Cedar Ridge Men’s Basketball

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior basketball guard Braeden Wilbourn. Last month, Wikbourn led the Red Wolves with 16 points as the Red Wolves defeated Seaforth in Pittsboro. It ended the Red Wolves 16-game road losing streak. The following week, Wilbourn scored 18 points to lead the Red Wolves past Durham School of the Arts 80-66 at Sykes Gymnasium. Wilbourn has been a constant presence in the starting lineup for Cedar Ridge head coach Mike Jones over the past three years. Already this season, the Red Wolves have surpassed its win total from last year. Wilbourn is a constant presence in Cedar Ridge sporting events and not just because he is a Red Wolf fan. He is also a documentary film maker. Throughout last season, Wilbourn followed the Cedar Ridge baseball team around the area to document its season. Wilbourn created a documentary about coach Bryson Massey’s team, which was released online earlier this year. Wilbourn has worked with the documentary film studies at Duke University and has had his photography featured prominently online. Wilbourn will continue his film career as he continues his education, but his focus isn’t limited solely to sports. He wants to create films based on a varsity of subjects. He has also received an offer to continue his basketball career at Warren Wilson College.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Braeden Wilbourn

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior basketball guard Braeden Wilbourn. Last month, Wikbourn led the Red Wolves with 16 points as the Red Wolves defeated Seaforth in Pittsboro. It ended the Red Wolves 16-game road losing streak.

For the second time in four nights, Cedar Ridge and Northern Durham went down to the wire on Friday.

This time, Cedar Ridge had the answer in the clutch and his name was Jordan Jacobson.

With 2:00 remaining in the game, Jacobson took an inbounds pass from Braedon Wilbourn, drove past Northern’s Nasir Hasksins, scored on a lay-in while getting fouled to put the Red Wolves ahead 55-52. Jacobson drained four free throws in the final 30 seconds as Cedar Ridge defeated Northern 61-57 at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

Cedar Ridge avenged an earlier loss to Northern Durham from last Tuesday at Knights Gymnasium, where the game was also tied with 1:54 remaining. Just like Friday night, Tuesday’s game turned off an old school, 3-point play scored by the Knights’ Amari Stokes, who scored with 1:28 remaining after being fouled by Cedar Ridge’s Luke Orstad. The Knights’ won 59-53.

On Friday, there were ten lead changes and three ties as Cedar Ridge improved to 5-2, improving on its best start since the 2016-2017 season. Wilbourn led Cedar Ridge with 18 points and eleven rebounds.

Haskins paced Northern (3-5) with 17 points.

Cedar Ridge led 48-42 going into the fourth quarter after a foul line jumper by Wllbourn bounced in at the third quarter buzzer as head coach Mike Jones danced down the sidelines to watch it fall through the net.

Northern opened the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run, keyed by Bostic, who drained two free throws to cut the Red Wolf lead to 50-48 with 3:57 remaining. After Northern’s Camden Riley blocked a shot by Jacobson, Riley grabbed the loose ball and was fouled by Jacobson on the other end. Riley’s free throws tied the game at 50-50.

Bostic gave Northern it’s only lead of the fourth quarter when he poked the ball away and scored on a lay-in while being fouled by Orstad, vaulting the Knights ahead 52-50 with 2:34 remaining. Afterwards, Orstad hit two free throws after being fouled by Riley to even it up with 2:23 remaining.

In the third quarter, Cedar Ridge led by as much as 36-25 following a lay-in by center Jack Kelsey off a feed from Orstad. Northern chipped away at the Red Wolf lead, drawing to within 38-36 following a 3-pointer by Hasking with 3;10 remaining in the first half.

Cedar Ridge’s Kevin Etim, who finished with six points and three rebounds, assisted on a basket by Wilbourn. Jacobson stole a long pass by Haskins and fed Wilbourn to push the lead to 46-40.

Cedar Ridge led 32-25 after Orstad scored on another old fashioned three-point play. He was fouled by Haskins as he took a pass from Jacobson and drained a free throw with three seconds remaining before halftime.

It’s not even the week before Christmas and the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team has surpassed its win total from all of last year.

Braeden Wilbourn scored 20 points as the Red Wolves defeated Eno River Academy 73-53 at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Wednesday night. It was a wire-to-wire win for Cedar Ridge (4-2), who are off to its best start since the 2015-2016 season, which was the last time they made the playoffs.

Cole Creedle led the Bobcats with 12 points. Eno River fell to 8-3 following its first trip ever to Cedar Ridge, which is only eight miles away.

Last week, the Red Wolves defeated Durham School of the Arts at famed Sikes Gymnasium to win back-to-back road games for the first time since 2018.

Despite giving up size in most positions, the Red Wolves swarmed over the ball against the Bobcats. Junior Tripp Beasley sank the only 3-pointer of the first half for Cedar Ridge early as the Red Wolves built a 18-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. Wilbourn scored seven points in the opening frame.

Cedar Ridge junior Tripp Beasley finished with 15 points. Last week, Beasley led Cedar Ridge with 20 points against the Bulldogs.

Cedar Ridge led 30-23 at halftime, but the Bobcats narrowed the led behind early field goals from Jack Kroothoep and Cire McGhee. Eno River’s Ryder Moore was fouled as he fired a rainbow 3-pointer that found its way through the net. He sank the free throw for a 4-point play that cut the Red Wolf lead down to three points.

In the fourth quarter, Cedar Ridge sophomore Jordan Jacobson came alive with four 3-pointers. Jacobson sank three in a row from beyond the arc to pull away. Beasley added another 3-pointer while Kevin Etim had a late lay-in to finish with a career-high ten points.

It was the second game in two nights for Cedar Ridge. They dropped a close loss to Northern Durham on Tuesday.

Women’s basketball: Cedar Ridge 41, Eno River Academy 25: 

The Cedar Ridge women’s team never trailed in beating Eno River in the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader. Freshman Kassidy Tolliver led the Red Wolves with 17 points as Cedar Ridge won for the third time in four games.

Another freshman, Kennedi Fearrington, posted ten points to push the Red Wolves record to 3-3. Eno River, which fell to 4-7, was led by Seno Chan, who finished with eight points.

Cedar Ridge used its size and speed to hold the Bobcats to one field goal in the opening quarter. Tolliver scored eight points early while Elliott Weinfeld opened the game with a 3-pointer. Hailey McLeod and Ellamarie Perel came off the bench to score as the Red Wolves jumped out to an early lead they would not relinquish. Vivienne Matthews got the only points of the first quarter for Eno River.

The Bobcats actually outscored the Red Wolves in the second quarter as Chan got three field goals. Ally Almers and Sadie Olsen also scored for the Bobcats.

Tolliver scored nine points in the second half. Tiana Oxendine knocked down the only 3-pointer of the second half by either team.

Tolliver and Fearrington are producing early for a Cedar Ridge team that lost its top scorer and point guard from last year. Amiyah Ware, who set a county record by scoring 54 points against Western Alamance in 2023, graduated last June and is now playing at Division II North Greenville. Sarah Lowry, who was at Cedar Ridge for her junior year last year, transferred during the summer.

The Red Wolves defeated Durham School of the Arts last Friday for its first road win of the season. Tolliver led Cedar Ridge with 14 points against the Bulldogs while Fearrington added eleven points.

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore men’s basketball guard Jordan Jacobson. The Red Wolves have already surpassed its win total from all of last season. In its season-opener, the Red Wolves defeated Carrboro 54-52 at Red Wolf Gymnasium. Jacobson led Cedar Ridge with 20 points and finished 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Last season, Jacobson played regularly as a freshman. On Wednesday night, Jacobson hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as Cedar Ridge pulled away from Eno River Academy 73-53. He scored 16 points, including a dozen in the fourth quarter as the Red Wolves improved to 4-2. In a win over Durham School of the Arts on December 6, Jacobson scored 18 points as the Red Wolves defeated the Bulldogs 80-66. It was the first time since the 2017-2018 season that Cedar Ridge won consecutive road games. On November 26, the Red Wolves defeated Seaforth 80-66 to end a 16-game road losing streak. In the spring, Jacobson plays lacrosse. Last season, Cedar Ridge hosted a state playoff game against West Carteret. Jacobson scored 45 goals in his freshman year for the Red Wolves. He was second on the team with 75 points. During his freshman basketball season, Jacobson averaged 6.9 points per game. Jacobson has already been a vital contributor to a Cedar Ridge team that is looking to return to the state playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Jordan Jacobson

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is sophomore men’s basketball guard Jordan Jacobson. The Red Wolves have already surpassed its win total from all of last season. In its season-opener, the Red Wolves defeated Carrboro 54-52 at Red Wolf Gymnasium. Jacobson led Cedar Ridge with 20 points and finished 5-of-7 from 3-point range.

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PITTSBORO: There was something special waiting for the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team as they approached Thanksgiving break.

Playing inside a gym adorned with championship banners even though it’s barely four years old, the Red Wolves hung in after a tough start to end a 16-game road losing streak.

While two guards were instrumental in keeping things close in the first half, it was a senior who paved the way to victory.

Braeden Wilbourn scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half as the Red Wolves defeated the Hawks 59-50 on November 26 at Seaforth Gymnasium. It was the Red Wolves first win over Seaforth.

It was Cedar Ridge’s first road win since they defeated Western Alamance 42-33 on February 3, 2023 in Elon.

“I just told them that,” said Cedar Ridge head coach Mike Jones, who just started his third year. “They didn’t believe me. It’s a relief, but at the same time I don’t want to make a big deal out of it because we still have work to do. I finally feel like we’re trending in the right direction. We’re just trying to build a program here.”

Junior Tripp Beasley, in just his third varsity game, scored 15 points as the Red Wolves improved to 2-1. Cedar Ridge opened the season with a victory over Carrboro in Hillsborough on November 15.

Seaforth, who lost at Carrboro to open the season, fell to 0-2.

The irony was that sophomore guard Jordan Jacobson, who kept Cedar Ridge in the game early with ten first half points, didn’t score after halftime until the final three minutes of the fourth quarter. Wilbourn set the tone of the second half when he drained a three-pointer on the first shot of the third quarter to put the Red Wolves ahead 26-25. Beasley added another 3-pointer and Seaforth spent the final 16 minutes chasing the Red Wolves.

On two separate occasions, Wilbourn scored a field goal, then stole the subsequent inbound pass and was fouled.

Seaforth didn’t score in the opening 5:00 of the fourth quarter. Christian Conrad, a backup forward, ended the Hawks dry spell when he scored off a stick back to cut Cedar Ridge’s lead to 57-52. Seaforth guard Nate Emerson, who led the Hawks with 13 points, scored off a steal to cut into the Cedar Ridge lead. Red Wolf junior center Jack Kelsey scored on two lay-ins during the third quarter, then came up with some crucial blocks in the final minutes as Seaforth tried to narrow the gap.

Wilbourn and Beasley sank pressure free throws down the stretch.

“I love Tripp,” Jones said. “Tripp is aggressive. Tripp is always looking to score. Tripp is really receptive to coaching. He’s going to be a big part to what we do this year, for sure.”

Seaforth led 19-10 at the end of the first quarter. Jacobson kept the Red Wolves close with a 3-pointer. Beasley, Jacobson and Luke Orstad each knocked down 3-pointers in the second quarter.

While Cedar Ridge returned three starters from last year’s team, the senior captain from the 2023-2024 team isn’t that far away. Landon Dalehite, who graduated from Cedar Ridge in June, has joined Jones staff as an assistant coach.

“Me and Landon think alike,” Jones said. “The kids listen to Landon. He can give them a teenage voice because he was teammates with half of them. We really enjoy having Landon here, for sure.”

Cedar Ridge will travel to Durham School of the Arts on Friday night.

The Red Wolves (2-1) lost its opening road game to Chapel Hill on November 19 in Tiger Gymnasium. Jeremiah McIlwaine led the Tigers with 19 points. Cedar Ridge was led by Jacobson, who scored 19 points, including 6-of-13 shooting from 3-point range.

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For the first time since 2021, the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team has won its season opener.

In a tight game on Friday night, the Red Wolves held on to defeat Carrboro 54-52 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Sophomore Jordan Jacobson finished with 20 points while senior Luke Orstad finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.

With :5.3 seconds remaining, Or stand missed a freeze throw. Carrrboro’s Sam Kanjorski got free with a 3-point attempt at the buzzer, but Orstad soared across to obstruct the shot, which fell short.

Carrboro (o-1) took a 44-41 lead when Kanjorski knocked down a 3-pointer with 5:39 remaining in the fourth quarter. Orstad and Jacobson took over offensively for the Red Wolves. Orstand scored off a lay-in on a feed from Jacobson. After Cedar Ridge center Jack Kelsey grabbed a rebound, Jacobson found Orstad for another field goal to put the Red Wolves ahead 45-44. Following another Jaguars miss that was rebounded by Braeden Wilbourn, Jacobson sank a 3-pointer on a basket assisted by Orstad. Following a steal by Kelsey, Orstad knocked down two free throws after being fouled by Noah Simmons.

Carrboro’s Bakari Watkins led all scorers with 28 points.

Cedar Ridge shot 8-of-16 from 3-point range and roared out to a 17-2 lead to start the game. Orstad opened with a 3-pointer, followed by another from Jacobson, which forced a Jaguars timeout only two minutes in. After Watkins scored the opening Carrboro field goal, Orstad knocked down two free throws, followed by another 3-pointer from Jacobson.

Carrboro shot 6-of-9 from the field in the second quarter to cut its deficit down to 30-26 by intermission. Carrboro guard Joe Smith sparked the run with a 3-pointer with 5:44 remaining in the first half. Watkins scored the Jaguars final ten points of the first half, including a running one-hander with four seconds remaining in the first half.

In the third quarter, Kanjorski scored off a lay-in to tie the game at 30-30 with 6:27 remaining. Watkins hit two free throws to give the Jaguars its first lead at 31-30.

ORANGE 55, RIVERSIDE 48: Playing its second game in as many days, the Panthers found a way to prevail in a rhythmless, choppy finale to the Voyager Academy Tip-Off Classic in Durham on Saturday.

Kai Wade drained a 3-pointer with 4:32 remaining in the first half to give Orange a six-point lead and the Panthers maintained the lead for the rest of the game, though the Pirates made a late run behind junior Robert McDonald, who led all scorers with 21 points.

McDonald drained a 3-pointer to cut Orange’s lead to two points with 2:36 remaining in regulation, but the Pirates found themselves in foul trouble late in the game. Wade knocked down pressure free throws, sinking 5-of-6 from the stripe in the final quarter. As Riverside switched to a 3-2 zone, Xandrell Pennix picked up a deflected pass and scored off a lay-in.

Pennix, a senior, paced Orange with 15 points.

The two teams felt each other out during the opening minutes. Riverside led 10-9 at the end of the first quarter as the Panthers were limited to three field goals. Panther senior Michael Clark, who finished with 12 points, scored six in the opening quarter.

Riverside was held to six points in the second quarter as the Panthers took a 23-16 lead to the locker room. Orange created turnovers off its full court press and turned them into layups. Freddny Sneed, who finished with eleven points, slammed home his first dunk of the year to give Orange the lead for good.

Orange put four players in double figures. Wade, coming off a career-high 31 point game against Voyager Academy on Friday night, finished with 13 points.

It was the first game for new Riverside head coach Chris Mayshack, who replaced longtime coach Brian Strickland during the offseason.

Orange will host Mount Zion Academy on Friday night in Hillsborough.