WWAY’s Thursday night sports – December 5

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — We invite you to follow WWAY Sports on Twitter @WWAYSports.

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THURSDAY NIGHT HIGH SCHOOL SCOREBOARD

GIRLS BASKETBALL
TRASK 32 – WILMINGTON CHRISTIAN 27
W COLUMBUS 43 – GREEN SEA FLOYDS 21
WEST BLADEN 36 – SOUTH COLUMBUS 32
COURTNEY THOMPSON HAD 24 POINTS AND 18 REBOUNDS FOR THE KNIGHTS

BOYS BASKETBALL
WEST BLADEN 53 – SOUTH COLUMBUS 49 IN OVERTIME
STEFAN MCDONALD LED THE KNIGHTS WITH 15 POINTS
LEROY MILLER HAD 29 POINTS FOR THE STALLIONS
WEST COLUMBUS 67 – GREEN SEA FLOYDS 50
TRASK 70 – WILMINGTON CHRISTIAN 62
RASHEED BROWN LED THE TITANS WITH 24 POINTS
THE PATRIOTS LED THE MAJORITY OF THE GAME AGAINST TRASK

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — WWAY is proud to announce former Wolfpack stand-out and WNBA All-Star Chasity Melvin will sit along side John Rendleman for Friday’s premier of the ‘Full Court Press’ tonight on WWAY NewsChannel 3 at 11:00 p.m.

Melvin is a graduate of Lakewood High School in Sampson County, where she won a state championship in 1994.

She went onto have a stellar collegiate and pro career that spanned several seasons, including a Final Four appearance in 1998 with the NC State Wolfpack and Coach Kay Yow.

She made history scoring 37 points in the semifinal game, a record that was just recently broken. Chasity ranks 4th in school history for career points (2042) and 3rd in rebounds (1020). She is the only player in NC State history to lead in field goal percentage all 4 years.

As she proclaimed to her mother when she was only in the 4th grade, Chasity did become a professional basketball player. She was the No 2 pick in the ABL Draft and was selected by the Philadelphia Rage in 1998. After the ABL folded, Chasity became the 11th pick in the 1999 WNBA Draft and was selected by the Cleveland Rockers. In 2002, Chasity was selected as an All Star.

In 2004, Chasity was the 2nd pick in the Dispersal Draft and was selected by the Washington Mystics. Traded to the Chicago Sky in 2008, Chasity returned to the Mystics in 2010 and 2011.

Chasity finished her last season in the WNBA in 2012 ranked #2 in offensive rebounds, 4th in total rebounds, 4th in WNBA in offensive rebounds per 40 Minutes and 9th in WNBA in rebounds per 40 Minutes.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL (RELEASE) — The Coastal Cowboys from Wilmington, NC advanced through regional championships to qualify for Pop Warner Super Bowl at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex™ in Lake Buena Vista, FL

WHO: The Coastal Cowboys Pee Wee team has advanced through regional competition to qualify for the 57th annual Pop Warner Super Bowl at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex™ in Lake Buena Vista, FL, Saturday, Dec. 7 through Saturday, Dec. 14.

They will play on Saturday, December 7 at 1:00 pm during the first round of the national championships. If they win, they will continue on to the second round of competition on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 10:30 am.

Saturday- Division II Pee Wee (9-11 yr olds) Games at 1:00 pm:
Game 1: Coastal Cowboys (NC) vs. Hawaiian Gardens Warriors (CA)
Game 2: SE Dallas Wolverines (TX) vs. West Haven Seahawks (CT)
Game 3: Michigan City Wolves (IN) vs. Creeks Outlaws (FL)
Game 4: Ward 5 Warriors (DC) vs. Brentwood-Oakley Falcons (CA)

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Click the play video icon to see game footage from Conway involving former Laney Buccaneer Elijah Wilson.

CONWAY, SC (CCU) — The Coastal Carolina men’s basketball team made a season-high 13 3-pointers and pulled away in the second half to an 89-54 victory over North Carolina Wesleyan Thursday night at the HTC Center.

Josh Cameron made six of the 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 21 points, setting a new season-high for the second time in as many nights, as the Chanticleers improved to 4-5.

Cameron was 6 for 10 from the field, all of the attempts from 3-point range, and Coastal shot 13 for 29 (44 percent) from behind the arc as a team, to set a season-high for treys, surpassing the nine it made in the loss at Minnesota.

On the inside, El Hadji Ndieguene had a big double-double with 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. The Chants put six players in double figures as Warren Gillis added 13 points and a team-high five assists, Elijah Wilson and Colton Ray-St Cyr each chipped in 11 points and Uros Ljeskovic chipped in 10.

Coastal made three 3-pointers in the game’s first six minutes, but still trailed 14-12 before going on an 11-0 run over the midway point of the opening half. Cameron, who had started off the contest with back-to-back 3-pointers, hit another before Wilson converted a layup, Ljeskovic scored three points and Ray-St Cyr capped the spurt with another trey to make it 23-14 with 9:54 left in the half.

It was still only 27-22 before Gillis hit the team’s seventh field goal from behind the arc, Ljeskovic put back his own miss and Gillis put down a one-handed dunk after stealing the ball near midcourt to stretch the advantage to 34-22.

Leading by nine at halftime, Coastal outscored NC Wesleyan 13-6 in the first four and half minutes of the second half to make it 48-32. Cameron drained two more 3-pointers and the Chants started to capitalize on their size advantage as Ndieguene got three baskets in the paint.

Continuing to pull away, CCU later got a three-point play by Ljeskovic, a driving layup by Wilson and a fast-break layup by Ray-St Cyr in an 8-0 run that made it 62-38 just past the midway mark of the half and the Chants cruised the rest of the way.

After being below 40 percent shooting overall from the field for more than half the game, Coastal finished strong to hit on 30 of 60 attempts, while NC Wesleyan was just 23 of 66 (34 percent). The Chanticleers also dominated the paint, especially in the second half, holding a commanding 47-33 advantage on the glass and outscoring the Battling Bishops 39-18 in the paint. After 10 first-half turnovers, CCU committed just three in the second 20 minutes.

After a nine-day break, the Chants return to action Saturday, Dec. 14 when they host Reinhardt University at 7:30 p.m.

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TAMPA, FL (USL PRO) -– USL PRO announced today that an expansion franchise in Colorado Springs, Colorado will join the league for the 2015 season. Owned and operated by Martin Ragain and Ragain Sports, LLC, the franchise was officially unveiled at a news conference in Colorado Springs this afternoon.

USLPRO-ColoradoSprings1205.jpg“The momentum continues to build for USL PRO with the addition of a franchise in Colorado Springs for 2015,” USL President Tim Holt said. “With Sacramento Republic FC and OKC Energy FC kicking off in 2014, this announcement continues to build the league’s western presence, with additional announcements expected soon.”

In addition to Ragain Sports, Ragain is also an owner and founder of ME Engineers, a global mechanical and electrical engineering design firm, founded in 1981, whose portfolio includes some of the most recognized buildings in the world. Ragain is also the broadcast lighting consultant for the Olympic Broadcast Systems, currently preparing for the upcoming Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Ragain is also an author in the FIFA Stadium Guidelines regarding stadium lighting.

“It has been a life-long dream to own a professional sports franchise,” Ragain said. “We look forward to building a franchise that soccer fans throughout the Colorado Springs region can be proud to support.”

Ragain Sports anticipates that the team will play its home games at Sand Creek Stadium adjacent to the Colorado Springs Sky Sox baseball facility. The team expects to announce a “Name the Team” contest in the coming weeks.

USL PRO is the strongest, best operated and most experienced North American men’s professional soccer league below and in support of MLS, both on and off the field. Focused on franchise stability and longevity, USL PRO featured 13 teams in 2013 with more than half boasting a decade or more of operational experience, and the distinction of being the longest standing pro league affiliate member of the US Soccer Federation with more than two decades of successful operations.

The addition of Colorado Springs continues USL PRO’s western expansion initiative, with expansion sides Sacramento Republic FC and OKC Energy FC slated to join for 2014. In addition to league play, USL PRO teams will continue to compete in the national Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and various domestic and international exhibitions.

In 2013 USL PRO began a groundbreaking, multi-year partnership with MLS that has further elevated the quality and stature of USL PRO, strengthened the competition in both leagues, and established a solid foundation for future collaboration. MLS teams will choose to either field a reserve team in USL PRO or affiliate with an existing USL PRO franchise by 2015.

Colorado Springs has a rich soccer history that has produced powerful youth clubs, numerous high school state soccer champions, strong college programs, a number of professional players, and was home to the U.S. Soccer Federation for many years.

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A minority owner of the New York Yankees has purchased the Wilmington Sharks.

Peter Freund is also a partner in the Class-A Charleston (WV) RiverDogs.

“I am thrilled to begin a new era of Sharks baseball in the beautiful Port City of Wilmington,” Freund said in a news release. “Our goal is a simple one: to listen to our fans and continue to offer families a fun and affordable evening of baseball in a minor league setting. We have many upcoming surprises for 2014 and will be working hard between now and opening night on May 28th to ensure a memorable season for all inside the Shark Tank.”

The Sharks also announced they have brought back former General Manager Amanda Blackwell to run the team. Blackwell was the first female GM in Coastal Plain League history before more recently serving as the Director of Sales for the Wilmington Hammerheads soccer team.

“I am thrilled to be back with the Sharks,” Blackwell said in a statement. “Peter and I share the same vision for this club, and I am committed and excited to see it through.”

Blackwell takes over as GM for Pat Hutchins, who will remain with the Sharks as a sales executive and host family coordinator.

On the field, the Sharks have hired Parker Bangs as the new head coach. Bangs was an assistant coach last season with the Columbia Blowfish of the CPL, which made it to the Petitt Cup Championship Series after winning the league’s West Division Championship. He also played for the CPL’s Fayetteville SwampDogs in 2007 and 2008, while at the University of South Carolina. Bangs was a member of the 2010 Gamecocks National Championship baseball team.