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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.
Photo by WNC
by Jon Franklin
HOME WRECKED
It’s been a while since I last posted an article here on HillsboroughSports.com. During my period of abeyance, I was very much busy in PA announcing games at Cedar Ridge, occasionally broadcasting Orange and Cedar Ridge games on the website, and of course, working my job in various public services.
Throughout my time writing various editions of The Franklin Mint and on-air, I’ve often recalled fond memories of past games from my hometown of Marion, McDowell County, and throughout Western North Carolina as they are near and dear to me.
Yet, two weeks ago as a result of the devastation of Hurricane Helene, the areas I called home are almost unrecognizable. In some parts, they’ve disappeared.
Marion, Old Fort, and McDowell County were a part of a huge swath of territory along with Asheville, Boone, Burnsville, Chimney Rock / Lake Lure, Marshall, Newland, Spruce Pine, Swannanoa, and others were devastated due to the immense flooding. Massive recovery and humanitarian efforts are ongoing, continuing to help those ravaged by this terrible event.
In Marion, homes, roads, land, and businesses located near a body of water were decimated as Buck Creek, the Catawba River, Goose Creek, Lake James, Lake Tahoma, Toms Creek, Peppers Creek, and the Second Broad River all sprawled out of their banks, taking out everything in sight. The northwestern part of Marion located along the Catawba near McDowell High School became impassable, cutting off Marion from the northern part of the county.
Also affected was Old Fort, which also became inaccessible. Old Fort is the location source of the Catawba and the namesake of the mountain on Interstate 40 that was victim of a large landslide, cutting off Western North Carolina to the rest of the state.
In the wake of the devastation, the Baxter plant in the northern part of McDowell in North Cove – manufacturer of 80% of intravenous bags and fluids used in healthcare and McDowell’s largest employer – abruptly ceased production due to mudslides and the floodwaters entering into their sterile environment. The bridges and access roads on all sides of their immense property were destroyed as a result of the nearby raging Peppers Creek and the Catawba’s north fork. Normally, this plant churns out more than twenty million IV bags each day, ranging from half-liter field bags to the six-gallon bags used in dialysis. Efforts at Baxter’s home base in Illinois are ongoing to ramp up production other Baxter plants so that the world’s healthcare facilities are not impacted.
Many of you know that I previously worked for many years as a corrections officer in our state and federal prisons. Oddly enough, the four state facilities that I worked at in WNC while employed with the NC Department of Correction have all evacuated their inmates and relocated them to facilities unaffected. The timetable of restoring power, sewer, and water services to these institutions are unclear as the infrastructure to these facilities must be rebuilt.
Nothing was more crushing than to witness than the total destruction of the villages of Chimney Rock & Lake Lure in nearby Rutherford County. This serene and tranquil area located thirty minutes from my childhood home, was often a fun place to go to during the summer. On a hot day, nothing beat taking a dip in the ponding cold water at the summit of the Hickory Nut Falls or to just take in the views from the rock itself. The Village Scoop was another favorite of mine to enjoy an ice cream after a day of adventure.
Chimney Rock was featured in the 1992 epic film, The Last of The Mohicans that starred Daniel Day-Lewis and was based off of the 1826 novel of the same name by James Fenimore Cooper. Lake Lure was featured in many of the scenes of the 1987 smash romance drama Dirty Dancing, starring the late Patrick Swayze. But after Helene’s fury, the quaint shops, restaurants, and small businesses that lined NC 9 are now reduced to rubble or relocated to the waters of Lake Lure.
If you’re wondering, I have been in communication with family and friends. My parents are safe, but have slight damage to their home. My sister had major structural damage to her house, but she and her family are also alive and well. Other family and friends are in similar situations, but are safe. As fate would have it, my brother-in-law is one of the leading insurance agents in McDowell County and had been looking forwards to retirement. But now, he has enough work to keep him and his agency in business for an exceptionally long period of time. While my family was relatively unscathed despite being without power and cell phone service for nearly ten days, others are currently without power and cell service, now more than two weeks removed. Other families weren’t so lucky as their homes and roads were obliterated – and even lost loved ones.
But as Western North Carolina was dealt a dirty hand, the rock-solid resolve of its’ people never wavered and became lifelines to their family, friends, and neighbors.
My home church, Marion’s New Manna Baptist Church, along with other places of worship in McDowell, have stepped up to support their own by transforming their facilities into shelters serving hot meals, receiving and distribution centers for food, water, and supplies, and becoming relief stations for first responders and linemen. Other relief agencies such as Baptists on Mission, Hearts with Hands, and Samaritan’s Purse are supplementing their efforts by ensuring their work is not in vain or depleted of resources.
Such supplementation came from our nearby area. Lee’s 24-Hour Towing of Durham, has utilized their fleet of trucks to haul trailers of food, water, and supplies all over the mountains. Fredrickson Aviation based out of Timberlake, has airlifted supplies to inaccessible areas of WNC using the Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport as their hub of operation.
But come Hell or High Water, the work must continue to help our families, friends, and neighbors in Western North Carolina.
If you have supported any these causes by donating blood, food, water, supplies, finances, or even your time to help load a vehicle with supplies, I can speak for the thousands of Mountaineers to say thank you for supporting some of the finest people you’ll ever meet. If the roles were reversed from our area, they would be the first to help us in our time of need. Please continue these efforts as they have a long road ahead of them.
This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is men’s basketball center Harrison Perel. This season, Perel was the leading rebounder with 9.6 board per game as the Red Wolves pulled some big surprise wins. He was also the leading shooter on the team firing at 40% from the field. He was second on the team with 9.1 points per game. Perel also led the team with 1.2 blocks per game. In the Red Wolves stunning win over Person on January 2 in Hillsborough, Perel had seven points and eleven rebounds, despite the presence of the Rockets big men Lance Clarke and Romello Snow. In the Red Wolves win over Chatham Central, who entered the game undefeated, Perel had six points and eight rebounds. Against Jordan-Matthews, Perel had ten points and ten rebounds. Perel remained a steady presence throughout the course of his two years at the varsity level under head coach Mike Jones. Perel averaged 7.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in his Cedar Ridge career. His season-high came against Jordan-Matthews with 19 points on November 27 in Siler City. He also had eight double-doubles this season and played his best basketball as his career ended. Against Walter Williams, Perel had 16 points and 12 rebounds. He recorded double-doubles in three of his last four games. Perel’s younger sister, Ellamarie, is the starting goalkeeper for Cedar Ridge’s women’s soccer team.
Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Harrison Perel
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This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is senior men’s basketball guard Landon Dalehite. In January, Dalehite spearheaded the Red Wolves to two upset wins. On January 2, Dalehite scored 12 points as the Red Wolves upset Person 48-41 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. With Person leading 38-34, Dalehite drained a 3-pointer with 4:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. From that point forward, Person didn’t score agains as the Red Wolves gained a critical Central Conference win. The following week, Cedar Ridge upset previously undefeated Chatham Central 53-52 in overtime. Dalehite scored seven points. On Tuesday night, Dalehite led Cedar Ridge in scoring with 15 points. Since Christmas, the Red Wolves haven’t had all hands on decks because of injuries, illness and defections. But Dalehite has been there at every game. The son of Danny and Beth Dalehite, Landon is a two-sport athlete. After basketball season ends, Landon will suit up to play left field for the Cedar Ridge baseball team. Last year, Dalehite was a starter for a Cedar Ridge team that earned an automatic bid to the 3A State Playoffs. Dalehite’s sister, Tori, was a two-time Big 8 Conference champion in softball who also played volleyball and basketball at Cedar Ridge. She’s entering her senior year at UNC Greensboro. Dalehite will celebrate senior night later this month with plans to pull more upsets on the hardwood before his time is done.
Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Landon Dalehite
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From the start of this season, Cedar Ridge men’s basketball coach Mike Jones has touted freshman point guard Jordan Jacobson as a rising star. On Monday night, Jacobson showed why Jones is so enthusiastic. He scored the game-winning three-pointer with :5.4 remaining in overtime as the Red Wolves defeated previously undefeated Chatham Central 53-52 in overtime. Not only did Jacobson hit the game-winning shot, but he also put the game into overtime with a 16-footer with :8.1 remaining to even the score 46-46. Jacobson had a career-high 12 points. Braeden Wilbourn paced Cedar Ridge with 18 points. Chatham Central led 43-36 with 3:51 remaining before the Red Wolves finished regulation with seven consecutive points. Wilbourn scored on a lay-in off an assist from Jacobson to start the comeback. Then Wilbourn hit two free throws off a technical foul to put the Red Wolves within a bucket. After Jacobson knocked down the 3-pointer in overtime, Wilbourn sealed the game with an interception of a skip pass by the Bears. Afterwards, Jones called it the Red Wolves best win of the season. Last week, Cedar Ridge upset Person at Red Wolves Gymnasium. Cedar Ridge will return home tonight (Friday) against Eastern Alamance for a doubleheader. The women’s game will be at 6PM while the men’s game starts at 7;30.
Cedar Ridge men’s basketball’s Jordan Jacobson & Braeden Wilbourn talk with vs. Chatham Central
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