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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - The Lady Ironmen saw their seven-game losing streak come to an end this week in a non-conference matchup. It was a week of highs and lows for the Ironmen and Lady Ironmen basketball teams. Each played two games this week, one non-conference and one conference game. The teams will return to action on January 6th, 2026, after the holiday break.
Chase at Cherryville December 18th, 2025
Lady Ironmen: The ladies opened the action with a thriller that took overtime to decide. Emily Allen scored the first bucket of the game and went on to score the first five points of the game as the Lady Ironmen took an early lead. Chase was able to stay close thanks to the hot hand of Kalyn Allen, who scored all the first-quarter points for the Lady Trojans. Cherryville took a 17-13 lead into the locker room at the halftime break. They kept the lead until the beginning of the fourth-quarter, when Kalyn Allen tied the game and would soon take the lead.
#22 Emily Allen shooting surrounded by Lady Trojans - Cherryville Ironmen Varsity Girls Basketball - Nixon Gym - December 18th, 2025
Mason Beam (WNN)
Emily Allen would tie the game with six minutes remaining and put CHS back in the lead on the next trip down the court. Paytin Hutchins evened the score with just 3.7 seconds remaining in regulation. As overtime began, Khloe Belcher gave the lead back to Lady Ironmen. Kalyn Allen would erase that lead on a jumper with 2:03 remaining. Emily Allen answered with a right-hand hook that once again put Cherryville ahead. Jenny Brown would score to extend the lead to 44-40. The clock showed 13.3 seconds when Malayna Padgett of Chase made her only shot of the night, a three-pointer, that brought the Lady Trojans to within one point.
Jenny Brown hit a shot to seal the victory with 6 seconds left in overtime. Cherryville pulled out a 46-43 victory to snap a 7-game losing streak. They improved their record to 2-7, and Chase dropped to 0-9 and continued a 26-game losing streak. Emily Allen was the leading scorer for Cherryville with 21 points, and Jenny Brown added 12 points. The Lady Trojans were led by Kalyn Allen, scoring 24 points.
Ironmen: The game began well for the guys as Isaiah Champion scored the first points of the game. In the early part of the quarter, it appeared fans would be in for another close game; unfortunately, the Trojans had other plans. They used a quick smothering defense to shut down the Cherryville shooters and jumped out to a 38-23 halftime lead.
The Ironmen kept fighting back and continued to chip away at the Chase lead. They were able to pull within 9 points in the third quarter, but that was as close as they would get. The Trojans would go on to win the game 75-63. Cherryville fought hard, but the early scoring onslaught was just too much to overcome. Some positives to build on for Cherryville are that they never gave up, even with their backs to the wall, and offensively, they spread the scoring around among 10 players. Paxton Pruett led the Ironmen scorers with 21, and Talon Dalton added 19 points. Cherryville dropped to 3-6. Chase had three players in double digits. Trajan Littlejohn led all scorers with 22, Uriah Lipscomb added 14, and Dhani Allen had 12 points. The Trojans improved their record to 3-6.
Talon Dalton plotting his shot, surrounded by Trojans - Cherryville Ironmen Varsity Boys Basketball - Nixon Gym - December 18th, 2025
Mason Beam (WNN)
Cherryville at Shelby December 19th, 2025
Lady Ironmen: One night after snapping their losing streak, the Lady Ironmen traveled to Shelby for a conference matchup against the Lady Golden Lions. It was a night of growing pains for the very young Cherryville team, as the much more experienced Shelby team won in a one-sided affair. It afforded some extended playing time for players who usually come in off the bench, providing valuable experience that could be beneficial later in the season. Shelby improved to 1-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Cherryville fell to 2-8 for the season with a conference record of 0-5.
The Lady Ironmen discussing strategy with their coach - Cherryville Ironmen Varsity Girls Basketball - Nixon Gym - December 18th, 2025
Mason Beam (WNN)
Ironmen: Frustrating would best sum up how the Ironmen must have felt watching so many shots either rattle out of the basket or roll off the rim. They were getting some good looks at the basketball, but it seemed there was a figurative lid over the goal. The opposite seemed true for Shelby in the first half; it appeared everything they shot was finding a home. That’s just the way it goes some nights.
The ball sitting on the rim - Cherryville Ironmen Varsity Basketball - Nixon Gym - December 18th, 2025
Mason Beam (WNN)
This was a game that was much better played than the score would indicate; it’s just the minor nuisances that make the difference. The Golden Lions used a hard man-to-man defense to overpower Cherryville, building a substantial early lead. The boys in blue matched their intensity on defense and pushed an up-tempo game, yet it seemed shots that should have fallen just kept barely missing the mark. The Golden Lions had a commanding 49-11 halftime lead, but the Ironmen, true to their name, kept playing aggressively. This team never backed down. This was a physical game, and the officials rightfully allowed them to play at an aggressive up-tempo pace. Shelby’s biggest advantage was how they controlled the boards, allowing for many second-chance points. Lorenzo Roseboro entertained the home crowd with four first-half dunks; he attempted two others that missed. Cherryville’s defense put a stop to that, yet the damage was already done. The Ironmen used a 2-3 zone in the second half as the Golden Lions maintained a man-to-man defense. The 72-24 loss dropped Cherryville to 3-7 overall and 0-5 in the conference. Shelby improved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Shelby got a late start to their season due to over half of the team being involved in the NCHSAA football playoffs. They will be making up rescheduled games at a hectic pace.
#20 Darius Pullen keeping his hands on the ball - Cherryville Ironmen Varsity Boys Basketball - Nixon Gym - December 18th, 2025
Mason Beam (WNN)
Shelby’s leading scorer was Lorenzo Roseboro with 14 points, and Darius Young added 11 points. In all, the Golden Lions had 11 players contributing to the scoring. Cherryville was led by Korey Makupson’s 7 points, followed by Paxton Pruett with 5. The Ironmen have been consistently balanced in scoring this season. Coming into this game, Cole Kelly led the way with an average of 11.4 points per game, followed by Paxton Pruett with 9.7, Talon Dalton with 9.6, Isaiah Champion at 8.6, and Darius Pullen rounding out the top five with 7.4 points per game.
It will be a busy week when the schedule resumes early January, as both teams will continue to look for their first conference wins of the season. Tuesday, January 6th, the teams will travel to Stuart Cramer, followed by a home game against Burns on Wednesday, January 7th. During the men’s game, Dr. Bud Black will be honored for his over four decades of service to Cherryville Ironmen basketball. On Friday, January 9th, the teams will be in action at Piedmont Charter. There is plenty of exciting basketball left to be played. Make plans to support the Lady Ironmen and Ironmen teams.
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