Southwestern Randolph’s Kenzie Martin shoots over Asheboro’s Kaylen Nance earlier this season. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record)
TRINITY – Junior guard Dominic Payne of Trinity has been off to a sizzling start in boys’ basketball.
Payne scored 37 points in a 67-66 overtime victory last week at Oak Grove.
He was back at it the next night with 25 points in a 71-28 trouncing of visiting East Davidson. Teammate Dylan Hodges added 21 points in that game.
- Meanwhile, Asheboro’s boys’ basketball team won a notable matchup based on last season’s area conference champions.
The Blue Comets won 65-35 at Providence Grove. Last season, Asheboro was the Mid-Piedmont Conference Tournament champion, while Providence Grove was the Piedmont Athletic Conference regular-season champion.
Asheboro is off to a 3-0 start and within its next four games it was slated for rematches with each of those teams (Southwestern Randolph, Providence Grove, Randleman) that it has already defeated.
Wrestling
At Asheboro, there were two individual champions from Randolph County in the Asheboro Cold Turkey Invitational on Saturday at Asheboro Recreation Center.
Diego Gutierrez of Asheboro defeated Eastern Randolph’s Adrian Lopez in the 126-pound final.
Southwestern Randolph’s Luke White won at 138 pounds by defeating Ragsdale’s Jaxson Davis in the title bout.
Second places went to Asheboro’s Xavier Santos (120 pounds), Samuel Salinas (132), Christian Diaz (160) and Michael Brady (182), Southwestern Randolph’s Mason Leonard (145) and Tristin Richardson (152) and Providence Grove’s Nathan Hutcherson (195) and Colton Wood (285).
Northern Guilford was the team champion with 170 points in the 10-team event. Ragsdale was the runner-up with 151½ and Asheboro placed third with 135. Also, Providence Grove was seventh with 56 and Eastern Randolph placed eighth with 50.
- At the West Rowan Invitational, Trinity was the team runner-up behind the host school last Wednesday among 10 teams entered.
Levi Dennis (126), Gavin Hardister (182) and Joey Smith (220) were individual championship for Trinity. Teammates Edgar Vasquez (106), Brayden Hall (113), Spencer May (120) and Charles Schaefer (145) were runners-up.
