Davonte Brooks - Randolph Record

04 Mar

Huge comeback propels Eastern Randolph boys to state final

Randolph RecordSportsclass 1-A, Davonte Brooks, Eastern Randolph, Johnny Thomas, nchsaa, Pierce Leonard, Prep Basketball

Eastern Randolph team members and coach Johnny Thomas – with arms raised – celebrate the Class 1-A West Region title. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) MORGANTON – Eastern Randolph rallied from a 21-point halftime deficit to keep its season alive and advance to a state championship in boys’ basketball for the first time. The Wildcats pulled out a 62-59 victory against Bishop McGuinness in the Class 1-A West Region final Saturday afternoon at Freedom High School. “As the coach, even I’m at awe at what they just did,” first-year Eastern Randolph coach Johnny Thomas said of his players. Eastern Randolph (29-2) will…

24 Feb

Prep boys: Special season ends on downer for Blue Comets; Eastern Randolph advances

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Brian Nance, Camden Walker, D.J. Headen, Davonte Brooks, Hakeeme Butler, nchsaa, Pierce Leonard, Prep Basketball, Trinity athletics

Hakeeme Butler tries to get Asheboro on the board in the first quarter of Thursday night’s loss to Greensboro Smith in the Class 3-A state playoffs. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Asheboro’s special season in boys’ basketball didn’t come to a fitting conclusion. That’s what made losing so hard to grasp for the Blue Comets. Ambushed from the start by Greensboro Smith, Asheboro couldn’t sustain any of its rallies long enough in a 73-46 loss in the second round of the Class 3-A state playoffs Thursday night at raucous Asheboro Recreation Center. “That’s the thing about this team, we all…

18 Feb

Wildcats capture another prize, top Trinity boys in PAC final

Bob SuttonSportsDavonte Brooks, Dominic Payne, Dylan Hodges, Eastern Randolph athletics, PAC Tournament, piedmont athletic conference, Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament, Pierce Leonard, Prep Basketball, Timothy Brower, Trinity athletics

Eastern Randolph’s Timothy Brower goes up for a basket as Trinity’s Jacob Hodges, right, defends. Other Trinity players, left to right, Brandon Campbell, Grayson Earls, Dylan Hodges and Dominic Payne look on. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) RAMSEUR – Timothy Brower was down on the court in pain in the first quarter of the Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament’s boys’ basketball championship. The Eastern Randolph guard delivered much of the punishment for the rest of Friday night’s game. Brower’s 28 points helped propel the regular-season champion Wildcats in a 74-64 victory against visiting Trinity that marked their first conference tournament title in seven…

16 Feb

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

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Brecken Snotherly, Davonte Brooks, Dominic Payne, Dylan Hodges, Gracyn Hall, Hakeeme Butler, Jerquarius Stanback, Jordan Booker, Mid-Piedmont Conference, PAC Tournament, Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament, Prep Basketball, Randleman athletics

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…

13 Feb

Prep Boys: Blue Comets hit decades-long high

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Brian Nance, Davonte Brooks, Dominic Payne, Dylan Hodges, Jerquarius Stanback, Mid-Piedmont Conference, piedmont athletic conference, Prep Basketball, sean adkins, Tanner Marsh

Asheboro’s Jerquarius Stanback goes up for a shot last week against Ledford’s Whit Denny. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – There are lots of reasons that have made this a special season for the Asheboro boys’ basketball team. The goal will be to keep it going. The Blue Comets won the Mid-Piedmont Conference’s regular season, going through that portion of conference play without a loss for the first time since 1976. “We knew we would have some success in conference,” veteran coach Brian Nance said. “We had a good first half (of league play) and next thing you know, you’re 6-0,…

10 Feb

Eastern Randolph boys find way to outright PAC title

Bob SuttonSportsChase Whitaker, Connor Carter, Davonte Brooks, Eastern Randolph athletics, Johnny Thomas, piedmont athletic conference, Pierce Leonard, Prep Basketball, Providence Grove athletics

Eastern Randolph’s Davonte Brooks ties the game with a dunk late in the third quarter at Providence Grove. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) Wildcats withstand Providence Grove for rare basketball prize CLIMAX – Eastern Randolph had to make changes to figure out how to topple Providence Grove in Thursday night’s unexpected down-to-the-end tussle in boys’ basketball. Just mark it up as another accomplishment for this group of Wildcats. They’re outright Piedmont Athletic Conference regular-season champions, collecting the school’s first league title of any sort in boys’ basketball in seven years and only second regular-season title in 29 years. “We wanted to bring…

06 Feb

Prep Basketball: PAC boys’ race extends to final games

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Ashton Troutman, Brecken Snotherly, Davonte Brooks, Dominic Payne, Dylan Hodges, Eastern Randolph athletics, Gracyn Hall, Hakeeme Butler, Mid-Piedmont Conference, piedmont athletic conference, Pierce Leonard, Prep Basketball, Randleman athletics, Southwestern Randolph Cougars, Tyshaun Goldston

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…

30 Jan

Prep Basketball: Asheboro, Eastern Randolph boys remain on rolls

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Brecken Snotherly, Davonte Brooks, Eastern Randolph athletics, Prep Basketball, Tanner Marsh, Tyshaun Goldston

Asheboro’s Tanner Marsh leads a fastbreak with teammate Jerquarius Stanback on his right during a game against North Davidson earlier this month. (Scott Pelkey/Randolph Record) Asheboro won two more Mid-Piedmont Conference games last week in boys’ basketball to go with a non-conference victory against Uwharrie Charter Academy. The Blue Comets enter this week undefeated in league play. It began when Jerquarius Stanback had 19 points in a 66-54 triumph against visiting UCA. The next night, Asheboro won its first showdown with Ledford in the Mid-Piedmont Conference, prevailing 66-54 for a road triumph behind DJ Headen’s 20 points and Tanner Marsh’s…

23 Jan

Prep Roundup: Cougars, Tigers head toward girls’ showdown

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Blue Comets, Brecken Snotherly, Davonte Brooks, Mid-Piedmont Conference, piedmont athletic conference, Prep Basketball, prep wrestling

Kenzie Martin of Southwestern Randolph goes up for a shot during last week’s victory against Trinity. (PJ Ward-Brown/Randolph Record) Southwestern Randolph and Randleman are on course for a showdown in girls’ basketball Friday night in Randleman. The teams have split two meetings this season. Depending on results leading up to the game, Randleman could be in position to clinch at least a share of the PAC regular-season championship. Randleman won 55-41 on Dec. 16 at Southwestern Randolph. The teams met again in the championship game of the Davidson-Randolph Christmas Classic at Providence Grove, with the Cougars pulling out a 49-48…

22 Jan

A new way of doing it works fast for Eastern Randolph boys’ team

Bob SuttonSportsConnor Carter, Davonte Brooks, Eastern Randolph athletics, Johnny Thomas, piedmont athletic conference, Pierce Leonard, Prep Basketball

Members of the Eastern Randolph boys' basketball team have come together for a special season. MEBANE – No longer in a rut, the Eastern Randolph boys’ basketball program is doing it on its own terms. That’s fast – and to the point. “We practice fast,” senior Davonte Brooks said. “We come to the games just like practice. All fast, all fast. We all knew from the get-go what we were getting into, from Day 1.” Turns out this means getting all sorts of victories under first-year coach Johnny Thomas. The Wildcats are a rapid-paced, action-filled group all the way to…