Davidson hit a season-high 17 three-point shots and held Chattanooga’s top two scorers to a combined 16 points to pick up its 11th Southern Conference basketball victory of the season Saturday at Belk Arena. Full story in SPORTS»

Ground Hog Day!  Did Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? Late breaking news tells us he did, so we can expect six more weeks of winter.  And by the way, where IS winter?  Old timers tell us to beware the blasts of March.  We will see – but in the meantime we can all handle the reduced number of kilowatt hours on our meters!

Today we have news of Formula One racing in New Jersey, half marathon success in Hawaii and music notes for your calendar. Read the full story

Community members are invited to register for the first annual Swing Fore A Child’s Place golf tournament Tuesday, April 24, at River Run Country Club in Davidson. Players will enjoy a day of golf, food and prizes while helping impact the lives of homeless children in Mecklenburg County.

A Child’s Place provides homeless children with educational, emotional and health support, helping to keep them healthy and in the classroom. Read the full story

Jake Cohen reached the 20-point mark for the fifth consecutive game, and the Davidson defense held The Citadel to 17 percent shooting in the first half as the Wildcats topped the Bulldogs 80-51 Saturday night in John M. Belk Arena. See the story in SPORTS»

Meanwhile, the Davidson women fell to Samford, 73-65, as Taylor Reece led four Samford players in double figures with 21 points and added seven rebounds. Story in SPORTS»

Jake Cohen matched his career high with 29 points and added a career-high 14 rebounds to lead Davidson to an 87-69 Southern Conference men’s basketball victory over College of Charleston Thursday night in Belk Arena. Story in SPORTS»

Thanks to the dedication of a group Pine Lake Preparatory parents, the charter school will have its own football team next school year and brings on former Davidson College coach Jay Poag to train the future middle school, junior varsity and varsity teams.

“Football completes a school, really,” said Pine Lake Prep parent Calvin Carter. “It’s been the missing link.” Full story in SPORTS >>

Cyclists started at Ingersoll Rand on Beaty Street in Davidson and turned here onto North Main Street. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Updated Sunday, 8 p.m.
About 425 cyclists – young and old, men and women, on road bikes and recumbent bikes – braved freezing temperatures Saturday morning at the 2012 Polar Bear Ride. The annual event is organized by the Rocky River Road Club and includes 100-kilometer and 50-kilometer rides through the countryside of Mecklenburg, Iredell, Rowan and Cabarrus counties.

The ride raised about $5,500 for the Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson, a regional community services center with free health and dental clinics, a food pantry, an after-school program and other social services.

Both rides started and finished at Ingersoll-Rand, off Beaty Street in Davidson.

“It was perfect weather for it, at this time of year,” said organizer Jim Mead, of the Rocky River Road Club. He said 58 members of the club volunteered for the day, providing support along the route and helping out at the start/finish.

Riders came from as far away as Illinois, West Virginia, Virginia and Texas. They included elite riders tuning up before the start of the racing season in a few weeks, Mr. Mead said.

While most riders enjoyed a nice ride in the countryside Saturday, those elite riders were riding hard. They average 23 mph over the 60 miles, he said.

More information about the ride or the club is at www.RockyRiverRoadClub.org.
GALLERY

See a gallery of photos from the ride by Ron Donson, http://www.donsonphoto.com/

This wasn't the only recumbent bike in the ride. Is that Davidson's Bill Giduz? (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Hot chocolate before the ride. Click image to see a slideshow of Ron's photos. (Ron Donson photo)

Sophomore forward De’Mon Brooks scored the last seven points in a decisive 10-0 run late in the game as Davidson topped Appalachian State 83-79 in a Southern Conference men’s basketball contest Saturday afternoon in the Holmes Center. The Cats remain undefeated in the conference. Meanwhile, JP Kuhlman passed the 1,000 point mark for his career. In SPORTS»

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Sophia Aleksandravicius helped lead the Wildcat women to a 55-52 victory over Appalachian State. She had 17 points and 7 blocks, including a late rejection that sealed the win. Full story in SPORTS»