In its best season under third-year head coach Mike Jones, the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team built another point of pride in Graham.
Jack Kelsey earned his first career double-double with 16 points and eleven rebounds as the Red Wolves defeated Southern Alamance 52-43 in Graham on Tuesday night. It ended a ten-game Central Conference road losing streak for the Red Wolves, who improved to 6-13 overall, 1-6 in league play after the win.
It’s the most wins for Cedar Ridge since the 2022-2023 season, when they finished 6-16. Previous to Tuesday, Cedar Ridge’s last road win in the Central Conference was on February 3, 2023 in a 42-33 victory over Western Alamance in Elon.
A thin Red Wolf team that played just six players was enough to defeat a depleted Southern Alamance squad, which has lost starting guards Kaleb Kronbergs and Bo Day due to injuries. Cedar Ridge sophomore Jordan Jacobson added 16 points for the Red Wolves.
Micah Stone paced Southern Alamance (4-14, 1-6) with 16 points. Southern Alamance’s Riley Warren, who finished with eleven points and eight rebounds, gave the Patriots a 17-15 lead after he cashed in a lob from Stone. After Southern’s Brandyn Gonzalez nailed a 3-pointer off a pass from Eli Gilley, Cedar Ridge went on a 12-0 run. They held the Patriots scoreless in the final 4:47 of the first half.
Jacobson started the run with a 3-pointer off a skip pass from Wilborun. Wise got an offensive rebound off a miss and stuck it back in, which put the Red Wolves ahead for the rest of the night. Kelsey scored consecutive field goals, again off offensive rebounds. Jacobson ended the half in style with a 3-pointer to give Cedar Ridge a 31-23 lead at halftime.
The Red Wolves built a 12-point lead in the third quarter after Wilbourn found Kelsey for a lay-in, vaulting the Red Wolves ahead 37-25 with 5:03 remaining in the third quarter. Cedar Ridge outrebounded the Patriots 46-29, including 15 offensive rebounds. Kelsey, who is in his first year at the varsity level, finished with his most impressive line of the year. He came away with 16 points, eleven rebounds, four blocks and three steals.
The Patriots shot just 4-of-22 from the 3-point line and only 29% from the field overall.
Southern Alamance climbed with six early in the fourth quarter after guard Drayden Brewer scored on a lay-in. Cedar Ridge’s Kevin Etim scored off his own miss, which was followed by a crucial 3-pointer from Red Wolf sophomore Tripp Beasley. To end the game, Beasley sank two free throws.
Women’s basketball: Cedar Ridge 34, Southern Alamance 12: The Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team earned its first conference road win of the season with a dominant victory over the Patriots on Tuesday night in Graham. Cedar Ridge allowed only 12 points, the lowest total by an opponent this season.
Freshman Kassidy Tolliver led the Red Wolves with nine points and eight rebounds as Cedar Ridge improved to 6-9, 2-5 in the Central Conference. Both of Cedar Ridge’s conference wins have come against Southern Alamance.
Sarah Kathryn Manness led Southern Alamance with eight points. Manness scored all three of the Patriots field goals.
Manness gave Southern Alamance its only lead of the game when she scored in the opening minute off an offensive rebound. The Red Wolves went on an 11-0 run, which started when sophomore Kate Finnegan split two free throws. Guard Ava Smith drained a jumper off a pass from freshman Kennedi Fearrington. Tolliver scored off a turnover to finish the first half.
Smith finished with a career-high eight points for Cedar Ridge. Finnegan finished with five points and four rebounds. Fearrington had four points as the Red Wolves started a string of three road games over the span of four days with a victory. Cedar Ridge built its lead to as large as 23 points in the second half.
