VGCC Vanguards win another game on the road

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Ten days after defeating the University of North Carolina junior varsity team in Chapel Hill, the Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team picked up another road victory, this time in Hampton, Va., over Thomas Nelson Community College, 94-83, on Jan. 28.

Sophomore sensation TyQuon Reid had a standout performance for the Vanguards, with 36 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. Reid was ranked in the top five nationwide in points per game, free throw shooting and steals, as of Jan. 31.

VGCC freshman NiQuan Cousins led his team in rebounds (16) and blocks (6) while also contributing 18 points, 3 assists and 1 steal. As of Jan. 31, Cousins was leading the nation in rebounds per game and in total rebounds.

Michael Henderson, a sophomore, put up 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in one of his best games this season.

Freshman Jaylen Jones was second in rebounding for VGCC (11) while also posting 5 points, 4 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks.

Stats for other Vanguards were as follows: Antonio Adams had 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal; Chris Pernell had 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist; Kenneth Finley, Jr., had 3 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist; Isaiah McCaffity had 3 points, 5 rebounds and 1 steal; Darius Buford had 2 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist; and Mitch Beck had 3 rebounds and 1 steal.

After some more road trips, the Vanguards return home on Thursday, Feb. 9, hosting Fayetteville Tech Community College at 7 p.m. at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson. Admission is free.

–VGCC–

VGCC Vanguards upset JV Tar Heels with 106-100 victory

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The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team achieved one of the most stunning upsets in program history on Jan. 18, defeating the University of North Carolina junior varsity team by a score of 106-100 at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill.

This was VGCC’s second trip to Chapel Hill and the team’s first win over the JV Tar Heels, who were undefeated this season before the contest.

Henderson-based radio station WIZS 1450 AM provided live coverage of the game, just as in the first meeting of the two programs in 2016. “In what was going to be an incredible experience in and of itself for the VGCC Vanguards, they came out more ready to play than the Tar Heels,” reflected Kevin Bullock, who called the game for WIZS. “The Vance-Granville locker room was electric before the game, while the UNC JV locker room was all but silent.”

The Vanguards got off to a strong start, trading leads with the Tar Heels and settling on a 51-51 tie at the half. The back-and-forth continued through the second half toward a nail-biter of a conclusion. After taking a five-point lead and then falling behind by as many as five in the second half, the Vanguards fought back to tie the Heels with two minutes to go.

With 20 seconds left on the clock, the Vanguards pulled away from a 100-100 tie and never looked back, making four straight free throws to seal the victory.

Key to VGCC’s win was a balanced offense that featured six players scoring in double figures: NiQuan Cousins (30 points), TyQuon Reid (22), Chris Pernell (16), Jaylen Jones (11), Calvin Malik Manley (11) and Kenneth Finley, Jr. (10). Cousins was also the Vanguards’ leading rebounder (14). He leads the nation in rebounds per game (14.5) for NJCAA Division II. Cousins recorded three assists and three blocks, as well. Manley contributed seven rebounds to the winning effort. Jones led in steals (4).

The Tar Heels were led in scoring by Lucas Bouknight of Greensboro, with 21 points. An article in the student newspaper, the Daily Tar Heel, concluded that the JV “basketball team wasn’t just outplayed — UNC was outworked.” The article quoted Hubert Davis, the former Tar Heel guard and 12-year NBA veteran who coaches the JV squad, as saying, “Congratulations to Vance-Granville Community College. They earned it….I just felt like the entire game they were the tougher team. They were the team that worked the hardest, that wanted it more.”

Bullock, the WIZS sportscaster, concluded that “Carolina was hampered by poor free throw shooting and live ball turnovers. Vance-Granville was able to capitalize on those opportunities and shot the ball better than they had all season. It was the UNC JV team’s fourth game in nine days, which allowed the Vanguards to get out and run on Carolina and wear them down in the second half. NiQuan Cousins, Jaylen Jones, TyQuon Reid and the rest of the Vanguards will never forget the day they went to Chapel Hill and beat the Tar Heels.”

VGCC’s next home game is set for Saturday, Jan. 21, at 3 p.m., when the Vanguards face a conference opponent, Guilford Tech Community College, at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson. Admission is free.

 

VGCC Vanguards to play JV Tar Heels at Dean Dome

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For the second year in a row, the Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team will soon travel to the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill to face the University of North Carolina Tar Heels junior varsity team.

The JV game is set for Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m.

Henderson-based radio station WIZS 1450 AM will once again provide live coverage of the game starting at 7:15 p.m. Even for those outside the range of the radio station, the broadcast can be streamed online at wizs.com or on a smart phone with the free “TuneIn Radio” app. When WIZS covered the first contest between the two basketball programs in 2016, it was the first time in history that a UNC JV basketball game had been broadcast live on the radio.

The Vanguards compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II, which includes 11 two-year colleges in North Carolina and Virginia.

The UNC JV squad has several community college teams on its schedule this year, including one of VGCC’s Region X conference rivals, Wake Tech Community College.

Admission is free to the UNC JV game. For more information, call the Smith Center at (919) 962-2296.

Krzyzewski Undergoes Successful Lower Back Surgery

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DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University head men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski underwent successful lower back surgery on Friday, Jan. 6, to remove a fragment of a herniated disc.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Allan Friedman at Duke University Hospital. The anticipated recovery time for Krzyzewski is up to four weeks.

“Surgery went exactly as planned,” said Friedman. “Coach is in terrific physical shape and we expect a full recovery.”

Krzyzewski has won a Division I men’s basketball record 1,056 games in 41-plus seasons as a college head coach, owning a 1,056-323 overall record and a 983-264 mark in 36-plus seasons at Duke. He has led Duke to five NCAA championships (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015), the second-most national titles by a coach in NCAA history.

Krzyzewski guided the United States National Team to an 88-1 record and seven total medals (six gold) as head coach from 2005-16. He is a seven-time USA Basketball National Coach of the Year and the only coach – men’s or women’s – to lead a country to three consecutive Olympic basketball gold medals.

Krzyzewski was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.

#GoDuke

Cory Walton

Senior Associate Sports Information Director

Duke Athletics

Kerr Vance Academy Holiday Basketball Tournament Complete Schedule

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KVA HOLIDAY BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Friday, December 16 (teams in bold will be the HOME team on Friday)

Small Gym – JV

Game JV1  5:30  Lighthouse JV Boys vs. John Paul II HS JV Boys

Game JV2  7:00  Kerr-Vance JV Boys vs. Franklin Academy JV Boys

Main Gym – Varsity

Game V1    4:00  Lighthouse Girls vs. John Paul II HS Girls

Game V2    5:30  Kerr-Vance Academy vs.  Franklin Academy Girls

Game V3    7:00  Lighthouse Boys  vs. John Paul II HS Boys

Game V4     8:30 Kerr-Vance Academy Boys vs. Franklin Academy Boys

Saturday, December 17

Small Gym – JV

Game JV3  1:00  JV Boys Consolation Game

Game JV4  2:30  Winner from Game JV1 vs. Winner from Game JV2

AWARDS CEREMONY

Main Gym – Varsity

Game V5    12:00 Varsity Girls Consolation Game

Game V6    1:30   Varsity Boys Consolation Game

Game V7    3:00    Winner of Game V1 vs. Winner of Game V2 Girls

AWARDS CEREMONY

Game V8    5:00    Winner of Game V3 vs. Winner of Game V4 Boys

AWARDS CEREMONY

 Carolina Accepts Bid To Hyundai Sun Bowl

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North Carolina has accepted an invitation to play in the 2016 Hyundai Sun Bowl vs. Stanford in El Paso, Texas, on Friday, Dec. 30. The game will kick off at 2 p.m. ET (noon local time), and will be televised nationally by CBS.

The 2016 game will mark the 83rd anniversary of the Sun Bowl game and the 49th consecutive broadcast on CBS.

“We’re excited to represent the University of North Carolina and the Atlantic Coast Conference in the Sun Bowl, a game with so much history going back more than 80 years,” says head coach Larry Fedora. “Our team is looking forward to a terrific experience in El Paso with the opportunity to finish the season with positive momentum. Stanford consistently competes for the Pac-12 championship and this will be a tremendous challenge for our team.”

Sun Bowl tickets will be on sale beginning Sunday, Dec. 4. Rams Club members and 2016 football season ticket holders will receive an email Sunday evening with an opportunity to purchase tickets. The priority seating deadline for Rams Club members and 2016 season ticket holders is Tuesday Dec. 6 at 5pm. Tickets will also go on sale to the general public on Sunday evening at GoHeels.com.

This is Fedora’s eighth bowl appearance in nine seasons as a head coach. The Sun Bowl is Carolina’s 33rd all-time bowl game, and first in Texas since the 1994 Sun Bowl. Carolina has played in the Sun Bowl on four previous occasions with a 2-2 record.

Carolina In The Sun Bowl
1972 – Carolina 32, Texas Tech 28
1974 – Mississippi State 26, Carolina 24
1982 – Carolina 26, Texas 10
1994 – Texas 35, Carolina 31

Carolina is 8-4 overall and finished 5-3 in the ACC’s Coastal Division. UNC is averaging 442.4 yards of total offense.

Stanford is 9-3 overall and 6-3 in the Pac-12. The Cardinal is ranked No. 16 in both the Associated Press and Coaches Poll.

About the Hyundai Sun Bowl:
Since the first Sun Bowl played on January 1, 1935, as a fundraising event for a local service club, the game has grown into El Paso’s number one national attraction. With its picturesque stadium nestled between two mountains it has become a piece of the Southwest and a lesson in history. Through the years, 38 Sun Bowls have been decided by a touchdown or less, including six of the last 11 games. Through its first 82 years, the Hyundai Sun Bowl has featured 78 different programs, more than any other bowl in the nation.

OCS to hold 2017 rules meeting and banquet

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Attention All Competitors in ALL Divisions:

The 2017 Rules Meeting will be held on Sunday, December 18th at 1:30pm. V-8 Cars: Late Model & Limited Sportsman & Street Stock will meet @ 1:30pm. All 4 cylinder divisions will meet at 2:30 and all other divisions will meet immediately following the 4 cylinder meeting. Please bring positive thoughts & positive solutions that are in the best interest of competitors, the race track and fans.

The 2016 OCS Banquet will be held on Saturday, January 21st at the Festival House at Homestead Steak House. Details will be coming next week: ticket pricing, times, etc.

CONGRATULATIONS to all 2016 Champions:

Terry Dease – Late Model Stock

Boo Boo Dalton – Limited Sportsman

John Barilka – Grand American Modified

Jared Gillis – Street Stock

Danny Winstead – Pure Stock

Dennis Capps – Mod 4

John Comstock – Super Mini Trucks

Lewis Young Resigns as Coach of Southern Vance Football

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Lewis Young, the Head Varsity Football Coach at Southern Vance High School, announced his resignation on Monday, November 7, 2016. He has resigned only as the Head Varsity Football Coach and will continue teaching at Southern Vance High School.

Coach Young has served the Raider Football program for over 20 years in various roles, most recently as Head Varsity Football Coach from 2012-2016. He finished with a 14-43 record and made two appearances in the NCHSAA playoffs (2012, 2013) including a 12-6 upset victory over #2-seeded South Columbus in 2013. Prior to being Head Coach, Coach Young served as the Defensive Coordinator under Mark Perry and David Jennings and led the defense for the 2006 Southern Vance team that lost 27-24 to Shelby in the NCHSAA 2AA State Championship game.

Coach Young is a well-respected and important member of the Southern Vance family who has positively impacted the lives of a countless number of our student-athletes . We will miss his dedication and loyalty to Southern Vance football and thank him for his service to our school and community.

Southern Vance is currently accumulating candidates and working tirelessly to fill the Head Varsity Football Coach vacancy. Interested candidates should send a resume and letter of interest to Athletic Director Joe Sharrow (jsharrow@vcs.k12.nc.us) and Principal Stephanie Ayscue (sayscue@vcs.k12.nc.us).

 

VGCC Women’s Volleyball season ends with historic ‘firsts’

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For the Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards, the 2016 women’s volleyball season will long be remembered as historic. VGCC compiled a winning record (14-8) in the regular season, reached .500 in conference play (6-6), and won a match in the postseason — all for the first time in the history of the program.

In fact, those were all goals that Coach Christopher Young had set for the Vanguards at the beginning of the year. “We accomplished each of these goals and will build on those goals heading into next season,” Young said. “I am extremely happy with how our team performed throughout the season, leading up to our Region X Tournament. Our student-athletes practiced hard and gave everything they had while on the court competing, and as a coach, that’s all you can ask your athletes to do.”

In addition, the team’s two sophomores received All-Region X honors from coaches in the conference. Kiyanna Kearney of Henderson was named to the First Team, becoming just the second Vanguard ever to receive that honor, and was runner-up for Player of the Year. Jesse Edwards of Henderson, meanwhile, received an Honorable Mention for the All-Region team.

VGCC closed out the regular season by winning a doubleheader at home over Danville Community College on Oct. 18. In another “first,” the Vanguards played a home match somewhere other than Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson, because the contest had been rescheduled from an earlier date. Long Mill Elementary School in Youngsville served as the location. The first match was a 3-1 victory for VGCC, with the visitors eking out a 28-26 win in the first set but the Vanguards coming back to win 25-14, 25-15 and 25-10. Kearney led her team with 20 kills. Stormi Abernathy of Yanceyville posted a whopping 48 assists. Edwards had 4 digs along with 15 kills. VGCC won the second match over DCC in three sets (25-23, 25-16 and 25-16). Kearney posted 13 kills and 7 digs. Abernathy made 26 assists and 3 solo blocks.

In the NJCAA Division III Region X conference tournament, hosted by Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, VGCC was seeded fourth, another high-water mark for the program. In the opening round, on Oct. 22, the Vanguards faced fifth-seeded Rockingham Community College and swept the Eagles in three sets (25-19, 25-18 and 30-28). Hannah Arneth of Oxford led VGCC in kills, with 15. Kearney had the most digs (20) while also posting 12 kills. Abernathy made 30 assists and 16 digs. Edwards contributed 15 digs and 8 kills.

Advancing to the tournament semifinals for the first time, the VGCC squad played their second match of the day against top-seeded Patrick Henry Community College, which only had one loss in conference play this season. The result was a three-set victory (25-9, 25-15 and 25-13) for the Patriots, who then went on to capture the Region X title by defeating Sandhills in the championship match. Coach Young called PHCC “an extremely talented team.” In the loss, Arneth again had the most kills (10) while Abernathy led in digs (11) and in assists (17). Kearney, in her final match as a Vanguard, posted 3 solo blocks, 9 digs and 6 kills. Edwards, also closing out her VGCC career, contributed 5 kills and 8 digs.

“Coming into the season, we knew we only had two returning players, Jesse and Kiyanna, and we were going to need to rely on freshmen to step up early and contribute, which they did in a big way,” Coach Young reflected. “Players like Hannah Arneth, Stormi Abernathy, Katelynn Ray, Hanna Williams and Allyson Cash were a large piece of the puzzle for our team, while Ashley Parker, Madison Waddle and Nicole Bowman contributed throughout the season when called upon. When the postseason rolled around, our team seemed to be playing some of the best volleyball we had been playing all season. Hannah, Kiyanna and Jesse really stepped up their games during our Region X Tournament.”

VGCC announces 2016-17 Vanguards Basketball schedule

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The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team is scheduled to play at least 28 games during the 2016-2017 season, including 11 home games. This is the program’s first season under the leadership of head coach DeMarcus Oliver.

 

DATE TIME OPPONENT LOCATION
Saturday, Nov. 5 4:30 pm Davidson County Comm. College Thomasville, NC
Monday, Nov. 7 6:00 pm Bryant & Stratton College HOME
Friday, Nov. 11 TBD Caldwell Comm. College & Tech Institute (Louisburg Invitational Tournament) Louisburg, NC
Saturday, Nov. 12 TBD Northern Virginia Comm. College (Louisburg Invitational Tournament) Louisburg, NC
Monday, Nov. 14 7:00 pm Wake Tech Comm. College (VGCC Vanguard Night) HOME
Wednesday, Nov. 16 6:00 pm Patrick Henry Comm. College Martinsville, VA
Monday, Nov. 21 7:00 pm Fayetteville Tech Comm. College Fayetteville, NC
Monday, Dec. 5 7:00 pm Pitt Comm. College Greenville, NC
Wednesday, Dec. 7 7:00 pm Lenoir Comm. College Kinston, NC
Saturday, Dec. 10 2:00 pm Thomas Nelson Comm. College HOME
Monday, Dec. 12 7:00 pm Louisburg College Louisburg, NC
Wednesday, Dec. 14 6:00 pm Richard Bland College HOME
Saturday, Dec. 17 1:00 pm Spartanburg Methodist College Spartanburg, SC
Thursday, Jan. 5 7:00 pm Louisburg College HOME
Monday, Jan. 9 8:00 pm Wake Tech Comm. College Raleigh, NC
Saturday, Jan. 14 3:00 pm Bryant & Stratton College Norfolk, VA
Wednesday, Jan. 18 7:30 pm UNC Chapel Hill JV  (Scrimmage) Chapel Hill, NC
Thursday, Jan. 19 7:00 pm Patrick Henry Comm. College HOME
Saturday, Jan. 21 3:00 pm Guilford Tech Comm. College HOME
Monday, Jan. 23 7:00 pm Pitt Comm. College HOME
Wednesday, Jan. 25 7:00 pm Catawba Valley Comm. College Hickory, NC
Saturday, Jan. 28 4:00 pm Thomas Nelson Comm. College Hampton, VA
Monday, Feb. 6 5:00 pm Lenoir Comm. College Louisburg, NC
Thursday, Feb. 9 7:00 pm Fayetteville Tech Comm. College HOME
Monday, Feb. 13 6:00 pm Sandhills Comm. College HOME
Wednesday, Feb. 15 7:00 pm Catawba Valley Comm. College (VGCC Sophomore Night) HOME
Wednesday, Feb. 22 7:00 pm Richard Bland College Petersburg, VA
Saturday, Feb. 25 3:00 pm Guilford Tech Comm. College Jamestown, NC
Saturday, Mar. 4 TBD Region X Conference Tournament 1st Round Petersburg, VA
Sunday, Mar. 5 TBD Region X Conference Tournament Quarter-Finals Petersburg, VA
Friday, Mar. 10 TBD Region X Conference Tournament Semi-Finals Pinehurst, NC
Saturday, Mar. 11 TBD Region X Conference Championship Pinehurst, NC
Tuesday, Mar. 21 – Saturday, Mar. 25 TBD NJCAA Division II National Tournament Danville, IL

 

Bold = Home Game, to be played at Aycock Recreation Center, 307 Carey Chapel Rd., Henderson, N.C.

Schedule is subject to change.

 

The Vanguards compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II, which includes 11 two-year colleges in North Carolina and Virginia.

For VGCC, the regular season starts with an away game at Davidson County Community College on Saturday, Nov. 5. The Vanguards’ first opponent at home will be Bryant & Stratton College, on Monday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m. All of VGCC’s home games are scheduled to be played at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson. There is no charge for admission.

The second home game, on Monday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m., will be the annual “Vanguard Night” game. VGCC will host Wake Tech Community College in that contest, which features special activities and attracts a large crowd of current students, faculty and staff.

For the second year in a row, VGCC will travel to the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill to play the UNC Tar Heels JV squad. That scrimmage is scheduled to take place Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

The Vanguards are set to celebrate “Sophomore Night” at the final home game, on Feb. 15. The regular season is scheduled to conclude on Feb. 25, with VGCC’s final scheduled game on the road at Guilford Tech Community College. After the regular season ends, the Vanguards are scheduled to participate in the NJCAA Division II Region X tournament. The first two rounds of the tournament are to be played at Richard Bland College in Petersburg, Va., on March 4-5. The semifinals and finals will follow at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, on March 10-11.