Abee leading UNC Asheville in 3-point shooting

The UNC Asheville men’s basketball team has been rolling in recent weeks, as the Bulldogs entered Wednesday’s game at Longwood having won seven of their previous eight contests to improve to 10-5 overall and 1-0 in NCAA Division I Big South Conference play.

All seven of those victories came at home, where UNC Asheville is 7-0 this winter and 32-2 since the beginning of the 2022-23 season. And 2019 Freedom High School graduate Fletcher Abee, a 6-foot-4 guard who is currently a graduate student, has been a key part of the Bulldogs’ success.

Abee leads the Bulldogs in 3-pointers made (39) and 3-point percentage (43.3%), and he’s also the team’s fourth-leading scorer at 11.2 points per game while ranking third in minutes per game (27.5). Additionally, the Valdese native – who has started all 14 games in which he has played and has reached double figures in scoring on seven occasions, including three performances of 20-plus points – is averaging 1.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.6 steals per contest.

UNC Asheville is on the road again today (Saturday, Jan. 11) for a 2 p.m. game against Presbyterian in Clinton, S.C.

Lail at Montreat

Cierra Lail (Patton 2022) had helped the Cavaliers’ women’s basketball team win four straight games entering Tuesday’s home contest against Columbia College (S.C.), which was followed by a road game against Bryan College (Tenn.) on Thursday and today’s 2 p.m. road game against Union Commonwealth University (Ky.).

After coming off the bench in each of the first 10 games, Lail has started the past three contests for Montreat (9-4, 6-2 NAIA Appalachian Athletic Conference). The junior forward recorded season highs in points (four), rebounds (five), and blocks (four) in 15 minutes in an 86-50 home victory over Brenau University (Ga.) on Dec. 10, and for the season she has totaled 16 points, 30 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a team-high 10 blocks.

Rhone at Brevard

Christena Rhone (Freedom 2022) has scored 6.7 points per game for the Tornados (9-3, 4-1 NCAA D-III USA South Athletic Conference) through 12 games (three starts), which ranks fifth on the team, and the junior guard is also averaging 1.7 rebounds per contest while totaling 16 assists (sixth on team) and 12 steals (fourth) in 19.1 minutes per game (sixth).

Brevard hosts Methodist University today at 4 p.m.

Crooks, Glass at L-R

Lenoir-Rhyne has struggled as a team since the beginning of December, posting a 2-4 record to drop to 5-8 overall and 3-6 in NCAA D-II South Athletic Conference play, but 2020 Freedom grad Blaikley Crooks has continued to play at a high level during her fifth season with the Bears.

Second on the team in points (10.8) and minutes per game (29.5), Crooks is also averaging team highs in assists (2.5) and steals (1.8) per contest while totaling five blocks (T-second). The 5-11 wing is third among L-R players in rebounds per game (4.3) as well, and she has made 46.4% (52 of 112) of her field goals and 86.8% (33 of 38) of her free throws.

One of Crooks’ teammates, Jayda Glass, also graduated from Freedom in 2020 and is currently a grad student at L-R. A 5-10 guard, she has played 46 total minutes across six games, scoring six points on a pair of 3-pointers while adding four assists, three rebounds, and a steal.

Following a road game against Mars Hill on Wednesday, the Bears visit UVA Wise today at 2 p.m.

WRESTLING

Khang at West Liberty

The Hilltoppers’ first-year women’s wrestling team has won seven consecutive dual matches, including six since Dec. 14, to improve to 9-2 overall.

After posting a 5-0 record during the Heidelberg Holiday Duals on Dec. 14 at Cedar Point Sports Center in Sandusky, Ohio – the West Virginia-based Hilltoppers defeated Waynesburg by a 57-0 score, Otterbein by a 35-18 final, Mount Union by a 34-22 tally, Alfred State by a 48-11 score, and John Carroll by a 52-6 final – West Liberty was a 40-17 winner over Hiram College on Dec. 22 as it picked up the first home dual victory in program history.

Although she lost her 110-pound bout against Hiram, sophomore Jeulenea Khang (Freedom 2023) won four bouts by forfeit and one via a 10-0 technical fall while competing at 103 pounds during the Heidelberg Duals. As a result, she heads into Sunday’s Hilltopper Open individual tournament – which West Liberty will host beginning at 9 a.m. – with a record of 14-8 this season.

Johnson-White at Montreat

Caleb Johnson-White (East Burke 2022) has collected five wins at 165 pounds as a junior for the Cavaliers (1-10, 1-3 NAIA AAC), who are next scheduled to host a league match against Truett McConnell on Wednesday (Jan. 15) at Bandys High School in Catawba.

Two of Johnson-White’s triumphs came during the Rocky Top Duals on Dec. 14 in Gatlinburg, Tenn., where he won via pinfall and a 19-7 major decision. He also went 3-2 during the Hawk Classic Open on Jan. 4 in Montgomery, Ala., to finish fifth in his weight class, with his victories coming by pinfall, a 10-5 decision, and a 9-6 decision.

VOLLEYBALL

Roper at Appalachian State

Junior defensive specialist/libero Kenady Roper (Patton 2022) completed her third season with the Mountaineers on Dec. 6, when Appalachian State lost to Northern Colorado in four sets (25-20, 23-25, 12-25, 22-25) in the opening round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship Tournament at Georgia Southern to finish the year with an 18-10 record.

Roper had a team-high 17 digs in App State’s season finale to run her career total to 997, and she also supplied five assists. For the season, she totaled 352 digs (first on team), 85 assists (third), 21 aces (fourth), two kills, and a block.

Furthermore, Roper earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors for the second straight year.