Cedar Ridge Men’s Basketball

*Photo credit to Heather Bradsher*

In a game where every possession mattered and often ran in excess of 45 seconds, it was Cedar Ridge who came up with the big points in the most crucial moments.

Junior Kamil Harrison, in his third varsity game, drained six pressure free throws in the final :15.8 seconds as the Red Wolves held on to defeat East Chapel Hill 39-32 at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Friday night. After Harrison drained two charity tosses with :15 left, Red Wolves junior Neco Clark intercepted a pass by East’s Dillon McCafferty, which led to Harrison putting the game out of reach with two more free throws.

This win marks Cedar Ridge’s best start since the 2015-2016 season, which was the last time they reached the state playoffs.

Harrison and Grady Ray each had eleven points to lead the Red Wolves (2-1), while Colton Taylor added eight.

The Red Wolves ended a six-game losing streak to East Chapel Hill, beating the Wildcats for the first time since January 9, 2018.

“We try to practice pressure situations,” said Cedar Ridge coach Jaison Brooks. “You can’t replicate that in a gym. We shoot enough free throws (in practice) that we hope that in pays off. In this situation, it paid off.”

Both teams employed various zone defenses that stymied the other side for long stretches. After East’s James Riley scored on a one-handed runner with 3:53 remaining in the first quarter, the Wildcats had just one more field goal for the rest of the half. The Red Wolves finished the first quarter on a 10-3 run and took the lead for good off a reverse lay-up from Ray.

Cedar Ridge outscored the Wildcats 12-3 in the second quarter to take a 22-9 lead at halftime. Harrison and Colton Taylor both drained 3-pointers. All East (1-2) could muster in the second quarter was one free throw from Rashawn Stewart and a 15-footer from Martez Cotton, which beat the first half buzzer.

In the third quarter, it was the Red Wolves’ turn to suffer offensive frustration. Ray was the only Red Wolf to score in the stanza, but they were both 3-pointers. Stewart, who came off the bench to lead East with ten points, drained a 3-pointer to reduce Cedar Ridge’s lead 28-24.

Stewart opened the fourth quarter with a lay-in off a feed from Isaiah Styron. Martez Cotton forced a steal on the Red Wolves next possession, but the Wildcats missed a lay-in with a chance to tie. Neco Clark then slammed home a dunk in a rare transition basket to put the Red Wolves ahead 30-26.

Women’s Basketball: East Chapel Hill 38, Cedar Ridge 32

It has now been 722 days since the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team won a game. That long dry spell is on the verge of ending, it’s only a question of when.

It appeared the answer to that question would be on Friday night, but for the second time this week the Red Wolves couldn’t hold on to a lead late.

Trailing 32-26 with 4:31 remaining, East Chapel Hill (2-1) finished the game on a 12-0 run to defeat Cedar Ridge 38-32. The Red Wolves led for most of the second half, but East’s Riley Ellis scored seven consecutive points to give the Wildcats the lead with 2:11 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Junior Julie Altieri led the Red Wolves with 12 points, but the Red Wolves only had three points in the fourth quarter. The only field goal came from freshman Kathryn Romska, who knocked down a wing jumper to put the Red Wolves ahead by six points.

Grace Young, in her first basketball game since she was six years old, scored ten points, including a 3-pointer in the third quarter that put the Red Wolves ahead. Cedar Ridge came back from an early 12-point deficit to take the lead in the second half.

Ellis and Abigail Stone led the Wildcats with 12 points each.

Cedar Ridge will travel to Northern Durham on Monday, then travel to Western Alamance for its Central Carolina Conference opener on Tuesday.

MEN’S GAME: CEDAR RIDGE 39, EAST CHAPEL HILL 32

EAST CHAPEL HILL–Dillon McCafferty 5, James Riley 8, Isaiah Styron 3, Martez Cotton 2, Thailand Evans 4, Rashawn Stewart 10.

CEDAR RIDGE–Colton Taylor 8, Garrett Ray 11, Cameron Harper 1, Neco Clark 6, Kamil Harrison 11, Hayden Kirk 2.

WOMEN’S GAME: EAST CHAPEL HILL 38, CEDAR RIDGE 32

EAST CHAPEL HILL–Riley Ellis 12, Fiona Park 4, Gabby Sielken 2, Abigail Stone 12, Lauren Steiner 8.

CEDAR RIDGE–Julie Altieri 12, Cameron Copeland 3, Phoenix Smith 5, Grace Young 10, Kathryn Romska 2.

For the first time since January 9, 2018, the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team has defeated East Chapel Hill. The Red Wolves held on to defeat the Wildcats 39-32 at Red Wolves Arena. Needless to say, it was a defensive struggle with both teams employing various zone defenses. Cedar Ridge held the Wildcats to just one field goal in the final 11:30 of the first half and led 21-9 at halftime. Garrett Ray and Kamil Harrison both finished with 11 points for Cedar Ridge. Ray sank three 3-pointers, including two in the third quarter that accounted for all of the Red Wolves points. With Cedar Ridge clinging on to a 33-32 lead, Harrison hit six consecutive free throws in the final 30 seconds. It was only the third varsity game for Harrison, who came away with a career-high in points. Cedar Ridge finished the opening week of the regular season 2-1.They will have a three-game week starting on Monday with a road trip to another former conference rival, Northern Durham. Cedar Ridge will travel to Western Alamance for its Central Carolina Conference opener on Tuesday, then return home to face Person next Friday.

Losing seven regular rotation players from the year before has the tendency to create uncertainty at the beginning of a new basketball season.

Yet even after losing five of his top six scorers from last season, Cedar Ridge men’s basketball coach Jaison Brooks didn’t have to worry about putting points on the board when it mattered most against Durham School of the Arts on Monday night.

The Red Wolves broke open a tight game by scoring 28 points in the fourth quarter to break open a tight game and defeat the Bulldogs 61-40 at Red Wolves Arena on Monday night. In his first varsity game, junior guard Colton Taylor finished with a game-high 15 points, nine of which came in the final 8:01.

Junior Něco Clark added ten points as the Red Wolves won its season opener over the Bulldogs for the second time in three years.

Caleb Hawkins led DSA (1-4) with 12 points, most of which were 3-pointers in garbage time.

After Cedar Ridge pushed its lead to 27-18 midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs rallied for consecutive field goals from guard Josh Dorsette and Bryce Lawson to reduce the Red Wolves lead. In the waning second of the third quarter, Taylor caught a 3-pointer that fell short of the rim and laid it in just before the buzzer, which triggered at 12-0 run and put the game away.

“That’s pretty much how he’s played since he’s been part of our program,” Brooks said. “We were excited to have him move up from the junior varsity squad. That’s what we expect from him. He works hard.”

After losing A.J. Richmond, Grady Ray, Luke Pagnanelli, Ian Johnson, Samuel Garbee and James Ragland to graduation, and rising junior Johntez Raspberry transferred to Walter Williams, it would have only been natural to wonder about Cedar Ridge’s depth. Instead, all eleven Red Wolves that dressed out played, and ten of them scored.

“We are happy with the group that we have,” Brooks said. “They all have their strengths that contribute to what we’re trying to do. So we are ecstatic that they’re potential is starting to show. It’s also the things that we see behind closed doors be brought to light so others can see it.”

Cedar Ridge’s Rawlins Taylor scored four points early for the Red Wolves as the game was nip-and-tuck early. The Red Wolves led 10-8 at the end of the first quarter. Colton Taylor added two field goals in the second quarter as the Red Wolves took a 20-15 into the locker room.

The game kicked off a busy week for the Red Wolves. They will return to action tonight (Tuesday) against Voyager Academy at 7:15 at Cedar Ridge. On Friday night, the Red Wolves will host East Chapel Hill.

WOMEN’S GAME: DSA 60, Cedar Ridge 19

The best way to examine the growth of the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team in its season opener compared to last winter was by looking at the bench.

Last year, the Red Wolves often only had five players available. They played several games without simply being able to substitute.

On Monday night, the Red Wolves had 15 players suited up under new head coach Megan Skouby. And that was without several starters from last year.

Nonetheless, DSA easily prevailed 60-19 after the Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-0 lead early. Cedar Ridge’s Julie Altieri, coming off a 3A State Championship in volleyball, was the Red Wolves leading scorer in her first high school game with six points. Kathryn Romska, in her varsity debut, scored four points.

Skouby, who served as an assistant volleyball coach for Cedar Ridge this season, is a former head coach at South Iredell. The Red Wolves will host Voyager Academy tonight at 6 at Red Wolves Arena.

Nylah Daniels led the Bulldogs (3-1) with 16 points, while Christina Burton and Precious Ogboko each had 14.

After losing seven players from last year’s team, the Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team had plenty of players making their varsity debut against Durham School of the Arts on Monday night. The Red Wolves didn’t let that stop them in a 61-40 victory over the Bulldogs in the season opener at Red Wolves Arena. In his first varsity game, junior guard Colton Taylor scored 15 points leading all scorers. The Red Wolves led 33-25, but scored 28 points in the final quarter to pull away. Taylor started the run with a lay-in off an errant shot at the third quarter buzzer, then opened the fourth quarter with consecutive field goals to keep Cedar Ridge’s lead in double-digits for good. Neco Clark, a junior, added ten points. All eleven Red Wolves played and ten of them scores as Cedar Ridge won its season opener for the second time in three years. It’s the start of a busy opening week for Cedar Ridge. The Red Wolves will host Voyager Academy on Tuesday night at Cedar Ridge. The women’s game starts at 6, while the men will start afterwards. On Friday night, Cedar Ridge will host East Chapel Hill.

Three very different paths to playing college baseball all culminated at the same place.

Just three days before Grady Ray, Bryce Clark and Matt Hughes graduated together inside Cedar Ridge Red Wolves Stadium, they gathered at the new J-Wing to sign their respective letters of intent. Ray will play at Division III Methodist University in Fayetteville. Clark will be at Lenoir Community College in Kinston. Hughes signed with Brunswick Community College in Bolivia, NC.

Both Clark and Hughes will be in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association.

The ceremony was held on Wednesday afternoon. Presiding over the event was Red Wolves Athletic Director Andy Simmons along with Principal Dr. Carlos Ramirez.

By the end of the day, Ray, Clark and Hughes played their final game together at Cedar Ridge High against Kernersville Glenn. When Ray took off his uniform for the final time on Wednesday night, it ended four years of service to Cedar Ridge athletics that spanned three sports. He played football as a freshman, but basketball and baseball were his loves. He’s played basketball since he was four years old, and was a member of the varsity Red Wolves for four years. Ray joined the varsity for baseball when Mitchell Frazier was the head coach of Cedar Ridge in 2019, and helped current coach Bryson Massey establish his presence in the program despite an interminable interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic last year.

Ray, the son of Jennifer and Warren Ray, played for the Sweponsville Sweepers of the Old North State League, a summer collegiate league. He’s also a member of Cedar Ridge’s International Baccalaureate Program and plans to major in, naturally, Exercise Science.

“I really like the school,” Ray said. “I’m really excited to play under Coach (Tom) Austin. Coach Massey was a huge part of this decision. I would talk to him after going to some camps. I looked at some different schools. He really helped me.”

Ray will now be conference rivals with the most successful pitcher in Cedar Ridge history. Phillip Berger, who won a school-record 21 games with the Red Wolves, just ended his sophomore season with William Peace University in Raleigh. Peace and Methodist are both in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Hughes, the son of Greg and Amy Hughes, started on the mound for Cedar Ridge in his final high school game. Like many members of the Class of 2021, Hughes had to deal with losing a substantial amount of time due to COVID-19. His junior season was limited to only two pitching performances. He opened 2021 with arm problems, which hurt Cedar Ridge’s pitching depth. However, he recovered to throw four scoreless innings against East Chapel Hill on June 4 in the most impressive stint of his Red Wolf career. Hughes struck out eight and scattered only one hit. Of 59 pitches he threw, 40 were strikes.

The Brunswick Dolphins, coached by Robbie Allen, was ranked #7 in the final NJCAA Division II Baseball Rankings on May 17. They finished the regular season 35-13.

“They have a winning tradition,” Hughes said. “I look forward to being a great pitcher for them.”

Hughes, who had other offers from various Division II and Division III schools, started playing baseball with the Hillsborough Youth Athletic Association when he was 5. He went on to Stanford Middle School before joining the Red Wolves. He plans to major in Arts.

“I’m going to remember all the great memories and the great teammates I had,” Hughes said.

In his freshman year, Hughes was on a team that went 18-6 and finished second in the Big 8 Conference with a 11-3 record. Cedar Ridge defeated Southern Alamance in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs in Hillsborough.

Clark, the son of Brian and Stephanie Clark, is a study in perseverance. At the age of 14, his baseball career was at a crossroads when he underwent Tommy John Surgery. It cost him his entire freshman year and a large portion of his sophomore season.

“The doctors asked me if I wanted to quit baseball,” Clark said. “I decided to get the surgery and continue with it.”

Clark, a shortstop, says he didn’t get full strength back in his right arm until this season. He spent three years at Orange, including the 2020 season as the starting second baseman for all of four games before the pandemic. In those four games, he hit .429.

He transferred to Cedar Ridge last summer. Against Orange last month, he became the first player to hit a home run off Ryan Hench, the Panthers’ ace starting pitcher. It was the first run that Hench conceded in four starts.

With the Lenoir Lancers, Clark will play at historic Grainger Stadium, the longtime home of Kinston’s franchise in the Carolina League. He plans to major in Health Science.

Just between me and you, I’m happy Bryson Massey, Allen Byrd and Andy Simmons allow me to have the VIP parking spot for Cedar Ridge baseball and softball games. That’s located down the hill near the tennis courts.

There’s a lot of equipment to haul nowadays to get those sound signals through your Internet speaker. There are miles to travel, but they’ve been worth it.

The four-year class that will graduate for Cedar Ridge this week were all freshmen when I started this website. Since then, I’ve traveled to Morehead City to watch the Cedar Ridge softball team beat West Carteret in the second round of the 3A State Playoffs. Tori Dalehite and Takia Nichols both homered that night.

This past January, the drive to Greenville to watch the Cedar Ridge volleyball team battle D.H. Conley wasn’t as far, but it was intense. For the second year in a row, the Red Wolves played a team that won the 3A State Championship. Unlike in 2019 when they stunned Chapel Hill, the Red Wolves would fall a little short, but they did capture the first set. I’m sure that match hasn’t left the minds of Cameron Lloyd, Julie Altieri and Cameron Lanier this spring as they’ve been practicing with Coach Fiona Cunningham.

To the seniors who have been so kind and patient with this website, I truly want to thank them for giving me the honor of covering their games and listening to my dumb questions. I hope they keep up with the website as they move on in life because some of them have left impressions on me.

I’ll remember ShiLi Quade, who doesn’t seem to believe in days off. In the winter, she played volleyball for the Cedar Ridge team that won the Big 8 Championship. When she wasn’t practicing or playing, she had to handle editor duties for the Cedar Ridge Yearbook. She would be on the sidelines shooting photos at men’s and women’s basketball games and was kind enough to share some of her galleries for this website. Keeping my usual overnight hours, I’d be typing away with some album from King’s X blaring in my headphones, and then an email from ShiLi would pop in my inbox at 2AM. In 2025, an employer somewhere will hire someone with a great work ethic.

Alexandria Matthews, Lajoan Stuart, and Emma-Rae Sharp and Quade were part of one of the greatest comebacks I’ve ever seen. For anyone who reads this website, it’s become cliche to bring up Cedar Ridge softball scoring seven runs in the seventh inning to tie Orange 9-9 to send the game into extra innings. Alex, who played 1st base and pitched, jump started the rally with a single up the middle and later scored off a single by Olivia Aitkin. Stuart started in right field that night for Cedar Ridge and Sharp started at 1st base. It was something to remember for everyone in attendance.

I’ll remember Elijah Whitaker, and his dedication to the Cedar Ridge football program. The emotion of the Cedar Ridge players as they walked off the field in their final game against Vance County was unmistakeable. All of those players want to win every game, of course, but there were tears in the eyes of the seniors who had just played their last football game. They want to establish a program. Elijah didn’t plan to be the quarterback this season, but the top starter was injured in the first half of the first game, never to return. Elijah played quarterback for the final five games against a tough Big 8 Conference. Afterwards, he talked about coming back to Cedar Ridge to coach wide receivers because he loved the brotherhood that Coach Cory Lea is developing.

I’ll remember Kyle Long, who rarely got a play off along the interior line for Cedar Ridge. Kyle is going into the Navy now. He’ll be keeping up with Cedar Ridge football on Friday nights, no matter where he is. He may be leaving Cedar Ridge, but Cedar Ridge won’t leave him.

I’ll remember Luke Pagnanelli and Ian Johnson. And their perseverance. It would have been easy to throw in the towel when Orange led Cedar Ridge in men’s basketball 49-31 with 2:34 remaining in the third quarter on January 11. But Luke and Ian wouldn’t let that happen. Instead, they erased that deficit in just five minutes and 53 seconds. Pagnanelli scored the opening four points of overtime and Cedar Ridge won 67-66. A month later, Pagnanelli and Johnson each hit pressure free throws in the final minute to beat Orange again, this time in Panther Gymnasium. Pagnanelli and Johnson labored through a 1-23 season as sophomores, but they each won their last four games against Orange.

I’ll remember A.J. Richmond for his dedication to athletics. He played basketball, football and ran track. I’ll also remember him for a memorable interview last week where he said that his father played basketball against Jerry West. Jerry West?! The logo of the NBA? The man who traded Vlade Divac for Kobe Bryant?! Why didn’t Andre ever tell me about this? Turned out it was David West, who played at Garner when Andre Richmond was at Orange. David went on to play 16 years in the NBA and won two World Championships with Golden State. I’m sure Andre was more impressed with his son’s two victories at Northwood High in the 100 and 200 meters last week.

I’ll remember the versatility of Marlee Rakouskas. She was a starting libero for Cedar Ridge volleyball. She played on two Cedar Ridge softball teams that won the Big 8 Conference Championship. Marlee didn’t always get the headlines, but those teams wouldn’t have been as successful without her. Between playing two sports, she put together an art show for the Orange County Arts Commission. And, like Krzyzewski, I’ve learned how to spell Rakouskas by typing it so often I don’t even need to look it up. (Well, just once for old time sake tonight).

I’ll remember James Rosati-Brown and Daina Pritchard. Like all other senior wrestlers in Hillsborough, they had some of the most cherished annual events in the area taken from them because of the pandemic. James and Daina both love competing in the Jim King/Orange Invitational, the Tiger Holiday Classic and the Red Wolf Invitational. This year, they had to start the season at a time when it would normally be long in the rear view mirror. That hasn’t stood in the way of making progress. Daina is 20-1 this year. James is 19-2, and both of those losses were last week to wrestlers who placed in the state championships last year. Fortunately, they’ll be able to compete for spots in the state championships next week.

I’ll remember the excellence of Emerson Talley, the all-time leading goal scorer in Cedar Ridge women’s soccer history. A reluctant star who prefers to let her playing do the talking, Emerson will be a prime performer for the Lenoir-Rhyne women’s soccer team for years to come and provide plenty of fodder for Alumni Update.

And there are more. There’s Bryce Clark hitting a home run against Orange two weeks ago. There’s Grady Ray, who competes in three different sports and never takes a play off, regardless of what the sport is. There’s Matt Hughes, who will play baseball at Brunswick Community College after his final high school game this week.

To all of them, as they go forward in life, I’ll share with you what Coach Charles Watters told me when I walked away from Auman Stadium on my graduation night around this time 30 years ago.

There are only three things in life that truly matter: what you think about yourself when you wake up and see yourself in the mirror. What you think about yourself when you go to bed at night. And what your loved ones, in their hearts, truly think of you.

Have fun. Be free.