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The NC Gaters 8-under boys basketball team plays today in the first round of the championship bracket at the AAU Nationals in Memphis, Tenn., against the Full Court Athletes.

The Gaters won two games earlier this week to win their pool. Led by Keyshaun Langley's 14 points and four steals, the Gaters beat the All Ohio Red team 34-28 on Tuesday. The Gaters then beat The Future Players from Maryland 33-13 on Wednesday. Kobe Langley led the way in that win with 10 points, eight rebounds and seven steals.

golf

FLORES UPSET: A third round upset at the North & South Men's Amateur Championship in Pinehurst left No. 3 seed Erik Flores in the clubhouse for the afternoon on Thursday. Lake City, Fla., native Blayne Barber's birdie on the 14th to Flores' bogey set the match at 3-up. Equal bogeys on 15 and pars on 16 sealed the match at 3-and-2.

baseball

GREENSBORO COLLEGE: Lawson Thomas and Zach Pickard of Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines have committed to attend G.C.

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Thomas was an all-conference performer at first. He batted .333 with four home runs and 17 RBI as a senior.

Pickard plays second base and batted .304 with three homers and seven stolen bases this past year. He was also named all-conference.

"Lawson will compete right away for the first base job and could provide some pop in the middle of the lineup," Pride coach Ken Carlyle said. "Pickard will add some speed and depth to the infield position at second base."

WAKE FOREST: Junior right-hander Phil Negus has agreed to terms with the Chicago White Sox, foregoing his final season of eligibility. Also, recruit Jacob Johnson has signed with the Cincinnati Reds and will not attend Wake Forest. Negus was drafted by the White Sox in the 18th round and is currently playing with the Bristol White Sox, the rookie level team for Chicago.

HITOMS 12, GRIZZLIES 6: The HiToms (16-14, 2-1) scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth as 11 batters went o the plate, breaking a 6-6 tie. Reliever Josh Thrailkill, a Clemson product, got the win for pitching 11/3 innings and allowing two runs on one hit. He also struck out two.

The HiToms will face the Forest City Owls on Saturday at 7 p.m at Finch Field. The game will be followed by the Comfort Tech Heating and Air fireworks show. Log on to HiToms.com to purchase tickets in advance.

men's soccer

ACC RANKINGS: Wake Forest is ranked third in a preseason poll released by College Soccer News. Four ACC teams are ranked in the poll. North Carolina is projected fourth, while defending national champion Maryland is ranked fifth. Virginia is at No. 22.

HEAPS MAKES U.S. TEAM: Former Duke standout Jay Heaps was selected to the 23-man U.S. men's national team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The United States kicks off Gold Cup action Saturday against Grenada in Seattle. Heaps currently anchors the defense for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. He led Duke in scoring for three seasons, finishing with 45 goals and 37 assists for 127 points.