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Gracyn Hall

East West girls Snotherly July2023

NC East-West All-Star Games: Asheboro players make unique marks in soccer showcase

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Brecken Snotherly of Eastern Randolph heads up the court with the ball during Monday night’s North Carolina East-West All-Star Game for girls’ basketball at the Greensboro Coliseum. Snotherly played for the West team. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

BROWNS SUMMIT – Asheboro’s Calvin Smith and Cristian Ortiz each did something no other players in the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game could claim.

They were issued the only yellow cards during the boys’ soccer game Tuesday night at MacPherson Stadium.

“They were both kind of tactical,” Smith said of the infractions. “They weren’t cynical.”

Calvin Smith of Asheboro heads the ball over an East player during Tuesday night’s game at MacPherson Stadium. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Those moments aside, the duo from Asheboro embraced the opportunity to compete in the showcase for Class of 2023 standouts. They played for the West team.

The East scored two early goals and those held up for a 2-1 victory.

Smith was assessed his yellow card shortly after the midway mark of the first half. Ortiz was hit with a yellow card in the game’s final 15 seconds when he stopped an East breakaway.

“The situations that we were in,” Ortiz said. “Had to do it.”

West player Cristian Ortiz of Asheboro makes a move on East’s Alexander Walker of Wilmington Laney during Tuesday night’s game at MacPherson Stadium. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Ortiz said he was never issued a yellow card while playing for the Blue Comets. He said Smith was an unlikely recipient of a yellow card as well.

The West looked overmatched early in the game, with the East scoring twice in the first 13½ minutes. The tone eventually changed.

“It took us a few minutes to wake up,” Smith said. “I feel we controlled the last 60 (minutes).”

The West scored with about 11 minutes left. Smith was credited with an assist on a goal from Brock Gramann of Charlotte Providence.

“We started coming back,” Ortiz said. “It made it more interesting.”

Smith said he was “a little bit exhausted” based on several days of training and other North Carolina East-West All-Star Game activities in Greensboro and the game.

The girls’ soccer game ended with the East winning 6-2. That marked the most goals for a team in the history of the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game for girls.

Gracyn Hall of Randleman takes a shot in the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game for girls’ basketball. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Basketball

Gracyn Hall of Randleman and Brecken Snotherly of Eastern Randolph played for the West in the Monday night’s girls’ game at the Greensboro Coliseum. The East won 74-68.

Hall had six points in 18 minutes off the bench, making two of her four attempts from the field to go with two free throws. Snotherly was 1-for-4 with two points.

Football

In Wednesday’s game at Jamieson Stadium on the Greensboro Grimsley campus, the East posted a 14-0 victory.

Keno Jones of Northern Nash threw a touchdown pass and was named the game’s Offensive Most Valuable Player. Shamar Sutton of Northeastern and Avery Gaby of East Duplin scored the touchdowns. Lee County’s Dayreon Jennings was named the Defensive MVP.

Randleman girls Gracyn Hall shoots in 2022 23 season

Hall makes family connection for NC East-West All-Star Game

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Gracyn Hall of Randleman takes a shot during her senior season. (Randolph Record file photo)

Randleman basketball player’s father competed in football showcase

RANDLEMAN – Gracyn Hall will represent Randleman one more time in girls’ basketball.

It’s appropriate on many levels including a family connection to the North Carolina East-West All-Star Game.

Hall and Eastern Randolph’s Brecken Snotherly are among the players for the West team in Monday night’s game at the Greensboro Coliseum.

“Playing in this game is a very big thing,” Hall said. “Just to be nominated was an honor and then to be chosen for this is special.”

Hall wrapped up a Randleman career during which she racked up nearly 1,700 points.

And now she follows a path traveled by her father almost three decades ago. Tyler Hall was a Randleman quarterback and he was picked for the 1994 North Carolina East-West All-Star Game in football.

“It’s pretty cool, actually,” she said.

Hall, 18, is preparing to head Emory & Henry, where she’ll join the women’s basketball team. The 5-foot-11 player expects to be slotted as a small forward.

The East-West All-Star Game provides a nice connection from her high school career to college. In past years, recent months would have involved offseason competitions.

“Normally during the summer, I’m constantly competing in AAU and traveling,” Hall said. “So I’m trying to do things to get me ready for college and show why I was chosen for this game.”

Hall had a different kind of senior school year because she participated in two fall sports – tennis and golf. She teamed up with classmate Elizabeth York for a runner-up finish in Piedmont Athletic Conference doubles in her only season of girls’ tennis.

“It really helped my footwork and agility,” Hall said.

Randleman had an incredible two-year run in girls’ basketball that included PAC championships and advancing deep into the Class 2-A state playoffs. Hall’s participation in the East-West Game provides an extension of that.

She was a major low-post presence for the Tigers. She also could pop out to the perimeter and sink shots and that’s that versatility that she hopes carries into college.

“She did so many things for us,” said Brandon Varner, who was Randleman’s coach. “She’s so deserving to be playing in this game.”

Hall is proud of what was accomplished with Randleman and how it played out.

“The best part was I was able to go out there with my best friends and win games,” Hall said. “Knowing you did everything you could and got the most out of it.”

ER boys postgame video at South Stokes

Prep basketball: Eastern Randolph boys keep season going, win regional semi on road

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Coach Johnny Thomas makes a postgame video with his Eastern Randolph boys’ basketball team after winning the Class 1-A West Region semifinal at South Stokes. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

WALNUT COVE – Pierce Leonard scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and Eastern Randolph rallied past South Stokes to continue its best postseason in program history.

The Wildcats put together a strong second half to pull out the Class 1-A West Region semifinal, winning 74-71 on Tuesday night.

“I told them, ‘I am proud of you. We’ve had a long season, but this is not it,’ ” first-year Eastern Randolph coach Johnny Thomas said.

Devonte Brooks scored 15 points despite foul trouble, Timothy Brower posted 10 of his 12 points in the second half and Nicah Taylor finished with 11 points in Eastern Randolph’s first road game of the postseason.

“The whole season we have built a foundation where we can play with or without Devonte,” Thomas said.

The Wildcats made enough plays down the stretch. The Sauras missed three potential tying 3-point shots in the final 12 seconds.

Eastern Randolph’s Pierce Leonard makes a steal on Brendon Bradford of South Stokes during Tuesday night’s Class 1-A West Region semifinal. Eastern Randolph’s Timothy Brower, left, and Davonte Brooks also apply defensive pressure. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Third-seeded Eastern Randolph (28-2) meets fourth-seeded Bishop McGuinness (25-5), which eliminated top-seeded Mountain Heritage 58-54, on Saturday at a to-be-determined neutral site.

South Stokes (25-5) led 45-36 at halftime.

“It was just a simple adjustment of pride,” Thomas said.

Barry Hairston poured in 23 points for the Sauras.

Bertie (26-4) and Wilson Prep (25-7) will meet in the East Region final.

Girls’ basketball

At Randleman, top-seeded Randleman dropped a 49-42 decision to visiting East Burke in the Class 2-A West Region semifinals.

Gracyn Hall scored 12 points for Randleman (27-2), which led 24-21 at halftime before trailing 33-29 entering the fourth quarter.

With the Tigers facing a 42-40 deficit, East Burke posted the next five points.

Randleman’s Elizabeth York and Audra Petty both notched nine points.

Fifth-seeded East Burke (27-2) takes on third-seeded Salisbury (25-3) in the regional final.

Randleman girls Gracie Beane v Hendersonville Feb2023

Prep girls: Randleman finds right mix in second round; E. Randolph also wins

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Gracie Beane of Randleman makes a pass in the second half against Hendersonville in Thursday night’s Class 2-A state playoffs. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

RANDLEMAN – A great start and a splendid second-half span were enough to extend the season for Randleman’s girls’ basketball team.

The Tigers did enough in between in the Class 2-A second-round game to defeat visiting Hendersonville 63-54 on Thursday night.

“Give (our players) credit for coming ready to play,” Randleman coach Brandon Varner said. “We did a lot of great stuff.”

That came in large doses in the opening minutes and in a game-deciding stretch in the third quarter.

As a result, Randleman (26-1), the top-seeded team in the West Region, will meet eighth-seeded East Rutherford (27-2), an 88-54 winner against North Stanly, at 2 p.m. Saturday at home in the third round.

“From here on, every team is good,” senior guard Jordan Booker said.

And so are the Tigers, proving so during various situations against Hendersonville (18-10).

The game began with Randleman scoring the first 14 points. With center Graycn Hall picking up two fouls and going to the bench, the lead evaporated and the Bearcats, who went more than six minutes without a point, were within a point in the second quarter. The Tigers kept the lead, heading to halftime ahead 25-23.

But Hendersonville tied the game a couple of times in the third quarter. Then at 35-35, senior Elizabeth York took over.

“I was definitely giving more effort than usual, which is embarrassing to say,” York said. “But I wasn’t going to let this be my last game.”

She scored the next eight points on a field goal, a three-point play and a 3-point shot. Hall added a putback off an offensive rebound before perhaps the most exciting sequence of the game.

Randleman secured a defensive rebound with about four seconds left in the quarter. A couple of passes later, York had the ball and flung up a desperation shot for a crowd-pleasing, unorthodox basket at the buzzer and a 47-37 lead.

It was nearly a no-look shot, though York said she glanced “for a second” toward the basket.

York converted another three-point play early in the fourth quarter and the Tigers eventually went up by 19 points.

“We knew we were the better team,” Booker said. “We had to play together and play like we can and it worked out.”

In the third quarter, Randleman switched from a zone and some specialty defenses to man-to-man. Varner said he liked how the Tigers handled the adjustment.

“These girls are battle-tested and have played a lot of basketball,” he said.

Hall finished with 24 points and York had 22 points. AJ Jackson had 15 of her 22 points in the first half for Hendersonville.

The Tigers also collected a valuable lesson, further understanding to avoid letting up.

“We got too comfortable with our lead,” York said. “It’s going to get tougher and tougher as Coach Varner says.”

So the Tigers know there’s no easy paths to keeping the season alive.

“They’re all good now,” Varner said. “You’ve got to show up and play your best.”

** Shelby 61, Southwestern Randolph 27: At Shelby, the 15th-seeded Cougars (19-9) fell into an 18-2 hole and didn’t recover at No. 2 seed Shelby (25-1) in Class 2-A.

Class 1-A

At Ramseur, Brecken Snotherly scored 27 points and No. 5 seed Eastern Randolph stopped No. 12 seed Rosman 53-40

Kenly Whitaker poured in 17 points for host Eastern Randolph (19-7), which trailed 27-24 at halftime. A 13-3 advantage in the third quarter turned the momentum.

Snotherly, who made three 3-pointers, also had 12 rebounds.

The Wildcats will be home again Saturday against No. 13 seed Robbinsville (19-8), a 71-66 winner vs. fourth-seeded Albemarle.

Rosman finished with a 23-6 record.

** Bessemer City 46, Uwharrie Charter Academy 39: At Bessemer, the visiting Eagles nearly recovered from an early 15-point hole, closing to within 20-19 at halftime, but they couldn’t complete the comeback against seventh-seeded Bessemer City (21-6).

No. 23 seed UCA ended with a 12-16 record.

Randleman girls after PAC Tourney final Feb2023

Randleman girls respond, claim PAC Tournament in overtime

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Members of the Randleman girls’ basketball team gather with the hardware after defeating host Eastern Randolph in overtime. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Rally from Eastern Randolph creates drama

RAMSEUR – Randleman’s recovery from a few late-game glitches made the Tigers’ championship that much more impressive Friday night in the girls’ basketball final of the Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament.

One thing the Tigers weren’t lacking was that internal belief that they would find a way to successfully defend their title.

“Coach (Brandon) Varner told us ‘You’ve worked so hard for this,’ ” senior center Graycn Hall said. “We’re going to show how hard we’ve worked.”

That was just part of the conclusion as the drama unfolded in Randleman’s 57-55 overtime victory against host and second-seeded Eastern Randolph in front of an overflow crowd.

“They earned this,” Varner said of his players. “You play in a conference tournament championship game on their court. We had to earn it and that’s what we should want.”

The regular-season champion Tigers (24-1) didn’t make a field goal in the overtime period, but they drained more free throws and made key defensive stops to come away with the prize they were seeking.

“That’s all I wanted was this tournament,” senior guard Elizabeth York said. “It’s always a bigger win when you win an away game.”

York sank two free throws at the 12-second mark to put the Tigers ahead and added another foul shot in the final second.

Eastern Randolph (17-7) wiped out a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit and scored the first four points of overtime.

“One more basket,” Wildcats coach Jeff Davis said of what was needed, noting that Randleman “is a great defending team.”

Randleman needed the defense because the Tigers had a late stretch spanning the fourth quarter and overtime when they committed four consecutive turnovers, shot an air ball, had a shot blocked and were guilty of another turnover.

Eastern Randolph’s rally consisted of Mackenzie Gee’s 3-pointer, two Brecken Snotherly free throws and Snotherly’s tying fastbreak basket.

Hall countered with a basket on a low-post move before Whitaker hit a runner. York scored on a backdoor play with 41 seconds to go, but another turnover with a chance to seal the outcome nearly doomed the Tigers.

Snotherly was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 6.1 seconds remaining. She missed the first attempt, then drained the next two. That extended the game.

“We dug deep,” Davis said. “We gave everything we had. This is the one that’s going to keep us up at night.”

Kenly Whitaker’s basket off a rebound and Snotherly’s bucket put Eastern Randolph up 53-49.

“We can’t give up,” Hall said. “We were so close. I was trying to keep (my teammates) believing that we’re not losing.”

Trouble brewed for the Wildcats as Logan Beaver and Kenly Whitaker fouled out in Eastern Randolph’s first overtime game of the season.

Randleman didn’t score in overtime until 1:22 was showing on the clock. In a 19-second span, Jordan Booker was good on four free throws to pull the Tigers even.

Hall’s foul shot gave Randleman a one-point edge before Snotherly connected on two free throws with 13.5 seconds to play. York did the rest of the scoring.

Snotherly, who was short on a would-be go-ahead shot in the final seconds of overtime, finished with 27 points despite double- and triple-team schemes to slow her down. She still found ways to create openings for herself and teammates.

“She freelanced a little bit,” Davis said.

Hall racked up 21 points and 21 rebounds, and York and Booker both scored 15 points. The Tigers shot 21-for-24 on free throws.

Beaver added 10 points and Whitaker had nine points for Eastern Randolph.

Randleman has gone two full seasons without a loss in PAC competition.

Asheboro boys Hakeeme Butler v Oak Grove Feb2023

Prep Basketball: Eastern Randolph teams reach PAC finals; Asheboro boys suffer upset loss

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Asheboro’s Hakeeme Butler takes a shot against Oak Grove during the Mid-Piedmont Conference Tournament semifinals. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

RAMSEUR – Both Eastern Randolph basketball teams will be in the championship games on their home court Friday night.

The finals matchups for Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament were set after Wednesday night’s results.

The 6 p.m. girls’ game pits Randleman (23-1) against Eastern Randolph (17-6) followed by the boys’ title game between Trinity (20-6) and Eastern Randolph (23-2)

On the girls’ side, second-seeded Eastern Randolph defeated visiting Southwestern Randolph 75-49 behind Brecken Snotherly’s 37 points.

The third-seeded Cougars (18-8) received 14 points from Maddie Small.

** Top-seeded Randleman rolled past fifth-seeded Uwharrie Charter Academy 58-40 with Jordan Booker pouring in 17 points, Audra Petty posting 16 points and Graycn Hall adding 15 points.

Ashara Spurill scored 10 points for visiting UCA (11-15).

** In the boys’ tournament, top-seeded Eastern Randolph had a difficult time in turning back fourth-seeded Randleman 48-45.

The Wildcats had scored at least 58 points in every previous game this season. They led by 12 points at halftime, but couldn’t put Randleman away.

Davonte Brooks racked up 18 points and 13 rebounds for Eastern Randolph.

Greg Price’s 18 points led Randleman (15-11), which closed the gap in the final seconds on Christian Long’s 3-pointer on the game’s last shot.

** Dominic Payne scored 30 points as third-seeded Trinity edged second-seeded Southwestern Randolph 67-66.

Dylan Hodges had 17 points and Brandon Campbell provided 13 points for the visiting Bulldogs.

Southwestern Randolph (15-10) had been the only PAC team to defeat Eastern Randolph this season. Nathan Ellis had 21 points and Sean Adkins added 16.

Mid-Piedmont Conference

Wednesday night at Ledford, fifth-seeded Oak Grove upset top-seeded Asheboro 67-61 in the conference tournament semifinals.

Asheboro (19-5), which was the defending tournament champion, had gone through the 10-game league slate undefeated in the regular season. It had an 11-game winning streak overall.

The Blue Comets, who’ll await the pairings for the Class 3-A state playoffs, received 21 points apiece from Jerquarius Stanback and Hakeeme Butler.

** In the girls’ tournament a night earlier, third-seeded North Davidson topped last-place Asheboro 76-68 despite Salem Lee’s 24 points and Sion Murrian’s 20 points. Sixth-seeded Asheboro’s season ended with a 4-21 record with 10 consecutive losses.

ER girls Brecken Snotherly at Trinity

Prep Girls: Snotherly achieves history with Eastern Randolph

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Brecken Snotherly goes up for a shot earlier this season at Trinity. (Randolph Record)

CLIMAX – It’s already an historic season for Eastern Randolph’s girls’ basketball team.

Much of that is coming from senior guard Brecken Snotherly, who racked up a school-record 51 points in Tuesday night’s regular-season home finale against Trinity.

“I was kind of surprised to have that many,” she said. “I would say 25 points was a lot for a game.”

She hit six 3-point shots. That might have been the difference from some of her other games.

“My shot, when you have games that you’re on,” she said.

Snotherly eclipsed her previous best of 43 points last month at Wheatmore.

It’s believed to be the 26th time a girls’ player has reached the 50-point mark in a game in North Carolina High School Athletic Association history. Cedar Ridge’s Amiyah Ware notched 54 points against Western Alamance a few nights before Snotherly’s accomplishment. Only 19 girls have scored 50 or more in the state because a few players have done so multiple times.

Eastern Randolph (15-6, 9-3 Piedmont Athletic Conference) completed its league slate when Snotherly had 28 points in Thursday night’s 62-37 road victory against Providence Grove.

The Wildcats finished second in the PAC and are guaranteed their first winning season in six years. It’s shaping up as the best season since a 26-3 record in 2006-07.

“We’ve been able to click,” Snotherly said. “Everybody gets long and that’s huge for a team.”

During the 72-39 romp past visiting Trinity, Snotherly passed the 2,000-point mark for her career (Winston-Salem Christian and Eastern Randolph).

** Randleman wrapped up its second consecutive undefeated PAC regular season by defeating host Trinity 55-38 as Gracyn Hall had 22 points and 15 rebounds Thursday night.

It was the only game of the week for the Tigers, who’ll have a first-round bye in the PAC Tournament.

“Randleman is tough, but we’re coming for them,” Eastern Randolph coach Jeff Davis said. “They do what they do very well. We’ve got to go that extra mile.”

** Southwestern Randolph’s only game of the week resulted in a 60-55 home victory against Uwharrie Charter Academy. That puts the third-place Cougars (17-7, 7-5) in contention for a 20-win season for the fourth consecutive full season – not counting the pandemic-reduced 2021 season.

** Wheatmore’s Kynnedi Routh tallied 21 points as the Warriors defeated visiting Providence Grove 57-46. The Warriors topped host Uwharrie Charter Academy 42-39 to conclude the regular season.

SWR basketball Nathan Ellis vs ER 013123

Prep Basketball: PAC boys’ race extends to final games

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Southwestern Randolph’s Nathan Ellis goes up for a shot as Eastern Randolph players, left to right, Timothy Brower, Nicah Taylor, Davonte Brooks and Pierce Leonard look on. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

 

ASHEBORO – The big upset from last week came with Southwestern Randolph ending the Eastern Randolph boys’ basketball team’s winning streak at 19 games.

The Cougars won 75-66 at home, so that likely will keep the suspense in the Piedmont Athletic Conference going until the final night of the regular season.

Nathan Ellis led the way with 21 points, while teammates Thomas Leal (14 points), Sean Adkins (12), Kearns Trotter (11) and Landon Williamson (10) all scored in double figures.

Second-place Southwestern Randolph remained just a half-game out of first place by topping visiting Wheatmore 54-34 as Adkins posted 16 points Friday night.

Eastern Randolph hadn’t lost since its opener Dec. 2 at Southwest Guilford.

The Wildcats got back on track by winning 89-76 at Uwharrie Charter Academy on Friday night with a boost from Davonte Brooks’ 24 points (after he had 20 in the Southwestern Randolph game). Pierce Leonard, playing against his former school, tacked on 18 points and Timothy Brower had 17 points. These outputs helped overcome 41 points from UCA’s Ashton Troutman.

Eastern Randolph could secure the outright regular-season title by beating visiting Trinity, which remains in contention, on Tuesday night and host Providence Grove on Thursday night. Southwestern Randolph’s lone game this week was set for Tuesday night at UCA, while Trinity is also home vs. Randleman on Thursday night.

** Trinity played just once last week with Dominic Payne and Dylan Hodges each scoring 23 points in a 68-51 victory at Providence Grove.

** Despite 24 points from Tyshaun Goldston, Randleman fell 64-60 at UCA. The Tigers received 22 points from Christian Long in an 82-41 pounding of visiting Providence Grove.

** In the Mid-Piedmont Conference, Asheboro moved closer to clinching a title by defeating visiting Central Davidson 50-47 and topping host North Davidson 55-48. Hakeeme Butler’s 18 points and 20 points, respectively, those games paced the Blue Comets.

Eastern Randolph’s Logan Beaver launches a shot over Uwharrie Charter Academy’s Blakeley Justus last week. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

Girls’ basketball

Randleman secured the outright PAC championship by defeating host UCA 56-33 as Gracyn Hall tallied 20 points.

The Tigers then won their regular-season home finale by 63-27 against Providence Grove.

** Eastern Randolph won twice, including a 43-34 road victory against host Southwestern Randolph as Brecken Snotherly rolled up 25 points and 11 rebounds. That result avenged a loss from early January.

Next, Snotherly poured in 30 points in Eastern Randolph’s 61-34 victory against UCA. That gave the Wildcats a four-game winning streak entering this week.

Eastern Randolph clinched at least a share of second place in the PAC.

Randleman girls Elizabeth York v ER 012423

Randleman girls set high bar in PAC

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Randleman’s Elizabeth York looks to go up for a shot against Eastern Randolph’s Logan Beaver. (Scott Pelkey/Randolph Record)

RANDLEMAN – Staying atop the Piedmont Athletic Conference has been a challenge for the Randleman girls’ basketball team.

The Tigers have passed the test and that’s one of the rewarding aspects of another stellar season.

“Right now, everybody is bringing their ‘A’ game against us, but that’s OK,” coach Brandon Varner said.

Randleman withstood threats from Eastern Randolph and Southwestern Randolph during the past week. But it has turned out to be another title season for the Tigers, who are 9-0 in PAC play and 19-1 overall.

So if the Tigers might have looked vulnerable at times, they found the gumption to withstand those situations.

“We’re like their championship (game),” senior Gracyn Hall said of opponents. “Everybody is wanting to beat Randleman because we have that target on our back.”

Randleman’s only regular-season loss in a two-season span came in late December in the final of the Davidson-Randolph Christmas Classic. The Tigers were knocked off by Southwestern Randolph.

But with Friday night’s 55-40 home victory against the Cougars, Randleman made it a sweep of Southwestern Randolph in conference competition and clinched another league championship with three games remaining.

“We’re definitely getting everybody’s best shot,” senior Elizabeth York said. “You learn from it. We didn’t like losing. We had (that defeat) midyear and we don’t want that again.”

Earlier in the week, a 59-54 decision against Eastern Randolph came despite Brecken Snotherly’s 38 points for the Wildcats. York and Jordan Booker each drained a pair of free throws in the last 40 seconds to help the Tigers, who scored the last four points, claim the victory.

Hall ended up with 18 points and 16 rebounds, Audra Petty scored 14 points and York provided 13 points and five assists.

Audra Petty of Randleman looks for a teammate as Eastern Randolph’s Brecken Snotherly defends. (Scott Pelkey/Randolph Record)

A few tight games might be advantageous for the Tigers in the big picture.

“You get the playoff atmosphere,” Varner said. “You don’t want games when you’re blowing everybody out. You get more out of (closer games). We’re like everybody’s Super Bowl right now. You’ve got to battle through that.”

Hall said, “Closer games will end up helping us in the long run.”

Yet a chaotic late-game stretch with Eastern Randolph wasn’t totally ideal.

“I like things to be exciting, but not this close,” York said.

In Friday’s game, York had 18 points and Hall posted 16 points.

Hall and York provide a nice foundation as four-year contributors for the Tigers. Petty, Booker and Gracie Beane are clutch players as well.

“It’s just fun,” Hall said. “We don’t want to let each other down.”

Because some of the Tigers have had key roles for several seasons, opponents are familiar with what Randleman is all about, York said.

“We’ve got experience and everybody is coming for us right now,” Varner said. “Since Christmas, we’ve learned some things about ourselves. It’s character building.”

Randleman is heading for a third 20-win season in four years, the exception coming with a 12-4 record in the pandemic-shortened 2021 season.

And the Tigers are hoping there are more good times to come.

“We don’t always make the best decisions,” York said. “Our effort is what wins the games for us.”

Trinity girls hoops Autumn Gentry Dec2022

Prep Notes: Girls’ players Gentry, York hit special marks

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Trinity’s Autumn Gentry takes a shot against East Davidson last week. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)

TRINITY – There were special occasions last week for a couple of area girls’ basketball players.

Senior Autumn Gentry became Trinity’s all-time leading scorer. She scored 14 points against visiting East Davidson to reach the record.

The previous record of 1,252 was held by Jordan Parker.

Randleman’s Elizabeth York, a senior guard, eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career.

York had 24 points in a 57-41 victory against visiting Central Davidson in the game when she reached the milestone. Teammate Gracyn Hall, who passed the 1,000-point mark last season, had 21 points.

Randleman got off to an 8-0 start, including last Friday’s 55-39 victory against visiting Wheatmore in the Piedmont Athletic Conference opener. The Tigers were unbeaten in the 2021-22 regular season.

Boys’ basketball

In a rematch of last February’s PAC Tournament championship game, Uwharrie Charter Academy defeated Providence Grove 46-43 on Friday night.

Ashton Troutman scored 27 points for UCA in the league opener for both teams.

Providence Grove was last season’s regular-season champion, though UCA won the conference tournament.

  • Asheboro’s fast start to the season took a sudden detour.

The Blue Comets opened the season with five consecutive victories before last week’s 68-66 home loss to Ragsdale.

“We didn’t make a few plays down the stretch that probably could have made the difference,” Asheboro coach Brian Nance said. “We needed a test.”

Asheboro wiped out a 15-point deficit to take a lead before falling. Jerquarius Stanback had 21 points for the Blue Comets.

A night later, Asheboro dropped a 51-38 decision at Randleman in a non-league rematch from November. Tyshaun Goldston’s 22 points and eight rebounds were tops for Randleman.

  • Give credit to Eastern Randolph for winning different types of games with three home outings last week.

The Wildcats rang up a 94-62 victory against South Davidson and topped Chatham Central 92-91 on back-to-back days last week.

Timothy Brower (21 points) and Nicah Taylor (20 points) led the scoring against South Davidson. Davonte Brooks poured in 37 points against Chatham Central and 30 points against Western Alamance.

Then on Saturday, Eastern Randolph edged visiting Western Alamance 62-49 in a make-up game.

Wrestling

At Lumberton, UCA won five meets in Saturday’s Lumberton Border Duals.

The closest of the results was a 52-9 victory against Carolina Forest (S.C.).

UCA wrestlers who went 5-0 were Caden Bond, Devonte Harrison, Ethan Hines, Aldo Hernandez, Jair Ulloa, Lorenzo Alston, Grayson Roberts and Jaden Maness. Carson Robinson was 4-0.

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