Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) Cherryville women's and men's basketball teams scored conference wins against East Gaston to close the week after enduring tough losses to Lincolnton a few days prior. After playing shorthanded for several games, the Lady Ironmen are getting healthy again; unfortunately, the injury bug is now biting the men's team. Depending on weather conditions, the teams are scheduled to return home on January 27, when they host the Highland Tech Rams.
Lady Ironmen: It was a tough night for the Lady Ironmen in the Lady Wolves' den. Powerhouse Lincolnton proved to be too much for the young Cherryville team. Having won seven games by 30 points or more, the Lady Wolves defeated Cherryville 78-13. The Lady Ironmen dropped to 2-14 overall and 0-10 in the conference. Lincolnton improved to 11-6 overall and 7-2 in the conference. The Lady Wolves were led by Jazlyn Elmore, who shot 60% from the field and scored 16 points. Curmiya Tillman had a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists. Nyjaiviah Blake scored 13 points, while Betzy Piedra Yanez added 10 points and 5 rebounds.
Ironmen Basketball | Nixon Gym
Ashley Reep (WNN)
Ironmen: Cherryville played tough against a strong Lincolnton team but came up a little short by a score of 87-72. Paxton Pruett had a season-high scoring night, racking up 28 points. He led all scorers, but it was not enough as the Ironmen fell to 4-12 overall and 1-9 in conference play. The Wolves had 5 players scoring in double figures as they improved their record to 11-6 and 7-2. Josiah Guyton had 21 points and 7 rebounds, Cam Smith had 15 points and added 6 rebounds, Dailen Adams had 10 points, Charlie Foster had 11 points, and Tucker Robinette scored 15 points. Statistical leaders on the season for the Ironmen are Paxton Pruett, averaging 10.9 points per game, shooting 40 % from the field, and 55% from the free-throw line. Talon Dalton is averaging 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Cole Kelly is averaging 8.9 points per game and shooting 68% from the charity stripe. Darius Pullen is shooting 41% and has 31 steals and 17 blocks. Camden Williams has 83 rebounds and 14 blocks. Isaiah Champion is shooting 71% from the free-throw line.
Lady Ironmen: Cherryville came away with a much-needed 47-29 conference victory over East Gaston. The first half saw some excellent defense, especially from Kate Bookout. Emily Allen returned to the lineup after missing several games due to injury and shared the bulk of the scoring with "Downtown" Jenny Brown who had a Steph Curry-like night scoring 21 of her points from the three-point line. The Lady Ironmen led the Lady Warriors 21-11 at halftime. East Gaston's leading scorer, Kayla Maiers, was held scoreless in the first half and only managed 4 points for the game. Blair Culberson had 10 points in the Lady Warriors' loss as they dropped to 2-17 overall and 1-10 in the conference. Jenny Brown led all scorers with 26 points, followed by Emily Allen with 12 points, Kate Bookout with 6 points, and Jenna Anthony with 3 points. The Lady Ironmen improved to 3-14 overall and 1-10 in the conference. Cherryville set a season high scoring mark with 47 points.
Ironmen: The Ironmen came into the game missing Cole Kelly due to injury; as a result, the revamped starting lineup was a big lineup to better match the size of the Warriors' lineup. Talon Dalton, Isaiah Champion, Darius Pullen, Paxton Pruett, and Camden Williams began the game for Cherryville. Paxton Pruett opened the game, hitting nothing but net on a long jumper for three points. They went into a 3-2 zone playing very aggressively on defense. Darius Pullen stole the ball, scoring on a layup for a quick 5-0 lead. Darius then electrified the crowd and his team with a steal and a dunk. He would take a hard fall after considerable contact and leave the court holding his back with three and a half minutes left in the first quarter. He would return for a few plays in the second quarter but leave the game for good as he limped off the court. East Gaston couldn't find an answer for Cherryville's zone, and several Warriors were in early foul trouble. The Ironmen went on a run midway through the second quarter, going up by as many as 18 points. They led 33-16 at halftime. East Gaston made the correct adjustments at the half and went on a 19-5 run to begin the second half. Suddenly, they were creating turnovers and drawing fouls. The Warriors took their first lead with 2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Cherryville retook the lead on a layup by Elijah Proctor. They would suffer yet another player lost to injury as Chandler Wooten went down near midcourt with an ankle injury. He was unable to put any weight on the ankle and had to be carried off the court by coaches and trainers. He did not return to the game; no updates on his status. The brutal 3rd quarter saw East Gaston outscore Cherryville by 20 points.
The 4th quarter began with Karter Willis knocking down two free throws to put CHS back in front. The back-and-forth scoring resumed. The Ironmen regained control and went up by 7 points. Foul trouble limited some Cherryville players, and East Gaston took advantage, once again closing the gap. The Ironmen had a one-point lead with less than 10 seconds remaining when the Warriors were called for traveling. Leading 62-61 with 6.1 seconds left in the game, Talon Dalton was left alone on the far end of the court. After the ball was inbounded, a full-court pass found him, and he was able to dribble out the clock as he avoided being fouled. The 62-61 victory was Cherryville's second out of the last three games. The Ironmen are now 5-12 overall and 2-9 in conference play. Paxton Pruett led Cherryville scorers with 20 points. Talon Dalton scored 12 points, and Elijah Procotr contributed 9 points and 5 rebounds. East Gaston dropped to 5-14 and 3-8. Ramon De La Oz III scored 24 points in the losing effort. Most of his points came in the huge 3rd quarter. DaeMeire Newton added 10 points, and K.J. Smith scored 9 points for the Warriors.
