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Editor: Jerry Snow (261-2225) jsnow@theej.com
WORTH A LOOK College football Papajohns.com Bowl S. Carolina vs. Connecticut Noon, ESPN Liberty Bowl East Carolina vs. Arkansas 5:30 p.m., ESPN College basketball Louisville at Kentucky 3:30, CBS Virginia Tech vs. Seton Hall 7:30, ESPN2
11-1 Hokies play on ESPN2 tonight
CANCUN, Mexico — Virginia Tech faces a tough opponent today, playing Seton Hall in Cancun starting at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The Hokies have won eight straight to improve their record to 11-1. Seton Hall is 9-3 and coming off two close losses to Top 10 HUDSON teams. The Pirates lost to No. 5 Syracuse, 80-73, on Tuesday. Three days earlier, No. 6 West Virginia needed overtime to defeat Seton Hall (90-84). Virginia Tech might play without the ACC’s leading scorer, junior point guard Malcolm Delaney (19.8 ppg), who sprained his ankle in the Hokies’ 85-50 win over Longwood on Wednesday. Former Forest Hills star Dorenzo Hudson had 11 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Hokies in Wednesday’s win A 6-foot-5 junior shooting guard, Hudson ranks third on the team in scoring at 9.8 ppg. He has scored in double figures in four of his last five games. Hokies junior forward J.T. Thompson, also a former standout at Forest Hills, was 4-for-4 from the field against Longwood and finished with eight points and four rebounds. Thompson is averaging 5.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Following today’s game against Seton Hall, the Hokies are until Jan. 10, when they travel to face ninthranked UNC Chapel Hill.
Smith goes on IR; Panthers promote LB
CHARLOTTE (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have signed linebacker Mortty Ivy from the practice squad to take injured receiver Steve Smith’s spot on the 53-man roster. Smith was placed on injured reserve Friday, five days after he broke his left forearm while SMITH catching a touchdown pass in a win over the New York Giants. Smith is the 12th player to go on IR for the injury-plagued Panthers. Ivy is an undrafted rookie from West Virginia. He’s been on the Panthers’ practice squad since being in their final wave of cuts before the start of the season. Carolina’s DeAngelo Williams is doubtful and fellow running back Jonathan Stewart questionable for Sunday’s game. Williams missed Friday’s workout and Stewart returned to practice Friday after sitting out the past two days to rest his sore left Achilles’ tendon. Both have rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season.
Noles surprise No. 18 West Virginia in Gator Bowl 2B Saturday, January 2, 2010
With Holiday Classic behind them, local teams averting their attention By JERRY SNOW
MONROE With the annual Holiday Classic basketball tournament behind them, all 11 Union County schools will focus their energy on conference games. Parkwood High’s girls are 10-0 after winning the Classic for the fourth time in their 12year history. The Rebels have a non-conference game at Charlotte Latin on Tuesday before opening the first of 10 straight Southern Carolina Conference games at Weddington on Friday. The Warriors placed fourth out of 12 teams at the tournament, losing to Marvin Ridge in the third place game. Three of the six girls teams will enter SCC play with a winning record, including Porter Ridge (9-2) and Sun Valley (8-3). The Rebels rallied in the fourth quarter to beat PR 62-53 in the title game, ending the Pirates’ nine-game winning streak. “We know we have to play them two more times and they’re a really tough team,” said Parkwood coach Jamal McGee of the Pirates. “It’s always a tough game against them. I look forward to playing them again. You know you have to bring your ‘A’ game when you play against them.” Porter Ridge plays at Parkwood on Jan. 12 and then travels to PR on Feb. 2.
The week ahead: (basketball doubleheaders involving UC)
Monday Anson Co. @ Forest Hills Tuesday Sun Valley at Weddington CATA @ Berry Academy Cuthbertson @ Piedmont Union Academy @ Monroe Forest Hills @ N. Stanly Wednesday Weddington @ S. Meck Porter Ridge @ Monroe Piedmont at West Stanly (boys only) Friday Piedmont @ Forest Hills Monroe @ CATA N. Stanly @ Union Academy Parkwood @ Weddington Marvin Ridge @ Porter Ridge Sun Valley @ Anson (girls games start as early as 6 p.m.)
Monroe’s boys suffered their first loss of the year to Sun Valley in the boys title game on Wednesday. The 10-1 Redhawks have three games this week, hosting Union Academy on Tuesday and then Porter Ridge on Wednesday before traveling to CATA on Friday. Monroe is 4-0 in the Rocky River Conference, good for a share of first place with Berry Academy (7-3 overall). Forest Hills’ boys, who en-
E-J staff photo by Ed Cottingham
Monroe guard Qwadarius Duboise (23), who is averaging 14.5 ppg, was an all-tournament pick at the Holiday Classic last week. The 10-1 Redhawks have back-to-back home games on Tuesday and Wednesday. tered the tournament 5-1 and seeded second, went a disappointing 1-2 and placed fourth. Anson County defeated the Yellow Jackets 61-51 in the thirdplace game on Wednesday. The two teams will play a rematch on Monday when An-
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son travels to Forest Hills in a makeup game. The Jackets, who stand 4-1 in league play, return to conference games later in the week — traveling to North Stanly on Tuesday and hosting Piedmont on Friday.
Pirates hosting 10-team tournament today By Eric Rape
E-J Correspondent
Indian Trail Porter Ridge High’s wrestling team will host the Pirate Duals today, making up an individual tournament that was postponed due to weather on Dec. 19. They will be drawing four addition teams to the tournament with the cancellation of a tournament Monroe was supposed to host, making for a 10-team individual event that will once again match up area wrestlers for the gold. The Pirates’ Chris Lingle will be
Wrestling among the featured wrestlers as he tries to keep his good season going. Lingle is 22-1 going into the tournament. With the second half of the year starting with an individual tournament, wrestlers will begin to get a good idea of what their competition will be like as they prepare for the regional tournament.
The top four finihsers from the region in each weight class will get a shot at the state title in Winston-Salem on Feb. 26. Lingle got a taste of the state meet last year. Miles Cook (18-2) will also be represent Monroe at Porter Ridge as he tries to jump start the second half of his senior season. The Pirates are looking to keep the first place trophy at their place. They have finished third in individual tournaments twice this year. The tournament will begin at 9 a.m.
Parkwood’s Leak among individual tourney standouts BY JUSTIN MURDOCK
E-J Sports Writer
Wingate women, men at home today
WINGATE — The women’s and men’s basketball teams at Wingate University play their first home games of the conference schedule today, taking on Lincoln Memorial starting at 2 p.m. Wingate’s women are 6-4 overall and 0-1 in the South Atlantic Conference this season. Wingate’s men are off to an 8-4 start. The WU men won their conference opener at Newberry on Dec. 4, 66-59.
Section B
Conference games now top priority E-J Sports Editor
WHO’S NEWS
Bowden wins last game
E-J staff photo by Ed Cottingham
After averaging 25 points and 10 rebounds at the Holiday Classic, Cavs center Mike Cuthbertson, left, is at 17.2 points and 9.4 rebounds for the season.
WINGATE Several players competing in the CMC-Union Holiday Classic had noteworthy individual performances throughout the week. Parkwood High senior guard Maurice Leak scored a tournament-high 30 points in his team’s overtime victory over Central Academy in Tuesday’s consolation game. In two tourney games, Leak averaged 27.0 points and 4.5 assists for the Rebels, who lost to Anson County in the opening round. Leak is averaging 18.6 points on the year, trailing only county leader Shaun Stewart (19.2 ppg) of Sun Valley. Anson senior Garry McKnight was arguably the most productive boys player in the Classic. A 6-foot-6 center, McKnight had a double-double in all three tournament games, helping the Bearcats to a third-place finish. McKnight opened the tourney with 28 points and 16 rebounds in a win over Parkwood. He then finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds in
a semifinal loss to Monroe before posting 17 points and 10 rebounds in the third-place game against Forest Hills. McKnight averaged 20.0 points and 12.7 rebounds in three games. He shot 22-for-43 (51.2 percent) from the field. Three other boys players averaged a double-double in the tournament, including Sun Valley’s Blake Dixon, Monroe’s Issac Blakeney and Cuthbertson’s Mike Cuthbertson. Dixon, a 6-foot senior guard, averaged 11.3 points and 10.7 rebounds in helping the Spartans win the championship. Blakeney, a 6-6 senior center, averaged 13.0 points and 10.0 rebounds and threw down five dunks in the tournament. He had two slams against Weddington, one against Anson County and two more in Wednesday’s loss to Sun Valley in the title game. Cuthbertson helped the Cavs finished second behind Piedmont in the consolation tournament. A 6-5 junior center, Cuthbertson averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds in two games. He scored 27 in Wednesday’s loss to Piedmont.