HHS gains top awards in Northwestern 3A-4A soccer

Hickory High won three of the top four awards in Northwestern 3A-4A boys’ soccer this season.

In a vote of league coaches, the Red Tornadoes had the conference player of the year in Chris Dixon, the league’s top offensive player in Carlos Sevilla and the coach of the year, Brian Jillings.

Hibriten’s Douglas Terry was named the league’s top defender.

Hickory won the regular-season title, going unbeaten in league play, and the Red Tornadoes advanced to the fourth round of the state playoffs before falling 2-1 to Asheville.

Hibriten went 8-3-1 in the conference and finished second.

The Red Tornadoes led all-conference voting with seven players, Watauga had five players selected and third-place Fred T. Foard had four.

SOFTBALL

Western Carolina signs star pitcher from Bandys

Taylor Sigmon of Bandys High, the Catawba Valley Athletic 2A player of the year in softball each of the past two seasons, signed Monday to play the sport in college for Western Carolina.

A right-handed hitter and pitcher, Sigmon has won 39 games with an ERA of 1.48 in 322 innings in a three-year career with the Trojans.

Sigmon, who has a 4.58 GPA, is also a starter in basketball at Bandys. She been all-conference, all-region and all-state in each year of her softball career and was selected 2A pitcher of the year in Region 7 three years in a row

She also played first base and third base and has played second base and catcher when needed.

Bandys finished 14-4 in the Catawba Valley Athletic 2A-3A in Sigmon’s freshman year, finishing fourth in the conference. The Trojans were 13-1 and CVAC 2A champions in each of the last two seasons.

GOLF

Bunker Hillgolfer will play for the Catamounts

Bunker Hill High’s Tyler Lail has signed a national letter of intent to play golf for Western Carolina.

Lail was the Catawba Valley Athletic 2A’s player of the year in golf as a junior, when he finished fourth in the state 2A tournament, was an all-conference pick and a team captain for the Bears.

Also the team MVP as a sophomore, Lail was third individually and finished fourth among individuals at the regionals.

Lail also played varsity as a freshman, finishing 20^th and earning all-league and was named team most improved.

FOOTBALL

Maiden has tickets on sale for Friday’s game

Maiden High is selling advance tickets for Friday’s 2A third-round state football playoff game at Lincolnton.

The Blue Devils (9-4) meet the Wolves (12-1) for the second time this season in a 7:30 p.m. game at Memorial Stadium.

Advance tickets are $8 and they will be sold during normal school hours until 1 p.m. on Friday, school officials said.

Tickets at the gate are $9.

BASKETBALL

LRU guard Culler is named player of week

Lenoir-Rhyne University guard Whitley Culler was named Monday as the South Atlantic Conference’s player of the week in women’s basketball.

Culler, a junior from Mount Airy, averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Bears (2-0) to victories over Pfeiffer and Limestone.

In an 84-82 overtime victory over Pfeiffer, she had 15 points and 13 rebounds. She added a career-high 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting and had 11 rebounds in a 77-73 victory over Limestone.

Culler shot 60 percent in the two games. She averaged 8.8 points per game and 5.7 rebounds as a sophomore, starting 26 of the Bears’ 27 games.

LRU next plays on Friday at 8 p.m. against Francis Marion in the Biltmore Farms/Mars Hill Classic at Mars Hill.

VOLLEYBALL

Carolina Select schedules tryout for volleyball team

The Carolina Select Volleyball Club has scheduled a tryouts for its 16s team on Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Sandy Ridge Baptist Church in Hickory.

The church is located at 3702 16th Street NE in Hickory.

Cost for the tryout is $25.

For additional information, visit www.carolinaselectvb.org or contact Leesa Godfrey at lgod@charter.net.