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.