Dallas Mavericks’ coach Rick Carlisle. A 2018 Gaston Day graduate who was an undrafted free agent signee out of the University of […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers roster is at 53 after a flurry of moves on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the team waived linebacker Josh Bynes, wide receiver Omar Bayless, running back Spencer Brown, quarterback Will Grier, defensive lineman Frank Herron, offensive lineman Mike Horton, cornerback Jalen Julius, wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, outside linebacker Christian Miller, […]
By Richard Walker Shelby honored the greatest football player the city has ever produced on Saturday with “Bobby Bell Day.” Bell, a 1959 graduate of the old Cleveland Training School, went on to become an Outland Trophy winner at the University of Minnesota, a Super Bowl winner for the Kansas City Chiefs and was inducted […]
By Richard Walker Wednesday’s inclement weather played havoc on the first Gaston County Conference middle school football games in two years. Only two games were played long enough to be completed as Cramerton won 24-8 at W.C. Friday and Grier defeated visiting Stanley 8-0. In Cramerton’s win, Tristan Holt had three touchdowns and L.J. Watson […]
By Richard Walker Gaston College has a nickname, a logo and school colors for its startup athletic program. The school unveiled its blue and yellow colors, its “Rhinos” nickname and its logo during a Thursday outdoor party at the campus. Gaston College’s Rhinos will return to athletic competition this fall for the first time since […]
By Richard Walker Area high school football teams have completed preseason practices and scrimmages. And on Friday, the 2021 regular season will begin. Here’s the schedule for opening games for teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties: Bessemer City at Community School of Davidson Burns at Forestview Cherryville at Avery County Cramer at Bunker Hill […]
By Richard Walker Gastonia’s current three NBA products have had big summers. Former player and longtime coach Darrell Armstrong will remain with the Dallas Mavericks after new head coach Jason Kidd kept him on his new staff. Former Ashbrook, Forestview and Huss student Hassan Whiteside will be joining his fourth NBA team in four years […]
By Richard Walker Gastonia’s Nate Hinton not only made his NBA debut this season but he’s playing for a playoff team as the Dallas Mavericks finished fifth in the Western Conference and will open their playoff series against the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Clippers later this week. Hinton, a 2018 Gaston Day School graduate […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte 49ers confirmed they will have a spring football game on Saturday at noon at Richardson Stadium. “Excited about the opportunity to get out in front of our fans again,” 49ers head coach Will Healy said in a zoom news conference on Tuesday. “That’s a big deal for us. We know […]
By Richard Walker Belmont Abbey College claimed its fourth Conference Carolinas women’s golf championship at the Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg, S.C. The Lady Crusaders of coach Jason Gault finished their three rounds with a cumulative total of 941 (304-314-323) that also earned the program automatic qualification to the NCAA Division II Women’s South Regional […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte 49ers will have a spring game and coach Will Healy couldn’t be happier. Not only will the school host a spring game on April 24 at noon, but they’ll be allowing 3,890 fans into Richardson Stadium – or more than double that were allowed in fall 2020 regular season games […]
By Richard Walker Since the COVID pandemic ended the 2020 season after less than two weeks of play, area high school girls soccer teams are eager to get back on the diamonds. League preseason favorites are Crest, Forestview and Kings Mountain in the Big South 3A Conference, South Point in the Southwestern 2A Conference, Lake […]
By Richard Walker Since the COVID pandemic ended the 2020 season after less than two weeks of play, area high school softball teams are eager to get back on the diamonds. Crest and Lincoln Charter will look to extend long conference winning streaks and are favorites to win the Big South 3A Conference and Southern […]
By Richard Walker Local products area helping two local teams into this week’s NCAA tournament along with three coaches who either grew up locally or coached local teams. Also, five Carolinas colleges and universities, seven ACC teams, a team coached by a former Charlotte Hornets assistant coach and a team with the future Gaston College […]
By Richard Walker Last Saturday capped a shortened, strange and historic local high school basketball season for Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties. Not only was it the first year since 1973 and only the second year in history where each county sent a school to the state finals, but it produced a first-ever state champion, […]
By Richard Walker The NCAA annually plays the song “One Shining Moment” with highlights of that year’s NCAA tournament. More often than not, Carolinas colleges are prominently profiled in the segment. That doesn’t appear to be changing in this most unusual of college basketball seasons. Winthrop clinched a berth on Sunday, Appalachian State and UNC-Greensboro […]
By Richard Walker Starting with a pair of players who helped create North Carolina’s first high school basketball dynasty, the state has long had a presence in professional basketball. That continues to this day as there are 30 current players on NBA rosters who played at least one season for a N.C. high school, among […]
By Richard Walker Former Piedmont Community Charter and Kings Mountain High School star Adrian Delph is the leading scorer for Appalachian State as they begin Sun Belt Conference tournament play on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. against Arkansas Little Rock. Delph, a 2018 Kings Mountain High graduate, is averaging 12.4 points in addition to 4.2 […]
By Richard Walker The N.C. High School Athletic Association basketball playoffs move into the second on Thursday as seven local teams won their Tuesday night first round games. Here’s a look at Thursday’s second-round games: 3A boys North Iredell (12-2) at Crest (14-1): Winner gets Thursday’s Cox Mill (11-2) at West Rowan (13-1) winner. Crest […]
By Richard Walker Gaston Day’s basketball season ended Monday with road playoff losses. The Spartans boys team fell 80-49 at the top-seeded Burlington School to finish 10-10 overall. And Gaston Day’s girls lost 61-35 at second-seeded Davidson Day to finish 11-8 overall. High school basketball Here is Tuesday’s state playoff basketball schedule: NCISAA 3A boys […]
By Richard Walker Crest High’s boys basketball team wrapped up only the fourth unbeaten conference championship season in school history. The Chargers knocked off visiting Kings Mountain 66-50 on Friday night to complete a 12-0 record against Big South 3A Conference competition this season. Crest (13-1 overall) will next play a home game next Tuesday […]
By Richard Walker Cherryville High’s boys basketball team ended Lincoln Charter’s 30-game Southern Piedmont 1A Conference winning streak with an 80-70 road victory on Tuesday night. Lavonte Hughes (21 point, 8 assists, 6 rebounds), Carson Kelly (20 point, 6 rebounds, 3 steals), Austin Thompson (13 points, 8 rebounds), Landon Hahn (11 points, 4 steals), Numarius […]
By Richard Walker Gaston Christian’s boys basketball team and Gaston Day’s boys and girls basketball team will begin their pursuit of N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association state championships this week. On Tuesday, boys boys teams host opening round games; No. 3 seed Gaston Christian hosts Hickory Grove Christian in a Class 3A game on Tuesday, […]
By Richard Walker Freshman guard D’Maurian Williams scored a career-high 21 points as Gardner-Webb rolled past Charleston Southern 74-62 on Sunday afternoon in a Big South Conference basketball game. The win was the Runnin’ Bulldogs second straight and improved their record to 5-9 overall and 4-5 in the league entering Monday’s 4 p.m. game against […]
By Richard Walker Former North Gaston High golf standout Larry Penley announced last week that he will retire as Clemson University golf coach at the end of the ongoing 2021 spring season. Penley has been the head coach of the Tigers since the 1983-84 academic year, with this year marking his 38th leading the program […]
By Richard Walker Mountain Island Charter set Gaston County history on Tuesday by sweeping Bishop McGuinness in the Western N.C. 1A volleyball championship match. The unbeaten Raptors (18-0) became the first team in county history to advance to the state championship. Mountain Island Charter will meet East Wake Academy in the 2020-21 championship at Green […]
By Richard Walker Former Ashbrook High standout Isaiah Whaley has helped Connecticut to a 7-1 overall record and 4-1 Big East Conference record entering Monday’s 5 p.m. home game against St. John’s. Whaley, a senior forward, is averaging 9.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in eight starts for the Huskies. NBA Former Forestview and […]
By Richard Walker Notes and observations from Wednesday’s 104-93 Charlotte Hornets’ home loss to the Dallas Mavericks that dropped the team to 6-6 overall: … The Hornets lost their winning record, a four-game winning streak and possibly their leader in the loss; Forward Gordon Hayward left the game late in the third quarter with a […]
By Richard Walker Kings Mountain High School completed an unbeaten Big South 3A Conference volleyball season by sweeping Crest 3-0 on Thursday night. The Mountaineers won 25-19, 25-12, 25-17 to finish 11-0 in league play and win all 33 sets they played. Kings Mountain now awaits Saturday’s playoff pairings to know who it’ll play in […]
By Richard Walker Two local products have helped Appalachian State to a 7-4 overall and 1-1 Sun Belt Conference record entering Friday’s 6 p.m. home game against Georgia Southern. Adrian Delph, a 2018 Kings Mountain High graduate, is averaging a team-high 12.1 points in addition to 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 11 starts this […]
By Richard Walker Defending state champion Shelby opened its 2021 high school basketball season with a 68-57 win at Southwestern 2A Conference rival East Gaston to extend its winning streak to 17 games. Shelby (1-0) hosts R-S Central on Friday night in its next game. Westminster 63, Gaston Christian 57: M.J. Collins scored 27 points […]
By Richard Walker Three local products were honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday as the league announced its all-conference football selections that were led by conference champion Clemson and fellow College Football Playoff selection Notre Dame. Each of the league’s 15 teams had at least one player on the All-ACC teams with Clemson […]
By Richard Walker For the first time since the 1990s, Gaston County will have more than one local product on NBA rosters. Veteran Hassan Whiteside, a Gastonia native who attended Ashbrook, Forestview and Hunter Huss high schools, was expected to make the Sacramento Kings’ roster after signing a one-year guaranteed contract on Nov. 27, but […]
By Richard Walker A former Forestview High and Gaston Day School standout had a sparkling debut to his professional basketball career. Nate Hinton, an undrafted free agent out of the University of Houston, had eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and one steal in 15 minutes of action off the bench for the Dallas Mavericks […]
By Richard Walker Stuart Cramer’s boys and Forestview’s girls won the Big South 3A Conference cross country championships on Tuesday at the Ashbrook High course. Cramer’s boys won behind three top five finishers, including league individual champion Nick Willer. A junior, Nick Willer finished in 16 minutes, 16.94 seconds. Junior Zach Willer finished third in […]
By Richard Walker Belmont Abbey College’s women’s basketball team opened the 2020-21 season in historic fashion by winning at UNC-Greensboro 63-60. It’s the first win for the Lady Crusaders over a NCAA Division I opponent since they won 75-67 in overtime at Campbell on Feb. 1, 1985. In Friday’s victory, Maria Kuhlman and Allie Downing […]
By Richard Walker Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball called it “business as usual” and coach James Borrego said “today is Day One of our journey” on zoom news conferences Friday after the team began its 2020 training camp. Shortly after completing those first official workouts, the Hornets found out they’ll open the upcoming season on […]
By Richard Walker For the fourth time this season, Belmont Abbey’s men’s basketball season opener was pushed back. The Crusaders were to host UNC Pembroke but according to a UNC-P news release, “due to pending test results related to COVID-19, Wednesday evening’s men’s basketball contest between No. 22 UNC Pembroke and Belmont Abbey has been […]
By Richard Walker Belmont Abbey College’s women’s basketball team enters the 2020-21 season ranked No. 23 in the D2SIDA preseason poll, the committee announced on Tuesday. Coach Jason Williams’ Lady Crusaders return 12 players from a team that went 27-3 last season and was ranked as high as No. 10 nationally. Belmont Abbey, which also […]
By Richard Walker College basketball has begun all across the country and several former standouts from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties are playing and coaching. That includes two with the Elon’s women’s basketball program that opens its season on Wednesday at Gardner-Webb. Charlotte Smith, a 1991 Shelby High graduate, begins her 10th season as head […]
By Richard Walker A look at the local sports roundup for Friday, November 20: NCISAA football Charlotte Christian 27, Rabun Gap 21: The Knights won their fourth straight N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association state championship with a late touchdown against visiting Rabun Gap (7-2). Charlotte Christian, which finished with a 6-1 record, led 21-7 with […]
By Richard Walker Wednesday’s NBA Draft lasted into Thursday morning. For Gastonia’s Nate Hinton, what initially appeared disappointing has turned into a professional basketball opportunity and a mini-Gastonia reunion. Hinton, a 2018 Gaston Day School graduate, agreed to a free agent contract with the Dallas Mavericks early Thursday morning and will join an organization that […]
By Richard Walker One local product heard his name called – and early – in Wednesday’s NBA Draft while two others will have to wait to find out their future professional destinations. West Charlotte High’s Patrick Williams was the No. 4 overall pick of the Chicago Bulls. Williams averaged 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 […]
By Richard Walker Will Gastonia’s Nate Hinton join local history during Wednesday night’s 2020 NBA draft? Hinton, who declared for the NBA after two years at Houston, is projected as a possible late second round draft pick in the draft. A 2018 Gaston Day School graduate who also attended Forestview and Charlotte’s Northside Christian high […]
By Richard Walker A look at the local sports roundup for Tuesday, November 17: High school boys basketball Gaston Day 84, Statesville Christian 62: The Spartans improved to 3-0 on a night in which Chris Britt surpassed 1,000 points for his high school career. Gaston Day visits High Point Westchester Country Day on Friday in […]