Your hometown newspaper since 1886

Revised KM High football schedules

(March 17, 2021 Issue)

Because of the recent Covid cases on North Gaston’s football team, the Kings Mountain High football schedule has been revised.
Over the next week and a half, the Mountaineers will play three games.
To achieve that, some games have been changed from their original dates and times.

NEW VARSITY SCHEDULE
March 19 – Kings Mountain at Ashbrook, 7 p.m.
March 23 – North Gaston at KMHS, 7 p.m.
March 27 – Kings Mountain at Shelby, 7:30 p.m.
April 1 – Forestview at Kings Mountain, 7 p.m.
April 9 – Crest at Kings Mountain, 7 p.m.

NEW JV SCHEDULE
March 17 – Kings Mountain at South Point, 6:30.
March 25 – Shelby at Kings Mountain, 6:30.
March 31 – East Gaston at Kings Mountain, 6:30.
April 9 – Kings Mountain at Crest, 6:30.
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Late TD lifts JV Mountaineers over Burns

(March 17, 2021 Issue)

Quarterback Lamont Littlejohn scored on a sneak with 3:49 left in the fourth quarter to lift Kings Mountain High’s JVs to a 12-8 victory over Burns in their 2021 opener Thursday night at Gamble Stadium.
The winning drive began with 28.8 seconds left in the third period after Burns punted to KM’s 24 yard line.
The Mountaineers’ sophomore running back Caleb Holland, who finished with 209 yards rushing on 20 carries, got the winning drive going with a 13-yard burst. Holland and Micah Ward shouldered the rushing load during the winning drive with Holland producing 37 yards and Ward 19.
A big play came with KM facing a third and 21 at the 49 when Burns was whistled for pass interference. That gave the Mountaineers a first down on the Burns 36, and the Mountaineers were awarded another 15 yards on an unsportsmanlike penalty call against the Bulldog sidelines.
That put KM at the Burns 21 with 5:25 remaining. Two carries by Ward for six yards and a 14-yard burst by Holland put KM within inches of the goal line from which point Littlejohn snuck it in for the winning score.
The KM defense rose to the occasion, forcing three straight incomplete passes to regain control of the ball with 2:06 left. From there, Holland burst 13 yards for a first down at the Burns 27. Ward picked up four and Holland seven for another first down at the 16 with just over a minute remaining. With Burns having used all of its timeouts, Littlejohn took a knee twice to end the game.
The Mountaineers had taken a 6-0 lead in the second quarter on a six-yard run by Holland and that score stood until after halftime.
The Mountaineers’ offense had some problems holding onto the ball, and Burns scored its only TD when a KM pitch that took one bounce was caught on the run by Jeremiah Norris who raced 67 yards for a touchdown. A pass from Ben Mauney to Kamari Smart for a two-point conversion left the Bulldogs on top until the Mountaineers mounted their winning drive.
Javion Smith aided the KM running game and also had an outstanding game on defense along with JaQualyn Sanders, Curtis Simpson, Andre Willis, Javier Teshawn-Currie and others.
The Mountaineers will hit the road Wednesday for a 7:30 game at South Point. They return home March 17 at 6:30 against Shelby.

Mountaineers at Ashbrook Friday,
North Gaston here next Tuesday 

(March 17, 2021 Issue)

 Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers go after their third straight victory Friday night when they travel to Gastonia to face an improved Ashbrook Green Wave.
The Wave is 1-1 in the Big South Conference with a victory over Forestview and a loss to one of the pre-season favorites, Crest. They are 1-2 overall with their non-conference loss coming against Berry Academy of Charlotte.
The Green Wave has a new head coach who has installed a spread offense and they look to have a much better season that they’ve had the past few years.
“They’ve moved to a spread offense and they’ve been improving steadily through the first three games,” noted Mountaineer head coach Greg Lloyd. “They have a running back that runs hard and they’re in a 4-2-5 defense."
“They don’t blitz a lot but they are pretty big and force a lot of turnovers,” Lloyd noted. “Their score against Crest is sort of misleading. Crest is really good but Ashbrook played well against them.”
Several veterans like quarterback Chandler Meeks, who is a good runner and passer, have Ashbrook fans hoping to turn their fortunes around. With this being their homecoming game, there will be a limited number of tickets for Kings Mountain fans.
“Ashbrook throws the ball a good bit,” Lloyd noted. “They are a spread team in the shotgun and trying to improve every game. They had their best game last week against Forestview (a 9-7 win) so we have to be ready to play.”
This will be the first of three games over an eight-day period for the Mountaineers, who play at home Tuesday in a makeup game with North Gaston and the following Saturday at Shelby for a non-conference game. The Shelby game will begin at 7:30. All other games are at 7 p.m.
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THE DEFENSE RESTS?
THINK AGAIN!
Mountaineers demolish Huss 35-0 in homecoming

(March 17, 2021 Issue)

With several outstanding returners aboard like major college commits Dameon Wilson and Javari Rice-Wilson, Kings Mountain High coaches and fans knew the Mountaineers would be strong on defense this season.
But, perhaps no one except the players and coaches knew that they could turn in the dominating performance they did against the Hunter Huss Huskies Friday night at Gamble Stadium.
Limiting the Huskies to just six first downs – of which two were on KM penalties – minus four yards rushing and just 43 passing, the Mountaineers completely outclassed their Gastonia opponents 35-0 in a homecoming game current KMHS players and students will remember each time they have a class reunion.
From an offense that accumulated 269 yards overall to a defense that came up with three interceptions and two safeties, the Mountaineers scored in all four quarters. The Huskies offered only one serious scoring threat which ended on a pass interception at the one by KM senior Titus Phillips.
“It was a great game,” said Coach Greg Lloyd. “We got off to a great start and played with a lot of intensity from the opening kickoff. I was pleased with all three phases of the game.”
After Huss won the toss and deferred to the second half, the Mountaineers made it as far as the Huss 49 before having to punt. But, the defense quickly gave a glimpse of what was to come by holding the Huskies to minus three yards on their first possession.
Punting from their own 13, the Huskies’ kick was partially blocked by KM’s Jake Lloyd and KM took over at the Huss 25. After Jaylen Mims and Rashaard Brooks ran for eight and 16 yards, respectively, senior quarterback Ethan Reid scored from the one and Jaden Ellis kicked the extra point and the rout was on.
From that point on, the Huskies had very little success moving the ball, except for a brief time late in the first quarter when Titus Phillips picked off a pass at the KM one yard line.
After KM’s initial score, the defense got a big sack from Derek Wilson to force a fourth and 18 at the Huss seven. Five plays after the Huss punt quarterback Ethan Reid hit end Marcus Odums with a 19-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 lead.
“The first quarter was big for us,” Lloyd noted. “Getting a score after a blocked punt set the tone. I was pleased with all three phases of the game. It was a great effort.”
Down 14-0, Huss got its first two first downs on back-to-back 15 yard penalties against KM which put them on the KM 36. A 19-yard reception by Noah Lowery put them on the KM 20, but a sack by AJ Richardson followed by Phillips’ interception at the one basically stopped what little offense the Huskies could muster.
KM was able to drive the ball to the Huss 23 before losing it on downs, but on the Huskies’ first play from scrimmage Logan Patrick intercepted a pass. A 21-yard run by Mims put the Mountaineers on the Huss 15, from which point Reid rolled right but threw back to his left to  a wide-open Rashaard Brooks for a 21-0 lead.
That score stood until halftime, but it didn’t take long for the KM defense to score again when Javari Rice-Wilson sacked the Huss QB in the end zone for a safety and a 23-0 lead.
After the free kick, KM marched as far as the Huss 12 but had to settle for a 29-yard field goal from Ellis to run the score to 26-0.
Early in the fourth quarter the Mountaineers took over at their 39 following a Huss punt. Brooks covered the distance in six carries, scoring from eight yards out for a 33-0 lead.
With Huss backed up to its own three facing second and 12, the Mountaineer defense forced another fumble by the Huss QB and Xavier Johnson covered it for a safety to end the scoring.
Obviously, Coach Lloyd was pleased with his team’s overall performance against a Huss team that is always a contender for the BSC championship.
“We were happy with our defense,” he said. “Coach Wilson and the defensive coaches did a great job. Our offensive line looked better. They’ve really gotten better and we hope to get better every Friday.
“Javari Wilson had someone roll into his leg in the fourth quarter and that concerned us,” he noted. “I was worried for a while but he’s in good shape and ready to go. I was really proud of his effort as well as the whole defense. Javari had five sacks. Isaiah Eskridge did a good job at right tackle in his first start.
“I thought Logan Patrick at safety did a great job for us. He was all over the field hustling. And Titus Phillips’ interception at the one was big. He got it out to the 30. We got penalized but still drove it to their 30, so that was big.”
Lloyd said he was also pleased with his running combo of  Brooks and Mims, who kept the clock running.  
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Cramer at KM Monday for softball opener

(March 10, 2021 Issue)

With several returning players from last year’s team, Kings Mountain High softball coach Kevin Cruise expects his Lady Mountaineers to be among the best teams in the Big South 3A Conference this season.
The Lady Mountaineers begin their season Monday at 6 p.m. with a home conference game against Stuart Cramer, another team that is expected to be fighting for first place in the BSC.
Cruise also expects Crest and Forestview to be very strong so the Lady Mountaineers will have to be at the top of their game when they face those opponents. “If we can sweep or split with all of them, we would have done something,” he says.
Cruise said one drawback has been that he has been coaching both football and softball, but he credits his assistant coaches Shon Macopsen, Jeff Cloninger and Cassie King for their help in keeping the softball program strong.
The Lady Mountaineers have a host of returning players from last year’s team that saw its season cut short because of Covid-19. They include Jenna Ramsey, Andrea Melton, Keegan Irby, Alayna Patrick, Karlee Nantz, Monica Head, Austyn Dixon and Samantha Harrelson.
A new player, freshman Kali Weaver, may be the #1 pitcher with Melton and Irby also seeing duty on the mound. “Keegan pitched some last year and both would have pitched a lot had our season not ended early,” Cruise said.
Because of the shortened season last year, Cruise said an all-conference team was not named but Crest has the returning Player of the Year from two seasons ago.
“They will be someone to reckon with,” he said, “but I feel good about our chances. Defense is what we hang our hats on. We’ll have to keep the score low and get timely hits.”

Ticket info for KM
JV, varsity games

(March 10, 2021 Issue)

Some important information fans need to know about Kings Mountain’s rescheduled football games for this week.
The JVs, who have not yet played a game, are scheduled to host county rival Burns Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
The varsity, which has had only one game since last week’s scheduled game with North Gaston was cancelled, will face Hunter Huss Friday at 7 p.m. That will now be KM’s homecoming game.
Thursday’s JV game will begin at 6:30. Gates will open at 5:30. Tickets will be $5 (cash only) and will be available only at the home gate.
Tickets for Friday’s varsity game will be $10 (cash only). All students, teachers and participants in the game can buy tickets from 12-1 p.m. Wednesday at Brinkley Field House.
The general public can buy tickets from 1-3 p.m. Wednesday at the Brinkley Field House.
Any leftover tickets will be sold at the home gate on Friday night.

Mountaineers host Huss
Friday for homecoming

(March 10, 2021 Issue)

Both Kings Mountain and Hunter Huss will have had two weeks of preparation for their Big South 3A Conference battle Friday at 7 p.m. at KM’s John Gamble Stadium.
The Huskies, who defeated North Gaston 27-0 in their season opener, had an open date last Friday while the Mountaineers, who whipped Stuart Cramer in their opener two weeks ago, saw their scheduled game with North Gaston postponed because of Covid cases within the Wildcats’ football program. It is not known at this time when that game will be made up, but Mountaineer coach Greg Lloyd said it’s important to make it up because not doing so would put KM playing one less game than its major opponents and could have playoff implications.
And, that’s also a big reason why the Mountaineers need to defeat the always-strong Huskies Friday because the Big South has only two guaranteed spots in this year’s state 3A playoffs.
“This is a big game for us,” Coach Lloyd said. “With only two guaranteed spots in the playoffs you can’t afford to lose one. The third place team may get a wild card but it’s not promised. So, obviously this is a big game.
With an extra week of practice for both teams, Lloyd said both teams should be in top form.
“We had a couple of players nicked up in the opening game (with Stuart Cramer) but we should be at full strength Friday,” Lloyd said. “We need this one. Huss will be one of the better teams we’ll see this year. They’re really tough.”
The already strong Huskies were made even tougher during the off-season when a quarterback and receiver transferred from Clover, SC. The two hooked up for two TDs in the Huskies’ win over North Gaston.
“Their top running back that rotated last year is back and he’s very good,” Lloyd noted. “He’s a three-year starter. They are very balanced. The quarterback is definitely going to be a problem. We will have to play really well.”
Lloyd said the Mountaineers should be at full strength. “Practice has been going really well,” he noted. “We’re eager to get back out there and play ball. Hopefully it will happen this week. This should be a sell out and we’re looking forward to it.”
Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets early.
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Kings Mountain linemen Coby Carroll (72), Blake Davis (67) and Michael Blanton (54) will help carry the blocking load for the Mountaineers in Friday’s homecoming game with Hunter Huss. 
 

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Quarterback Ethan Reid, left, and defensive end Javari Rice Wilson are ready to get back into action against Hunter Huss Friday at KMHS after having last week’s game with North Gaston cancelled by the Wildcats because of Covid concerns on their team.

JVs host Burns Thursday

(March 10, 2021 Issue)


Kings Mountain High’s JV football team will finally get its season underway Thursday at 6:30 when the Burns Bulldogs come to John Gamble Stadium.
Kings Mountain’s scheduled opener last week was cancelled because of Covid tracing in the North Gaston program.
New Mountaineer head coach Diron Bell is happy with the way things have gone in practice so far and is eager to see his players get to hit someone else.
“We’ve been looking good,” said Coach Bell, the oldest of three very good Bell brothers (Marcus and Joe being the other two) that brought Mountaineer fans a lot of exciting moments in the nineties, said of practice sessions. “We’re excited to finally get to play.”
The JVs and Burns met several weeks ago in a scrimmage and both teams showed a lot of promise.
“We’ve got a lot of good guys out there, and many of them are freshmen which is good,” Bell noted.
Caleb Holland, who made his mark on KMHS football early when the returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in the varsity’s win over Stuart Cramer a couple weeks ago, will be “a big time contributor,” Bell said. Alex Jackson will be a strong on defense, he said.
Bryson Brown, a freshman running back, will be another exciting player.
Center Micahel Lubas, a returning 10th grader, and other guys up front will be counted on to create the holes for backs to show their stuff.
Bell believes he has a good quarterback in transfer Lamont Littlejohn Jr., whose father the Rev. Lamont Littlejohn was a standout quarterback for the varsity Mountaineers in the early 1990s.
“He has a lot of potential,” Bell said. “He is a very smart player and throws the ball well. We’re excited to have him.”
Unless the North Gaston game is re-scheduled, this will be the first of just five games for the JVs. Many of them will 8-quarter on varsity which means they can play on both teams but if they get into as many as eight quarters on varsity then they have to play either JV or varsity the rest of the year.
CURRENT SCHEDULE
March 11 – Burns
at KM
March 18 – KM
at South Point
March 25 – Shelby
 at KM
March 31 – East
Gaston at KM
April 8 – KM at Crest

3 from KM
All-Big South

(March 10, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High placed three players on the All-Big South Conference team which was announced late last week.
Leading scorer Isaiah Tate was named to the first team. Zeke Cannedy and Marcus Odums were named to the second team.
Tate, a junior, topped the 1,000 career point mark late in the season.
Brad LeVine of Crest, whose team went undefeated in the BSC and to the Western finals in the NCHSAA playoffs, was named Coach of the Year. Mari Adams of the Chargers was Player of the Year.
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Award winners at KMHS cross country awards program. Left to right: Parker Key, all-conference and MVP; Wyatt Wilson, coach’s award; Marty Lovingood, all-conference; Kohen Johnson, all-conference, Hunter Cruise, all-conference and rookie of the year; Thalia Kushman, all-conference and MVP, Parker Wilson, all-conference, rookie of the year and Joe Hord Perseverance Award; Ashley Gural, all-conference, Divinity Ervin, all conference and coach’s award, and Nicole Poston, all-conference.   

KMHS cross country teams
hold awards program

(March 3, 2021 Issue)

The Kings Mountain High School cross country teams held their awards program on February 23.
Due to Covid-19 guidelines, only athletes were allowed to attend. Parents and other supports watched virtually.
This year’s team boasted nine All-Big South Conference runners. Both teams finished with 11-4 records.
The Lady Mountaineers finished second in the Big South while the Mountaineers finished third.
The boy’s team won the Cleveland County Schools championship while the girls finished second to Shelby.
Both teams are looking forward to another successful season, hopefully in the fall. 
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LIVESTRONG at the YMCA

(March 3, 2021 Issue)

LIVESTRONG at the YMCA is a free program designed for cancer survivors 18-years and older who have become de-conditioned or chronically fatigued from their treatment or disease. The goals of the program include:
• Rebuilding muscular strength and endurance
• Increasing flexibility and improving functional ability
• Reducing severity of therapy side effects
• Preventing unwanted weight changes
• Improving self-esteem and energy levels
Participants receive a FREE 12-week Family Membership Plus and may use YMCA facilities at any time. Participants may bring a support person who can participate in a workout of their own. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the program is free to participants.
Participants must receive medical clearance and are evaluated on an individual basis. Patients currently undergoing treatment may participate, but only if they receive proper medical clearance.
The 90-minute sessions are held twice a week. There is easy parking front and side of buildings and designated handicapped parking is available.
For more information, contact Margaret Litton, LIVESTRONG Instructor, Kings Mountain Family YMCA, 211 Cleveland Ave., Kings Mountain, 704-739-9631, or email MLitton@CleveCoYMCA.org.

KMHS golf season
to begin March 15

(March 3, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High’s men’s and women’s golf seasons will be played at the same times and places this season, except for the conference and regional tournaments.
Kings Mountain will only be playing against one or two other teams in the regular season instead of all schools in the conference like it has been done in the past.
Members of the men’s team are freshmen Baylor Benton, Branson Bouchard, Caleb Marr and Hunter Cruise; junior Seabron Echols, sophomore Michael King, freshman Cade Leigh, junior Cooper Putnam and freshman Jayden Smith.
The only player on the women’s team is junior Emma Short.
THE SCHEDULE
MARCH
15 – Kings Mountain at Crest (Riverbend).
22 – North Gaston at KM (KM Country Club).
29 – Hunter Huss/Ashbrook at KM (KMCC).
APRIL
12 – Forestview at KM (KMCC).
19 – Cramer at KM (KMCC).
26 – Men’s conference match (Riverbend).
27 – Women’s conference match (KMCC).
MAY
3 – Men’s regional (Riverbend).
4 – Women’s regional (Skybrook in Huntersville)
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natalie lutz

Lutz off to good
start for LR tennis

(March 3, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain’s Natalie Lutz is off to a good start in her second year on the Lenoir-Rhyne tennis team.
Presently, Lutz is 3-0 and leading the team (2-1) in individual wins.
Lutz’s freshman year with the LR ladies came to an abrupt halt because of Covid.
Lutz was a two-sport standout at KMHS, playing tennis and golf. She had the option to play either sport in college and chose tennis. She and her KMHS teammate Madelynn Frye won one state championship in doubles.
“She always excelled in both sports and what was amazing and both were played in the same season,” noted her high school coach Rick Henderson. “So when the decision had to be made, Naatlie chose tennis over golf. As her high school tennis coach those four years, it didn’t surprise me that she wanted to continue her tradition by competing at the college level on the tennis team.
“Natalie could have taken the easier of the sport which was golf, but she chose the most physical and demanding of her body simply because tennis was her first love,” Henderson added.
Lutz opened this season by defeating a nationally ranked Queens University player. She was chosen the player of the match mainly due to her winning both her singles and doubles matches. She later defeated her opponents from Lander and Mars Hill.
Lutz is presently playing #4 in singles and bounces between #1 and #2 in doubles.
Lutz is majoring in Medical Studies and plans to attend graduate school to become a physician’s assistant.

Tennis to begin

(March 3, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High men’s tennis practice will begin Wed., March 3 at 4 p.m. at the new KMHS tennis complex.
All student athletes must have an up to date physical on file before they can participate in tryouts or conditioning. Items to take for practice will be tennis attire, appropriate footwear and a tennis racquet.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions all student athletes are required to wear a mask during practice as well as having their temperature checked prior to practice.
For more information call Coach Rick Henderson at 704-460-8066 or email Rick.Henderson2@duke-energy.com
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Kings Mountain junior guard Isaiah Tate topped the 1,000 career point mark in last week’s first round playoff loss to Central Cabarrus.

Tate tops 1,000
in playoff loss,
KM girls lose too

(March 3, 2021 Issue)

About the only bright thing for Kings Mountain High’s venture into the state 3A basketball playoffs last week was that junior standout Isaiah Tate topped the 1,000 career point mark in the Mountaineers’ first round 95-57 loss to Central Cabarrus.
The KM girls were in a similar boat at Jesse Carson, falling hard to a very good Carson team 69-33.
Led by a couple of Tate three-pointers, the Mountaineers were able to take an early 9-3 lead before Central Cabarrus began canning some threes of its own and rallied to lead 27-19 at the first quarter break. They were never headed after that.
It was Central Cabarrus’ first home first round playoff win in 10 years.
After leading 44-31 at the half, Central took a 71-44 lead heading into the final quarter.
Tate and Zeke Cannedy were KM’s only double-digit scorers with 20 and 12 points, respectively. Matt Toms scored seven, Marcus and Orlando Odums six each, Maddox James four and Titus Phillips two.
The undefeated Carson team had no trouble with the KM ladies, running up a 23-2 first quarter lead en route to a 69-33 victory.
Saniya Wilson had a big game with 23 points, four rebounds and four steals but she was the only KM player in double figures.
Tyasya Bell scored three points and also had four rebounds and three blocks. Khalia King had three points, two rebounds and two blocks, Aaliyah Byers two points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks, Monica Head two points and Kennedy Barnes six rebounds.
A strong 1-3-1 press was the key to Carson’s quick beginning. Kings Mountain rallied in the second period to outscore Carson 14-12 but that still left them behind 25-16 at the break. Carson led 52-23 going into the fourth quarter.
Mary Spril and Carleijh Perry scored 16 points each to lead Carson. Hannah Isley added 13, Colsie Perry and Ellie Wilhelm nine each, Kary Isley six and Camden Carley two.

Information for Friday’s game

(March 3, 2021 Issue)

Fans planning to attend Friday’s North Gaston at Kings Mountain football game at Gamble Stadium need to remember this information:
Game time is 7 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. Parking is first come, first served at the parking lots at the school and the Touchdown Club lot behind the baseball field.
Everyone is required to wear a mask and social distance at least six feet apart. Fans may take lawn chairs to sit on the bank. They can also sit in the stands.
Pre-sale of tickets for the varsity game will be from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesday for all varsity cheer, varsity football and band at the field house.
Pre-sale for the general public is 3:30-5:30 p.m. Thursday at the field house.
Any tickets left over will be sold at the home gate on game night. The cost is $10 (cash only).
Persons holding NCHSAA coaching passes and Cleveland County Schools employees passes must purchase tickets.

Mountaineers
host Wildcats
Friday night
 

(March 3, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers were scheduled to hit the road to Dallas Friday night for their second Big South 3A Conference game with the North Gaston Wildcats, but because of wet field conditions at North Gaston the game will now be played at KM’s John Gamble Stadium.
Just like last week with Stuart Cramer, Mountaineer coach Greg Lloyd believes North Gaston will give the Mountaineers a good test and hopefully prepare them for a big home game against Hunter Huss next week.
Lloyd said new head coach Justin Clark, who spent his early years in Kings Mountain while his father Bruce was coaching at KMHS, has put in a new offense that should bring improvement to the Wildcats’ program.
“They’re now in a spread and they have a dual threat quarterback similar to the one we saw last week,” Lloyd noted. “They are definitely much improved. They gave up 20 points last week (to Hunter Huss) but they have a really solid offense. They are dangerous and we have to be ready to roll.”
Lloyd said, overall, he was pleased with his Mountaineers in their opening season win over Cramer but hopes to see much improvement this week.
“We need to work on special teams and add a few things on offense to make it more versatile,” he said. “Our defense needs to play like it did last week and not give up any big plays. And our offense needs to take care of the ball.”
The offensive line should be at full strength this week with the return of sophomore Isaiah Eskridge, who sat out last week with an injury.
“He’s our biggest offensive lineman, and we’re projecting him to play,” Lloyd noted.
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KM’s Chance Cannon is on his way to a 95-yard catch and run touchdown in Saturday’s 43-7 win over Stuart Cramer at Gamble Stadium.

Opening kickoff return sparks
KM to 43-7 season opening win

(March 3, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain sophomore Caleb Holland made a varsity debut that he will remember for a long time Saturday when he returned the opening kickoff of the 2021 spring season 90 yards for a touchdown to spark a 43-7 win over Stuart Cramer.
The Mountaineers would go into the halftime break with a 36-0 lead and turned the contest into a “running clock” game when quarterback Ethan Reid hit Devin Pressley on a 16-yard touchdown across the middle to run the score to 43-0 with 9:52 left in the third quarter.
Cramer scored its only touchdown in the final seconds of the third period when Jesse Allran managed to get past the KM defense for a 15-yard TD reception.
The Mountaineers showed signs of its typical greatness all through the game, but hurt themselves at times with miscues that can be corrected.
“It was a good first game,” said head coach Greg Lloyd. “We made plenty of mistakes but all in all it was good. Our defense was solid and we had a decent running game. The offensive line was better than a week before” when the Mountaineers scrimmaged Burns.
Last year’s leading rusher, junior Rashaard Brooks, finished with 92 yards rushing in 13 carries as the Mountaineers tried to distribute the ball to a lot of players. Quarterback Ethan Reid and running backs Holland and Jaylin Mims also did a good job running the ball.
“Brooks and Mims played well and the kickoff return by our tenth grader was the first time he touched the ball on varsity,” Lloyd said.  “We have to work on a lot of special teams’ breakdowns, but all in all it was good.”
Reid, the top passer in the Big South a year ago, hit 7 of 15 passes for 205 yards.
After KM’s initial score, new placekicker Jayden Ellis put his first varsity kickoff down at the two yard line where Cramer’s Johnny O’Shea caught and returned it to the 21. Three plays later the visitors faced a fourth and 23 at their own seven and the Storm’s punter was tackled in the end zone for a safety to put KM up 9-0.
KM then drove 57 yards in 10 plays to score on a two-yard burst by Jaylin Mims for a 16-0 lead.
The Mountaineers had some problems early with its passing game, but late in the quarter wide receiver Titus Phillips, who had just finished his basketball season earlier in the week, came onto the field and immediately raced down the home sideline past a Cramer defender and caught a pass in stride for a 51 yard touchdown and a 23-0 lead that broke the game open.
Cramer was driving later but Phillips, now in the secondary, intercepted a pass at the one yard line and returned it to the 30. However, a block in the back resulted in KM taking possession at the five. On first down, Reid hit Chance Cannon with a quick screen pass and he went 95 yards down the home sideline for a touchdown and a 29-0 lead.
On their next possession, a 34-yard run off tackle by Brooks was the big run on a drive that ended with Reid’s one-yard sneak and a 36-0 lead with 1:06 left in the half.
Deandre Hoyle recovered a fumble at the Cramer 35 on the first possession of the third quarter to set up Pressley’s touchdown.

KM RUSHING – Brooks 13-92, Reid 6-31, Mims 6-24, Holland 6-25, Patrick 1-2, Team -10.
KM RECEIVING – Cannon 2-103, Fisher 2-23, Phillips 1-51, Hoyle 1-13, Pressley 1-16.
KM SCORING – Holland 6, Mims 6, Reid 6, Cannon 6, Phillips 6, Pressley 6, Ellis 5, Team 2.
INTERCEPTIONS – AJ Richardson, Titus Philllps.
FUMBLE RECOVERY – Deandre Hoyle.
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Saniya Wilson

Saniya Wilson POY
in BSC basketball

(March 3, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain junior guard Saniya Wilson has been named Big South Basketball Player of the Year by the conference coaches.
She is a repeater on the All-Big South team and was joined there by her teammate, Khalia King.
Wilson, who topped the 1,000 career point mark in a win over Forestview this season, averaged 24.3 points a game in leading the Lady Mountaineers to a tie for second place in the BSC and a berth in the state 3A playoffs. She also set a personal single game record of 40 points in a game against Crest. Jessica Brunson of Crest was named BSC Coach of the Year.
The boys all-conference team will be announced after Crest has completed its run in the state 3A playoffs. The Chargers were schedule to face Weddington in the semi-finals last night.

JV Mountaineers
here Thursday

(March 3, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High’s JV football team will open its season Thursday with a 6:30 p.m. home game against the North Gaston Wildcats.
Diron Bell begins his first season as the Mountaineers’ head coach. He has been a fixture in KM sports for many years. He was an outstanding running back for the Mountaineers in the early 1990s and later played for Catawba College.
All JV games this season will begin at 6:30. Four of them will be at home (North Gaston March 4, Burns March 11, Shelby March 25 and East Gaston on Wednesday, March 31.

Cramer here Friday for football opener

(February 24, 2021 Issue)

For the first time in over 15 months, Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers are scheduled to host Stuart Cramer’s Purple Storm in the Big South 3A Conference opening football game Friday at 7 p.m. at John Gamble Stadium. All regular season games will begin at 7 p.m. this season.
At the time of this writing, only 100 fans are to be allowed in the stands but Governor Roy Cooper was supposed to make a decision whether or not to increase that number Tuesday, which was past the Herald’s deadline. There is some talk that up to 40% of the stadium’s capacity could be admitted.
Regardless of how many fans will see them either in person or by KM high.org livestream, the Mountaineers expect to put on a good show against Cramer and all the other opponents on their schedule. Because of COVID, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association is allowing just seven regular season and four playoff games this year so winning every game will be the top priority for all schools hoping to win a conference championship and make a playoff run.
Kings Mountain saw action against a good Burns team in a scrimmage Saturday at John Gamble Stadium. The final hour (with a running clock) was game situations except for contact on kickoffs and punts.
During that time the Mountaineers scored one touchdown but missed the extra point. They threatened several more times but lost two fumbles inside the Burns 10 yard line.
It wasn’t unusual that both teams’ defenses were better than their offense but both the Bulldog and Mountaineer coaches were trying to get most of their players playing time so they can evaluate talents of non-returning starters.
Kings Mountain’s defense was strong all day. Defenders like Chris Ruffalo, Dameon Wilson, Javari Rice-Wilson, Ty Ledbetter, Chance Cannon, Robert Lipscomb, Logan Patrick, AJ Richardson, Derek Wilson, Devin Pressley and others basically kept the Dogs penned up.
The Mountaineers got good blocking from its offensive linemen, including Blake Davis, Michael Blanton, Chris Richardson and many others. They opened huge holes for running backs like Roderick Kendrick, Jaylin Mims, Caleb Holland and others.
Returning starter Ethan Reid scored the game’s only touchdown on a quarterback sneak and along with Logan Patrick threw some accurate passes to receivers like Deandre Hoyle, Chance Cannon, Blake Emory and Pressley. But they misfired occasionally and some other passes were dropped.
The scrimmage saw the varsity and JV teams working at once from 40 yards in. Lamont Littlejohn, son of former Mountaineer quarterback Lamont Littlejohn, threw three touchdown passes. Caleb Holland made some spectacular runs and then joined the varsity for the live action. Kendrick was also with the JVs during that time and made several long runs.

Regular season champions in YMCA 7-8, 9-10 and 11-13 boys basketball league

(February 24, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain
YMCA basketball scores:

7-8 Boys
Tarheels 26, Hornets 21
Hornets – Daniel Bullock 9; Tarheels Michael Meeks 10.
Raptors 19, Dunk-aroos 13
Dunk – Easton Pasour 8; Raptors - Chase Thomas 9.
9-10 boys
Hornets 30, Buckets 13
Hornets – Brantley Deaton 10. Buckets – Karter Willis 10.
Destroyers 31, Heat 17
Destroyers – Yates Toney 10; Heat – Jaqualyn Ford 8.
11-13 boys
Heat 27, Hornets 22
Hornets – Cory’on Gaines 11; Heat – Ty Howard 14.
Bulls 40, Panthers 37
Panthers – Silas Tate 17. Bulls, Aiden Smith 16.
7-9 girls
Lady Bombshells 20, Lady Fireballs 15.
Lady Ballers – Kyleigh Gaines 8. Lady Fireballs, Addy Morehead 10.
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11-13 boys – Back row, left to right, Lyric Phonephet, Daylin Hopper, Noam Ohana, Matthew Kiser, head coach Anthone Phonephet. Front, left to right, Nate Kiser, Mason Powers, Cory’on Gaines, Christian Adams.
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9-10 boys – Left to right Dominic Allen, Ja’Heim Kirk, Corbin Butler, Banks Myers, Maverik Worchester, Brock Phillips, Eli Caldwell, Brantley Deaton, Camden Morris, John Camaj, Kiser Richards. 
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7-8 boys – Left to right Marquis Rodgers, Espn Carpenter, Taylor Rothwell, head coach Michael Meeks, Julian Thomas, Easton Hegler, Tyler Stanek and Michael Meeks. 

Mountaineers sweep Forestview
in final home regular season game

(February 24, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain swept Forestview in their final home basketball games Tuesday night at Parker Gym.
The girls rallied from an early deficit to defeat the Lady Jaguars 62-57 and maintain their hold on second place behind defending Big South champion Ashbrook.
The boys rolled to an 85-72 victory, keeping alive their hopes of finishing second and earning a berth in the state tournament.
The Lady Mountaineers struggled early and trailed the Lady Jaguars 19-12 after the first quarter and 28-25 at halftime. The locals rallied in the third period and outscored their visitors 21-12 to take a 42-40 lead into the final quarter.
“We struggled in the first half, but solid defensive pressure helped bring us back from the halftime deficit,” noted Coach Nicholas Inman.
Andrea Melton had her best game of the year, scoring all of her 13 points in the second half to help lead the comeback. Aaliyah Byers scored all eight of her points in the third period, and Saniya Wilson went 9-for-11 from the foul line to close out the victory.
Wilson finished with 27 points, five rebounds and five assists. Melton had two steals to go with her 13 points and Byers controlled the board with 10 rebounds.
Khalia King scored four points, Austyn Dixon had three points and three boards, Alayna Patrick, Kennedy Barnes and Monica Head had two points each, and Tyasya Bell had a point and four rebounds.
Myla Hoover led three double-digit scorers for Forestview with 20 points, Kendall Manning had 14 and Jimena Vazquez 10.
Payton Jacobs and Blake Riley added four points each, Zailyn Jeter and Megan Baker two each and Kiana Robinson one.
The Mountaineers had their most balanced scoring attack of the year with all five of their starters hitting double figures.
Zeke Cannedy led the way with 25 points and six rebounds. Isaiah Tate had 15 points and six assists; Marcus Odums 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists; Matt Toms 12 points, five rebounds and five assists; and Orlando Odums 11 points and four rebounds.
Maddox James had a big game off the bench with eight points and a team-leading 10 rebounds.
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Kameron Adams (20) carries the ball in KMMS game with Shelby. Adams was selected as KM’s offensive player of the game.

Shelby Middle bombs KM
42-0 in Tri-County opener

(February 24, 2021 Issue)

Shelby got a safety on Kings Mountain’s first possession and rolled to a 42-0 victory over the Patriots in the middle schools’ opening football game Wednesday at John Gamble Stadium.
The Blue Devils scored on all of their first half possessions, including one on an interception of a KM pitchout and 48 yard return by Tyjai Johnson.
The Blue Devils got their safety when the KM quarterback stepped out the back of the end zone trying to escape tacklers after Shelby backed the Patriots up to the one-inch line.
KM kicked off from its own 20 and Shelby’s Tristan Tate went untouched from 40 yards out to make the score 8-0.
Shelby scored three more touchdowns in the second quarter to turn the game into a rout.
Kings Mountain was held to two first downs in the game. Coach Kenny Bridges cited Kameron Adams for his play on offense and Max Thompson for his defensive play.
“Hopefully our next two games, which are on the road, will go better,” Bridges said. “I’m thinking Shelby is a whole lot better than anybody in the conference.”
The Patriots were behind the eight-ball going in as they had only four days of practice and are without eight starters from last year that did not come out for football.
The Patriots had only four eighth graders in the starting lineup and they were much smaller, and not nearly as experienced as the Shelby team.
Kameron Adams was selected KMMS offensive player of the game and Max Thompson was selected defensive player of the game.
Kings Mountain will travel to RS Central today and East Rutherford next week. The Patriots’ next home game is against Crest on March 10. Fifth quarter action begins at 4:30 and game-time for the varsity is 5 p.m.  

Crest sweeps KM in BS final

(February 24, 2021 Issue)

 Kings Mountain High’s basketball teams ended their regular season Friday night at Crest with a double loss.
The KM girls saw Crest come from behind in the fourth quarter to win 60-56 and knock the Lady Mountaineers out of an automatic berth in the state playoffs.
Kings Mountain finished the season with a 9-3 Big South and 10-4 overall record. Crest also finished 9-3 after beating Forestview in a makeup game on Saturday. Just in case that happened, KM and Crest flipped a coin after their game and Crest won the flip for second place.
The game was close throughout with neither team ever having a big advantage. KM led 16-14 after the first period, 28-27 at the half and 42-39 going into the fourth quarter but a 19-12 advantage in the final eight minutes made the difference for the Lady Chargers.
Despite the loss, KM junior Saniya Wilson had one of her best games of the year with 40 points, four rebounds and three steals.
Kennedy Barnes scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds, but the Crest defense did a super job in holding the other KM ladies down. Austyn Dixon had two points and five rebounds, Andrea Melton one point and three steals, Alayna Patrick one point and three rebounds and Tyasya Bell five rebounds.
Petty led three double-digit scorers for Crest with 16 points. Marshall had 15 and Williams 13. Warlick scored seven, Lee five, and Surratt and Hamrick two each.
The Crest boys completed a perfect regular season with a 60-44 win. Caleb Borders led the way with 16 points, but KM’s worst enemy was Matt Adams who scored 15 points and controlled the backboard with 15 rebounds.
Despite the loss, the Mountaineers still qualified for the state playoffs as the #2 team from the BSC. Hunter Huss went into its final game needing a win to force a tie for second place, but was tripped up by Ashbrook and finished in third place a game behind the Mountaineers.
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Caleb Holland hits the hole for the Mountaineers in Saturday’s scrimmage with the Burns Bulldogs at John Gamble Stadium. 

‘It was good to get
out there and play’

(February 24, 2021 Issue)

‘Kings Mountain coaches weren’t as interested in scoring more points than Burns as they were getting a chance to see all of their players line up against another team as they scrimmaged county-rival Burns Saturday afternoon at Gamble Stadium.
Both teams scored several times during the scrimmage, but in a running clock varsity only mini-game the Mountaineers out-scored the Bulldogs one TD to zero on a sneak by senior quarterback Ethan Reid.
“A lot of people got to play and it was good to get out there for some live action,” said Mountaineer coach Greg Lloyd. “We saw a lot of good things. The front seven looked really good and our secondary didn’t look too bad.”
As is usually the case early in the season, the defense was ahead of the offense.
“Our passing game’s going to take a little longer to come around,” said Lloyd, who is breaking in a new group of receivers after losing the best two pass-catchers in the conference last year in Kobe Paysour and Quintin Davidson. “After a few games it should be fine.”
The Burns team lost one key player to injury, but Lloyd said the Mountaineers came out fine. They did hold out last year’s leading rusher Rashaard Brooks, who has what Lloyd called a “little nagging injury” but he will be in the lineup Friday night when Stuart Cramer comes to town for the Big South Conference opener.
Lloyd stresses that not just this week’s game, but every game this season will be the “big game of the year, because with us playing only seven games if you drop a game you’re running the risk of not getting in the playoffs. We have to treat each game like it’s a playoff game.”
The Mountaineers blew out Cramer last year in Belmont, but Lloyd said not to expect anything like that Friday night.
“I watched Cramer against East Lincoln and they look really good,” he said. “They are much better than they were last year.”
Lloyd said he was particularly impressed with defensive end Arias Nash and the Cramer quarterbacks.
“They’re passing a lot out of their spread offense,” he noted. “They run a 3-3 stack defense and do a lot of blitzing. They’re going to be much more competitive than they were last year. We have to be ready and play very well.”
The Mountaineers will be wearing two stickers on their helmets this year – Bag in memory of Coach Brent Bagwell who died recently, and the initials of their longtime equipment manager Donnie Mace who died shortly after the end of last football season.
“Bagwell was a great coach and Donnie fixed all our helmets in addition to doing a lot of other things,” Lloyd said. “He spoiled us. He cannot be replaced.”
Lloyd said the Mountaineers will have fewer players  than in the past.
“We have about 70, which is far less than in the past,” he said. “But I think that’s the standard all over the state.”
At the time of this writing, only 100 fans (mostly parents of players and cheerleaders) will be allowed in the stands. However, Governor Cooper is expected to announce higher numbers this week.
“We hope he will allow more,” Lloyd said. “It will create a little bit of atmosphere if more people are allowed in.”
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Wilson signs with Bluefield College

(February 17, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High football standout Derek Wilson, second from left, signs to continue his education and football career at Bluefield College, VA. He is pictured with his mother, Nicole Wilson, left, brother Lemont Wilson and sister Ciara Wilson. Back row, KMHS athletic director Matt Bridges, head football coach Greg Lloyd and principal Julie Rikard.
 
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Cannon Signs with Mars Hill

(February 17, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High football standout Chance Cannon, third from left, signs to play college football at Mars Hill. He is pictured on front row with members of his family, left to right, Senora Spikes, Sade Cannon and Brian Banks. Back row, mentor Orlando Floyd, KMHS athletic director Matt Bridges, head football coach Greg Lloyd and Principal Julie Rikard.

KMMS falls  to Central
in championship

(February 17, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain Middle fell to RS Central 59-39 in the Tri-County championship game last week at RS.
Led by the trio of Bradley Floyd, Caleb Nixon and Tucker Robinette the Patriots jumped out to an early 10-4 lead.
For the first three minutes of the second quarter, the teams exchanged baskets as KM was up 16-14 before RS went on a 15-0 run to lead 29-16. KM’s Nixon hit back to back threes just before halftime to cut the margin to 31-22.
A quick basket by Nixon cut the RS lead to 31-24 to start the third period, but the Knights scored six unanswered points to extend their lead to 44-31 going into the fourth quarter.
RS went on another run in the fourth to win going away.
Nixon led the Patriots with 18 points, including four threes; Floyd had five points, seven rebounds and five assists; Robinette four points and three assists, Linney four points and six boards, Max Thompson four points and three rebounds and Kameron Adams and Aiden Taylor two points each.
Nixon was named player of the game. Sixth man of the game was Adams, and defensive player of the game was Thompson.
KM finished its season 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the conference including a 4-1 record against Cleveland County teams.
“This is a great group of kids,” said head coach Shane Cole. “They have bought in, and their parents have bought in as well. They are doing what we ask them to do. Two championship game appearances in two years! These guys are 8-3 versus county teams. I tell them all the time, ‘if you want to win it starts in Cleveland County.’ I can’t wait until next year.”
Coach Corey Nixon added: “It was a great experience coaching this young group. They progressively got better throughout the season. Two championship games in two consecutive seasons! I’m looking forward to next season.”
Coach Brandon Foster added: “It has been a pleasure helping coach these amazing young men. Their growth has propelled us for next year. Watch out Cleveland County!”

Tennis tryouts
to begin

(February 17, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High men’s tennis tryouts will begin Monday, March 1 at 4 p.m. at the new KMHS tennis complex.
All student athletes must have an up to date physical on file before they can participate in tryouts or conditioning. Items to take for practice will be tennis attire, appropriate footwear and a tennis racquet.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions all student athletes are required to wear a mask during practice as well as having their temperature checked prior to practice.
For more information call Coach Rick Henderson at 704-460-8066 or email Rick.Henderson2@duke-energy.com

Patriots edge Shelby 47-43
to advance to championship

(February 17, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain Middle’s boys basketball team defeated Shelby 47-43 last week to make it to the Bi-County Conference championship game for the third time in the last five years.
Unfortunately, they fell to a very good RS Central team in the championship game. The RS team handed the Patriots two of their three losses this season.
KM and Shelby were tied at 42-all with 1:27 to play. Kee’Donn Linney gave the Patriots the lead for the final time on a tough drive to the paint, and Tucker Robinettes’ fast-break layup with 10 seconds left accounted for the final margin.
Robinette finished with 13 points, including three treys, and also had five rebounds and two steals. Caleb Nixon had 14 points, including 5 of 8 field goals, and grabbed three rebounds.
Bradley Floyd had eight points, five boards, seven assists, two steals and two blocked shots; Max Thompson six points and four assists; Kee’donn Linney four points and eight rebounds; and Brayden Mull two points and two rebounds.
Caleb Nixon got the Patriots on the board with a fast-break layup, followed by Floyd’s shot to tie the game at 7-all after the first quarter.
The second quarter saw Shelby go up 16-11 but KM scored the last three points of the half to cut the margin to 20-18.
Nixon and Floyd hit back to back treys to give KM a 26-24 led, and KM entered the fourth period up 35-28.
The fourth quarter saw a frantic pace by both teams. Shelby tied the game at 35 all with 4:44 remaining. Linney gave the Pats the lead with a free throw to make it 36-35.
Robinette’s three a couple possession later helped KM maintain the lead before Shelby tied it at 39 all. Robinette hit another three to put KM back in front but Shelby had a three to tie it at 42-all and set the stage for KM’s last minute heroics.
For the game, KM hit 46.3 percent of its shot, including 5 for 5 two-pointers in the first quarter and 5 for 9 threes in the second half.
Linney, who was cited by Coach Shane Cole for playing his best game of the year, was named player of the game. Josiah Guyton’s stellar play at guard and passing, earned him the sixth man of the game honor.
Bradley Floyd was named defensive player of the game.

Boys win, girls lose at Ashbrook

(February 17, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High’s basketball teams split a Big South 3A Conference doubleheader at Gastonia Ashbrook last week with the Mountaineers winning 68-44 after the KM ladies lost 44-27 in a battle that probably locked up the conference championship for the unbeaten Ashbrook ladies.
Going in, the KM ladies had a shot at forcing a tie for first place but Ashbrook jumped out to a 13-5 first quarter lead and was never headed.
The Mountaineers had an easy time of it, rolling over the Green Wave from start to finish.
Junior standout Isaiah Tate led the Mountaineers with 27 points, hitting 9 of 16 from the field including 5 of 8 three-pointers.
Zeke Cannedy added 17 points and Marcus Odums had a great all-around game with 10 points and 16 rebounds. Matt Toms had seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Titus Phillips and Orlando Odums added four and three points, respectively.
Ashbrook’s girls were on fire from the beginning, racing to an 8-0 lead by taking advantage of KM turnovers and mistakes.
“We kept it within striking distance at the half (23-11), then closed the gap at the end of the third quarter (Ashbrook 29, KM 24),” noted Mountaineer coach Nicholas Inman. “But Kennette Bess hit two threes and three free throws in the fourth to seal the win for Ashbrook.”
Kings Mountain was off all night from the foul line, going just 4-for-10, and from three-point range with just one bucket.
“Defensively, we held Ashbrook in check, holding them to their lowest point total of the year,” Inman noted. “Offensively, we just could not find a rhythm, committing too many turnovers and forcing contested shots.”
Saniya Wilson had her usual fine game for the KM ladies with 19 points and seven rebounds. But the aggressive Ashbrook defense held the rest of the KM team to just eight points. Khalia King scored four points and grabbed three rebounds, Austyn Dixon had two points and four rebounds, Tyasya Bell two points and three rebounds, and Aaliyah Byers five rebounds.
Bess led Ashbrook with 15 points. Madison Cole scored nine, Zaza Mason and Aaliyah El six each, and Shay Portee and Erakha Smith four each.

KMHS Football Players Practice

(February 17, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High football players braved the rain Monday to get in some practice time on the John Gamble Stadium turf. The Mountaineers will be hosting Burns in a JV/varsity scrimmage Saturday and will open their season at home against Stuart Cramer on Friday, February 26. 
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Burns here Saturday for football scrimmage,
no one other than teams allowed on campus

(February 17, 2021 Issue)

 Kings Mountain High’s football team will get its first action against another team in over a year when the Mountaineers host Burns in a scrimmage Saturday at 2 p.m. at Gamble Stadium.
Because of COVID restrictions fans will not be allowed on campus or adjoining fields but plans are underway to live stream the event as well as regular season games.
Both the varsity and JV teams will be involved in the controlled scrimmage.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve played,” Coach Greg Lloyd noted. “This will be a chance to get the players used to hitting, blocking and tackling.”
Lloyd said the teams will probably also do some one-on-one and 7-on-7 workouts.
“This will be a good chance to help each other out,” Lloyd noted.
It will also help the two teams get ready for their season openers the following week. Kings Mountain’s JVs are scheduled to open the regular season on Thursday, Jan. 25 at Stuart Cramer and the varsity will host Cramer on Fri., Jan. 26. All JV games will begin at 6:30 and varsity games at 7 p.m.
Athletic Director Matt Bridges said COVID restrictions mandated by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association will be strictly enforced.
“Anyone on campus will be asked to leave,” he said. “There cannot be anyone watching from cars or standing around the fences, or in the parking area behind the baseball field.”
All games will be live-streamed free of charge on the school’s You Tube channel.
Once the regular season begins attendance will be limited to 100 people. Varsity cheerleaders and players will be able to purchase two tickets and JVs one, Bridges said.
“Hopefully, if things open up later and it is approved by the State Association we can allow more people in the stadium,” Bridges said. “We appreciate everyone’s support.”

Shelby sweeps Mountaineers
 

(February 17, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High’s basketball teams fell to Shelby in a non-conference doubleheader Thursday at Shelby.
The KM girls fell 65-45 in the opener before the boys went down 96-75 in the nightcap.
The Lady Lions roared to a 26-9 lead after the first quarter and took a 39-19 advantage at halftime. KM played them on even terms in the second half as each team scored 13 points in both the third and fourth periods.
Saniya Wilson led Kings Mountain with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists. Khalia King had nine points, Monica Head six and Tyasya Bell four points and four rebounds. Aaliyah Byers had two points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, Austyn Dixon four rebounds and Jackie Jarvis three rebounds.
Maraja Pass led Shelby with 25 points. Ally Hollifield scored 18, Yarharia Peeler eight, Brooke Hartgrove and Kate Hollifield five each, and Deja Griffin and Jasmine Gash two each.
Tyler Arrington led the Lions with a game-high 30 points. Isaiah Tate led the Mountaineers with 22, Zeke Cannedy had 19 and Marcus Odums 17.

Football workouts
underway at KMHS

(February 17, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers opened the first day of football workouts Monday with both the varsity and JVs on the turf at John Gamble Stadium. The first hitting practice is set for Saturday. The Mountaineers will begin their season with a scrimmage with Burns on Sat., Feb. 20 at Gamble Stadium, and will host Stuart Cramer on Fri., Feb. 26 in their first Big South Conference game.
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Tennis tryouts
to begin

(February 10, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High men’s tennis tryouts will begin Monday, March 1 at 4 p.m. at the new KMHS tennis complex.
All student athletes must have an up to date physical on file before they can participate in tryouts or conditioning. Items to take for practice will be tennis attire, appropriate footwear and a tennis racquet.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions all student athletes are required to wear a mask during practice as well as having their temperature checked prior to practice.
For more information call Coach Rick Henderson at 704-460-8066 or email Rick.Henderson2@duke-energy.com

Patriots whip
Chase 64-29

(February 10, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain Middle’s boys basketball team finished its regular season last week with a 64-29 win over Chase.
Kings Mountain, 5-2, was scheduled to begin the Tri-County Conference playoffs Monday at Shelby.
The Patriots got off to a blazing start against Chase, opening with a 22-2 run off 12 first quarter turnovers. Caleb Nixon and Tucker Robinette combined for 16 points.
The second quarter saw KM keep up the defensive pressure and extending its lead to 25 before taking a 35-14 lead into the half.
The third quarter saw the trio of Bradley Floyd, Robinette and Nixon score 13 points as the Pats took a 50-23 lead into the fourth quarter.
KM’s second and third units kept the offense going in the final quarter, outscoring the Pirates 14-5.
Robinette finished with eight points, seven assists and six steals. Floyd added six points, six assists and five steals and Nixon had 25 points and two assists.
Max Thompson had our points, six rebounds and five steals; Kee’donn Linney two points, four rebounds and two steals; Kameron Adams six points and three boards; Brayden Mull eight points and two rebounds; Aidan Taylor two points, two rebounds and an assist; Brayden Pearson three points and Charlei Foster two rebounds and a blocked shot.
The Patriots had 17 offensive rebounds, 20 assists and 21 steals.
Players of the game were eighth graders Linney, Adams, Taylor, Jaylen Clinton, Thompson and Kylei Anderson.
Sixth man of the game was Josian Guyon who was a spark off the bench and showed great leadership. Defensive players of the  game were Floyd and Robinette, who combined for 11 steals.
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Orlando Odums breaks the North Gaston defense for a lay-up in last week’s game at Parker Gym.

KM goes wire to wire
in sweep of Wildcats

(February 11, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain’s girls and boys led wire to wire in sweeping North Gaston Tuesday night at Donald L. Parker Gymnasium.
The Lady Mountaineers rolled to a 15-8 first quarter lead en route to a 62-33 victory, and the boys opened the game with two treys by Marcus Odums and won easily 80-54.
North Gaston’s boys rallied after those treys to cut the margin to 19-12 after the first quarter but Kings Mountain got a long three-pointer from Isaiah Tate to end the first half up 40-21.
Freshman Zavian Smith had a steal and lay-in at the third quarter buzzer to put KM up 71-41 going into the final quarter.
Coach Grayson Pierce worked reserves in all game long, and no KM starter was on the floor in the final 7:36 after Matt Toms’ two free throws put the Mountaineers up 75-41.
Tate led five double-digit scorers for the Mountaineers with 21 points. Marcus Odums added 14, Orlando Odums 12, Zeke Cannedy 11 and Toms 10.
Titus Phillips and Smith added five points each and Maddox James scored two.
The Lady Mountaineers got another total team effort as they remained just one game back of league-leading Ashbrook.
Saniya Wilson led the way with 17 points, seven assists and seven steals. Khalia King also hit double figures with 12 points, and she pulled down three rebounds.
KM’s only senior, Kennedy Barnes, had an outstanding night as she was honored for her four years of contributions to Lady Mountaineer basketball. She had nine points and 10 rebounds.
“She is a great leader, both on and off the court for us,” said Coach Nicholas Inman. “She is a four-year varsity letterman in basketball and is also the goalkeeper for the girls soccer team.”
Barnes plans to attend Spelman College in the fall.
Six other Lady Mountaineers got into the scoring act. Monica Head had six points, Austyn Dixon six points and four rebounds, Andrea Melton four points and four steals, Tyasya Bell four points and three boards, Brooke Ferree three points and two assists, and Aaliyah Byers two points and five rebounds.
Mallory Canup and Bailey Perry led North Gaston with 10 points each. Sydnee Walls and Whitney Brown had four points each, Allison Gardner three and Leeza Rhyne 2. 

KM girls roll
over Cramer

(February 10, 2021 Issue)

 Kings Mountain High’s girls basketball team rolled over Stuart Cramer 56-21 in a makeup game Thursday at Cramer. The game had been rescheduled from earlier in the season when there was a COVID case at Cramer.
The Lady Mountaineers jumped out to a 13-6 lead in the first quarter and were on top 36-8 at halftime. The game was played with a running clock beginning midway through the third period. KM carried a 54-15 lead into the fourth quarter.
Khalia King led three double-digit scorers for the Lady Mountaineers with 15 points. She hit four of seven three-point attempts and also hauled in four rebounds.
Saniya Wilson had 13 points, six assists, seven steals and two rebounds.
Aaliyah Byers had her best game since joining the team after the volleyball season. She scored 10 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and had three steals.
Andrea Melton added five points and four steals; Tyasya Bell four points and two rebounds; Brooke Ferree three points; Monica Head two points and two rebounds; Kennedy Barnes two points and four rebounds; and Riley Powers scored two points which were her first career points.
Reece Wolfe scored 11 of Cramer’s 21 points. Ranija Hamilton had seven, Madison Lee two and Megan Kimbirl one. 
Screen shot 2021 02 11 at 10.57.14 am
The scoreboard tells the exact time that Kings Mountain junior Saniya Wilson scored her 1,000th career point Friday at Hunter Huss. Wilson is pictured with her head coach, Nicholas Inman. Photo by Michael Kennedy

Wilson tops 1,000
in KM win at Huss 

(February 3, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High junior standout Saniya Wilson scored her 1,000th career point in Friday’s 66-47 victory over Hunter Huss on the Lady Huskies’ court Friday.
The win kept the Lady Mountaineers alone in second place in the Big South Conference heading into a game last night at first place Ashbrook.
Kings Mountain will travel to Shelby for a non-conference game tonight before hosting Forestview in its final home game Tuesday. The regular season ends Fri., Feb. 19 at Crest.
Wilson finished with 26 points to lead all scorers. She also had six rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
Khalia King and Aaliyah Byers also scored in double figures for the Lady Mountaineers. King had 17 points, including four threes, and Byers added 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Kennedy Barnes had seven points and four rebounds, Andrea Melton three points and two steals and Brooke Ferree two points, two boards and two steals.
Wilson scored 283 points for the Gaston Day varsity when she was in the eighth grade. Since Gaston Day is a private school, that year of varsity ball will not affect her fourth year of eligibility at KMHS.
The Lady Huskies were led by Jamya Daniels with 16 points, Caitlyn Pettis scored eight, Trinity Swann seven, Lanadia Adams three and James Love and Kenedi Armstrong two each.
In the nightcap, the Huss men gained revenge from an earlier defeat at Kings Mountain with a 73-62 win.
The game was close until the final five minutes when the Huskies pulled away.
Jaylen Moore led the winners with 18 points. Raegan Mackey added 14 and Noah Caulder 12, including 3-for-3 from three-point land.
Bagwell2
Brent Bagwell

KM community mourns loss of Coach Bagwell

(February 3, 2021 Issue)
Kings Mountain sports in general – and football in particular – lost one of its best athletes and coaches last week with the passing of Brent Bagwell.
Bagwell was an all-star athlete in football, basketball and baseball for the Mountaineers, went on to an outstanding playing and coaching career in college and in recent years was a valuable assistant in the KMHS football program.
Bagwell, 51, was buried Saturday at Mountain Rest Cemetery and leaves his wife Shannon, children Paige, DJ and Daniel Bagwell and his mother,  Ruth Bagwell, and many other family members and friends to cherish his memory. He joins his father, Danny Bagwell, in Heaven.
Bagwell had an outstanding career at KMHS in the late 1980s and helped Denny Hicks’ Mountaineers to one of their best seasons in history in 1986 when he joined other future collegiate standouts like Rusty Bumgardner and Aubrey  Hollifield to lead the Mountaineers to an 11-2 season and three rounds in the state playoffs.
Bagwell was a year younger than the above-mentioned players but played football against them in the collegiate ranks – Bagwell at NC State and Hollifield and Bumgardner at Wake Forest.
Bagwell was also a standout hitter and infielder on the Mountaineer baseball team, and a tough scorer and rebounder on the basketball team. He always said his favorite memory of playing at KMHS was his junior year when the football and basketball teams made a long playoff run before losing to future Florida State and pro quarterback Brad Johnson and his Owen High teammates.
“But the main thing I remember is the special relationship between all the players and coaches,” he said years ago when he was inducted into the Kings Mountain Sports Hall of Fame. “That was a real special time.”
Bagwell was one of the first signees by Coach Dick Sheridan when he took over the NC State head coaching duties in 1988. But, before that Bagwell suffered a serious knee injury that threatened his collegiate career.
Between his football season and baseball season his senior year at KMHS, Bagwell and his father Danny were working on a building project at their home when Brent stepped through a weak place in the floor and suffered a serious knee injury. He feared Coach Sheridan would not honor his commitment but Sheridan told him to not worry about, take time to heal and then report to State.
Bagwell decided not to go on to college for the fall semester but put it off until the spring semester to allow for some healing. He was then red-shirted, giving him more time to heal.
Bagwell worked hard to rehab, and started all of the Wolfpack’s games his redshirt freshman season.
He started them all again
as  a  sophomore  but  each
 game  took a toll on his knee which he had to have repaired after both seasons. He was counseled by doctors not to play anymore, so Coach Sheridan put him on the coaching staff and he helped the Wolfpack to a great season.
During a 10-year period, he would later coach at numerous colleges including TCU, VMI, Newbery and Lenoir Rhyne.
After going into business, he had to take a break from coaching for a while but resurfaced at North Gaston High School where he served as offensive coordinator under head coach Bruce Clark. He helped develop the talents of many outstanding players, including current North Gaston coach Justin Clark, and they led the Wildcats to the NCHSAA 3A championship game.
Bruce Clark, who was also one of Bagwell’s position coaches at KMHS, called him one of the finest people he’s ever known.
“When you go into the coaching profession you came across a bunch of great people,” Clark said. “But a few really stand out. He was one of those.
“He was an amazing young boy when I first met him,” he said. “He always had a devotion for anything he wanted to do. I will never forget he started out in the ninth grade as a quarterback. We moved him to tight end. I remember getting a call from the receiver coach from NC State who said ‘we hear you have a big tight end down there.’ He said they were looking for a three-sport athlete who was big and could play at that level. I told him Bags could play anywhere.
“Brent had always wanted to go to NC State and when I told him what the coach said, he said ‘No way!’  From then on we had an amazing friendship. We went to watch him play a lot.”
Clark recalled taking Bagwell to a specialist in Charlotte after his accident. “He said ‘if what we draw is clear, he’s ok, but if it’s blood he won’t be. He drew four viles of pure blood. But God blessed Brent Bagwell with Coach Sheridan. He stuck with Brent. Brent stayed home an extra semester to rehab and then had a position coach, Robbie Caldwell, who was one of the best in the nation.
“When he ended up medically unable to play he stayed at State as an assistant and later coached under some other great coaches like Pat Sullivan (former Heisman winner) at TCU.”
Throughout Bagwell’s career as a college assistant, he and Clark stayed in touch and Clark and his family would go to a lot of games.
Clark said Bagwell could have been a head coach on the high school or collegiate level, “but he and Shannon wanted a family and I certainly understood that.”
But the two did coach together for seven years at North Gaston, with Clark as head coach and Bagwell as offensive coordinator. “It was an amazing time,” Clark said. “He absolutely loved it. High school is so much purer than the collegiate game. Bags just took over the offense and I was coaching the defense, and it was a match made in heaven. You could trust him. He would work a full day but set a schedule so he could make it to practice. The kids loved him and he helped a lot of them get into school.
 “He was an amazing man,” Clark added. “We always had great respect for each other. He was the ultimate daddy and husband. I’ve never seen anyone love each other more than Brent and Shannon. They had the happiest family I’ve ever seen.”
More important than coaching or anything else, Clark said Bagwell loved God.
“When I was in Kings Mountain Brent fell in love with First Presbyterian Church,” Clark recalled. “He became and Elder and just turned into the man that every mom and dad would want their son to be. He was an absolute great guy, one of the few that comes along that you just fall in love with. I’m missing him. I’ve cried every day since he died. Kings Mountain lost a great one!”
KMHS coach Greg Lloyd said Bagwell played a tremendous role in the Mountaineers’ success since he joined the coaching staff in 2014. Since that time the Mountaineers have compiled a 64-19 record with three trips to the Western Regional finals.
“He worked with our skill guys and called the plays for our JV team,” Lloyd noted. “On varsity game nights he was up top for the offense.
“Heaven just got a special man,” he added. “He was a fantastic coach and a great friend. This is a terrible loss and I feel so bad for his family.
 “He was always up top talking to us on the head sets. You’d never find a more knowledgeable coach. He was superb. We won’t be able to replace him. He was a special person and a fantastic coach.”
Basketball
Alayna Patrick works the offense for Kings Mountain in last week’s win over Crest. 

Mountaineers split with Crest 

(February 3, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High’s basketball teams split with Crest last week at Parker Gym with the girls continuing their strong play of late with a 61-52 win and the boys falling for the first time to a very good Crest five, 79-67.
The boys game saw the visitors hand the Mountaineers their first loss to take sole possession of first place in the Big South at the end of first round play.
The Mountaineers slipped into second place while the Lady Mountaineers strengthened their hold on second.
Coach Nicholas Inman got a strong performance from his entire squad with three players scoring in double figures while others were outstanding on defense.
Kings Mountain led the entire way, but their county rivals kept within striking distance. The Lady Mountaineers were up 13-6 after the first period, 26-23 at the half and 44-33 going into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Mountaineers saw their leading scorer,
Saniya Wilson, on the pine for much of the first half but others like Khalia King, Alayna Patrick, Andrea Melton, Booke Ferree, Aaliyah Byers, Austyn Dixon and Tyasya Bell stepped up.
Wilson still led the KM ladies in scoring with 28 points. She also dished out five assists and hauled in four rebounds.
King and Byers joined Wilson in double figures. King had 15 points, two rebounds and two assists and Byers contributed 10 points and six boards.
Dixon had four points and five rebounds, Bell two points and two rebounds, Patrick one point, three rebounds and three steals, and Melton one point and two assists.
Marshall and Petty led Crest with 15 points each, and Lee added 12.
A dominating first quarter by the Crest men got the Mountaineers down early to a point that they couldn’t climb out of. The Chargers bolted to a 24-8 lead after the quarter break. They increased their lead to 43-26 at halftime before KM rallied to outscore them 25-20 in the third period but still trail by 63-51 going into the fourth.
The Mountaineers were without the services of the Big South’s leading scorer, Isaiah Tate, for much of the game as he collected three early fouls and finished with just three points.
The other four KM starters finished in double-digits with Zeke Cannedy leading the way with 20 points. He pulled down four rebounds and dished out three assists.
Matt Toms added 15 points, two boards and three assists, Marcus Odums 12 points, three boards and four assists, and Orlando Odums 10 points, two rebounds and two assists. Zavian Smith had four points and two boards, and Titus Phillips three points, a rebound and a steal. 

YMCA basketball

(February 3, 2021 Issue)

Week one youth basketball results from the Kings Mountain Family YMCA:
7-8 boys:
Hornets 19, Raptors 14
Hornets – Daniel Bullock 10; Raptors – Chase Thomas 6.
Tarheels 38, Dunk-a-roos 19.
TH – Marquis Rodgers 16. DR – Easton Pasour 11.
9-10 boys:
Hornets 16, Heat 10.
Hornets – Kiser Richards 7. Heat – Bryson Ciaschini 7.
Destroyers 23, Buckets 7
D – Yates Toney 9; B – Karter Wills 3.
11-13 boys
Hornets 33, Heat 30
Hornets – Cory’on Gaines 13; Heat – Kingston Moore and Ty Howard 9 each.
Bulls 33, Panthers 18
Panthers – Silas Tate 8. Bulls Aiden Smith 14.
7-9 girls
Lady Bombshells 19, Lady Ballers 14.
Lady Ballers- Kyleigh Gaines 6; Lady Bombshells – Addy Morehead 8.
10-13 girls
Lady Hot Shotz 25, Lady Crushers 8
Crushers – Layla Crowell 4; Hot Shotz – Haper Hollifield 11.
14-16 boys
Tar Heels 33, Kangaroos 58
TH – Darian Lopez 18. K – Kee’Donn Linney 14.

Patriots top .500 mark
in 51-25 win over Burns

(February 3, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain Middle’s boys basketball team got over the .500 mark (2-2 conference, 3-2 overall) last week with a 51-25 win over county rival Burns.
Caleb Nixon got the Patriots off to a quick start by making his first two shots off passes from Bradley Floyd to give the home team a lead it would never relinquish.
The Patriots turned up their defensive intensity halfway through the first quarter and held the Eagles scoreless for over six minutes to go up 19-5 with five minutes left in the half. KM finished the quarter on a 17-5 run led by Nixon’s 11 points in the quarter.
The third quarter, led by Kylie Anderson, Aidan Taylor and Kameron Adams, saw the Patriots keep up its strong defense, holding Burns to just 15 second half points as KM took a 46-17 lead going into the final segment.
During the fourth period, Lincoln McDaniel came in and grabbed three big rebounds to keep possessions alive. Adams, Aiden Smith and Brayden Pearson rounded out the scoring for the Patriots.
Nixon led the Patriots with 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting. He also had three assists and three steals.
Bradley Floyd added 10 points, five rebounds, six assists, eight steals and a blocked shot.
Tucker Robinette had six points, three assists and three steals and Brayden Mull had two rebounds and a blocked shot.
Kee’donn Linney had two points, four rebounds and a blocked shot; Max Thompson two points and three boards; Charlie Foster four points, four boards and two blocked shots; Josiah Guyton three assists and a steal; Kylei Anderson three points, two rebounds, and an assist, steal and blocked shot; Kameron Adams two points, two boards and two steals; Aiden Smith two points and two steals; Brayden Person one point; Jaylen Clinton two rebounds and a steal; and Aidan Taylor two steals.
The Patriots grabbed 33 rebounds, including 14 offensive; had 16 assists, 23 steals and six blocked shots.
Floyd was named player of the game; Kameron Adams and Lincoln McDaniel sixth men of the game; and Smith, Taylor and Clinton defensive players of the game. 

Patriots at Shelby Monday
for conference playoff opener

(February 3, 2021 Issue)

 Kings Mountain Middle’s Patriots will enter Tri-County Conference playoff action Monday at Shelby after defeating East Rutherford 72-37 Thursday. KM goes into the tourney as the #3 seed with a 4-2 overall record.
A Kee’donn Linney pass to Max Thompson got the Patriots off to a quick lead, and 10 points by Tucker Robinette sparked a 20-2 run as the Patriots raced to a 24-6 lead.
The Patriots were able to create 10 steals in the quarter for some easy transition baskets.
The second period saw KM keep its offense going as they ran off 19 points to go up 43-17 at the half. The third period saw a host of reserves get into the action. Led by Kameron Adams and Josiah Guyton, who combined for eight points, KM was able to extend their lead to 57-29 entering the final period. KM’s third unit came out strong, led by Jaylen Clinton’s four points, and outscored East 8-2 for the final margin.
Robinette led the Patriots with 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting. He also had two assists and four steals.
Bradley Floyd added four points, five boards, five assists and five steals and Caleb Nixon had 10 points, two threes and a steal.
Max Thompson had four points and three rebounds, Linney eight points on 3 for 3 shooting to go with six boards, two assists and two steals, and Josiah Guyton four points and an assist.
Charlie Foster had six points and three boards, Brayden Mull four points, five rebounds and two steals, Kylei Anderson two points and an assist, Kameron Adams six points, two boards, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot; Bryden Pearson three points, one assist and three steals, Jaylen Clinton four points and three boards, Coryon Gaines one point and Adian Taylor and Aiden Smith one assist each.
KM hit 54 percent of their shots (32 for 59), and 60 percent from two-point range (29 for 48). The Pats had 33 rebounds, 18 steals, a season-high 17 assists, 13 players scored and 15 different players have scored this season.
Robinette and Linney were named players of the game. Kameron Adams and Brayden Pearson were sixth men of the game and defensive players of the game were Linney, Floyd, Nixon, Robinette, Thompson and Gaines.
Kings Mountain will play at Chase Thursday in the final regular season game.

Mountaineers sweep Cramer

 (February 3, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High’s varsity basketball teams kept their hold on second place in the Big South Conference Friday night with a sweep of Stuart Cramer at Donald L. Parker Gymnasium.
Both the girls and boys led from wire-to-wire as the Lady Mountaineers won 58-25 and the Mountaineers 80-54. The KM girls, 4-1 in the BSC and 5-1 overall heading into last night’s action against North Gaston, will go to Cramer Thursday for a game that was postponed earlier in the year due to a COVID case at Cramer.
The Lady Mountaineers saw seven different players score and Coach Nicholas Inman was able to get three of his JV players – freshmen Desirae Thombs, Riley Powers and Mashalyn Surratt – varsity action for the first time in their careers.
Junior All-Conference star Saniya Wilson continued to lead the KM ladies with 22 points, four rebounds, six steals and four assists. Sophomore standout Khalia King added 19 points, three rebounds and two steals and senior Kennedy Barnes had 10 points and four rebounds.
Monica Head had three points and two boards, Aaliyah Byes two points and three rebounds, Tyasya Bell two points and two rebounds, and Brooke Ferree six rebounds.
Ranija Hamilton led Cramer with 14 points. Dasia Harris scored five, Reece Wolfe four and Brianna McGinnis two.
Kings Mountain jumped out to a 10-4 first quarter lead and was out front 27-11 at the half. The Lady Mountaineers blew the game open with a 17-9 run to take a 44-16 led into the final eight minutes.
The Mountaineers, who bounced back from their loss to Crest in a battle for first place three nights earlier, got another all-around good game from Isaiah Tate with 22 points, eight assists, four steals and three rebounds.
Four of KM’s five starters hit double figures with Orlando Odums scoring 15 points and Marcus Odums and Zeke Cannedy 12 apiece.
Orlando Odums had eight rebounds and two steals; Marcus Odums five assists, four boards and two steals, and Cannedy two assists.
Matt Toms had a good all-around effort with seven points and seven boards, four assists and two steals and Titus Phillips contributed five points, six boards, an assist and two steals.
Zavian Smith had three points and a rebound, Curtis Simpson two points and six rebounds and Maddox James two points and four rebounds.
Mason Craig led the Storm with 12 points.

Football practice to begin

(February 3, 2021 Issue)

Official football practice for North Carolina teams will begin next week.
Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers will take the field Monday at 3:45 p.m. The first two days’ equipment will be helmets only, followed by three days of helmets and pads.
The team can begin contact drills on Saturday.
The Mountaineers will host Burns in a scrimmage on Sat., Feb. 20 and will open their regular season at home against Stuart Cramer on Fri., Feb. 26.
Because of COVID, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association has reduced the regular season to seven games and state playoff games to four. Kings Mountain’s varsity will have only three regular season home games but two of them are against perennial powerhouses Hunter Huss and Crest. Those two teams, along with KM, have decided the Big South championship for the past several years.
Mountaineer Coach Greg Lloyd feels this year’s team will continue to keep the winning tradition going. There are several starters returning from last year’s team that went 12-3 and played for the Western Regional championship for the second year in a row.
“I like the way both lines have looked,” Coach Lloyd notes. “We have good size and experience.”
He said senior quarterback Ethan Reid, who broke most of the school’s passing records last season, is throwing the ball better and last year’s leading rusher, Rayshard Brooks “has put on a little muscle and seems quicker and improved.”
Jalin Mims, a transfer from Forestview who is a running back and slot receiver, has also been impressive. He and others will be counted on to take up some of the slack lost by the departure of the school’s all-time leading receiver, Kobe Paysour, who is now enrolled at UNC.
“We have a good nucleus,” Lloyd said. “Experience is the key and we have 16 or 17 people that started last year and will be good leaders.”
 

Patriots beat Crest,
lose to R-S Central

(January 27, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain Middle’s boys basketball team opened its season recently with a 40-34 overtime  win over Crest and a 70-33 loss to RS Central.
Crest led 31-26 in the fourth period before KM came back to force overtime.
Brayden Mull led the KM attack with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Tucker Robinette had nine points, eight steals and three assists; Bradley Floyd eight rebounds and three assists; Caleb Nanney six points on a pair of three-pointers; Kee’Donn Linney three points, and Charlie Foster four points, six boards and a block.
KM had 32 rebounds, 13 steals and nine assists.
KM turned up its defensive intensity in the extra period and held Crest scoreless. Robinette and Linney combined for four free throws to seal the win.
KM started out strong with Nixon’s buzzer-beating three giving the Patriots a 12-8 lead after the first period.
The Patriots extended its lead to six as Guyton’s entry pass found Mull for a quick basket. With 1:44 to go in the half, Robinette hit two free throws to put KM up 18-17. Foster’s offensive rebound and put-back put KM up by three at the half.
The Patriots hit a cold spell in the third quarter as the Dragons went on a 7-0 run to take a 24-20 lead. Mull’s assist to Floyd for a score and Mull’s offensive rebound and pass to Robinette helped tie the game at 24. KM scored just one more basket during the quarter to go down 29-26 heading into the fourth.
Crest built a 31-26 lead before KM mounted its comeback, holding Crest scoreless until the final minute. Robinette’s steal and finish at the basket gave KM its first point of the period and Nixon’s three tied the game at 31-all with 3:30 left. Floyd’s free throw put KM up 32-31 but Crest hit a go-ahead three with a minute remaining before Mull tied the game at 34 to force the OT.
Mull’s double-double earned him player of the game honors, and Foster’s six boards and a block earned him the Sixth Man award. Robinette’s eight steals earned him the defensive player of the game award.
The Patriots ran into a powerful RS Central team in game two, falling 70-33.
KM struggled from the beginning, missing 15 out of its 17 shots. Caleb Nixon’s early goal earned KM a 2-2 tie but RS went on a run that left KM down 16-5 after one period and 37-12 at the half.
KM showed some fight in the third quarter, causing some turnovers that led to easy baskets. Max Thompson did a stellar job on the RS guards.
The fourth quarter saw RS in a full-court press that caused some KM turnovers. With the outcome evident, KM played its entire bench in the fourth quarter to see some glimpses of the future.
Nixon led the Patriots with 11 points, hitting five of six shots from the field. Foster had five points and four boards, Floyd five points, six rebounds and three assists, Robinette four points and four assists, Guyton three points and stellar defense, Mull two points, Adams two and Smith one.
Nixon was named player of the game, Guyton sixth man of the game and Thompson defensive player of the game.
Bb isaiah tate
Isaiah Tate guns one of his record-setting eight three-pointers in Thursday’s non-conference game with county neighbor Burns at Parker Gym.

Mountaineers sweep Burns
In non-conference twinbill

(January 27, 2021 Issue)

Kings Mountain High’s basketball teams swept Burns Thursday at Parker Gym with the girls winning 53-47 and the boys 89-65.
The Mountaineers had a spectacular game from Isaac Tate who scored 35 points and tied a school record with eight three-pointers. He also contributed 10 assists, four rebounds and three steals.
The Mountaineers got an overall strong performance from everyone as three other players hit double figures and others just missed.
Marcus Odums continued his strong play with 11 points, four boards and three steals, and Matt Toms scored 10 points, grabbed six boards, dished out eight assists and stole the ball twice.
Zeke Cannedy added nine points, two boards, five assists and three steals
Titus Phillips, playing his first game after undergoing surgery, had a strong night with five points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Maddox James had seven points, Orlando Odums five points and a steal, Zavion Smith four points and an assist and Curtis Simpson three points and three rebounds.
The visiting Bulldogs stayed with the Mountaineers for the first half. The teams were tied at 16 after the first period and KM led by 36-32 at intermission. But the Mountaineers outscored the Bulldogs 28-18 in the third quarter and 25-15 in the fourth to win going away.
The girls game was close throughout with the Lady Mountaineers gaining the advantage in the second half. Burns broke out to an 11-10 first quarter lead and was on top 24-17 at the break. KM came back to take a 40-38 lead going into the fourth quarter and held on for the victory.
Sophomore Khalia King led the Lady Mountaineers with 19 points and four rebounds. KM’s leading scorer Saniya Wilson scored all of her 14 points in the second half. She   dished out two assists and stole the ball seven times.
Aaliyah Byers, playing in just her second game after joining the team after the volleyball season, had a good all-around effort with eight points, five rebounds and two steals.
Kennedy Barnes added six points and five boards, Andrea Melton four points and two steals, and Austyn Dixon two points.
Tishonna Strong of Burns was the game’s top scorer with 26 points. Mya Crosby had eight, Maggie Earl six, Esynce Howze and Robyn Whitworth three each and MaKaiyah Ross one.
The KM girls’ scheduled game at Forestview Friday was postponed because of COVID concerns at Forestview. An earlier game at Stuart Cramer that was postponed because of COVID will be played at 6 p.m. February 4 at Cramer.