Friday, October 2, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - The Ironmen traveled to Shelby on February 17th to take on the Golden Lions in the opening round of the Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A Conference tournament. The eventual 2026 Conference Tournament Champion, Shelby, came out fast and took a commanding lead early and never looked back. When the final buzzer sounded, Shelby won 94-52. Lorenzo Roseboro led the Golden Lions with 20 points. Although Cherryville had a balanced attack, it was just not enough on this night. Isaiah Champion led Cherryville with 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. Colten Robinson continued to make strong contributions with 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. Cole Kelly added 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal. Darius Pullen scored 5 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and had 3 steals. Paxton Pruett scored 5 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and came away with 2 steals. Trevor Dalton performed well off the bench with 5 points. His older brother, Talon Dalton, scored 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. Camden Williams scored 4 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 steal, Aaron Heavner scored 4 points, 4 rebounds, and a steal, and Narian Hopper rounded out the scoring with 4 points, 2 rebounds, and a steal.
Talon Dalton sending the ball down the court | Ironmen Basketball | Nixon Gym
Ashley Reep (WNN)
The Ironmen will now set their sights on the West Regional Playoffs. Cherryville will face the Avery County Vikings in Newland, NC, on Tuesday, February 24th at 7 pm. The second and third rounds will be played on the 26th and 28th at the higher seed’s home, the West Regional semifinals will be on March 2nd, followed by the regional finals on March 4th-7th. These games will take place at Lenoir Rhyne’s Shuford Memorial Arena. The State Finals will then be played March 11th-14th in Winston-Salem, NC, at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Coliseum.
Isiah Champion and Aaron Heavner playing defense | Ironmen Basketball | Nixon Gym
Ashley Reep (WNN)
Avery County of the Western Highlands 2A/3A Conference enters the playoffs with an overall record of 11-11 and a conference record of 5-8. Cherryville comes in 6-18 overall and has a conference record of 3-13. Statistically, the teams are evenly matched, which should translate into a competitive opening-round game. The Vikings are averaging 59.4 points per game, while the Ironmen average 59. Cherryville holds an advantage in rebounds (43.1 to 32.3), steals (14.1 to 7), and assists (12.8 to 12.4). Avery County leads in blocks (5.6 to 3.3) and turnovers (14.9 to 20.7).
The ref waiting to hand the ball off to the correct team | Ironmen Basketball | Nixon Gym
Ashley Reep (WNN)
Players to watch for the Avery County Vikings are Hank Johnson, averaging 20.3 points per game and 5.8 rebounds, Oak Markland, averaging 11.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, Landon Liner, scoring 9.8 along with 8.4 rebounds, and Blaine Kirkpatrick, averaging 7.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game. Players to watch for the Cherryville Ironmen include, Paxton Pruett averaging 12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game, Talon Dalton averages 10 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists each game, Cole Kelly is dangerous from long range and averages 8.9 points, Darius Pullen is a defensive force and averages 7.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, along with 2.6 steals per game, Isaiah Champions is another player strong on both sides of the ball as he averages 6.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. The teams seem evenly matched, so coaching will likely be a major factor in this contest, with each coaching staff needing to game-plan accordingly. As of the publishing of this article, WCSL and KTCbroadcasting.com are scheduled to air the game with a pregame show beginning around 6:30 pm (tip-off is scheduled for 6 pm). There is currently no listing for livestream on NFHS Network.
