Cedar Ridge Women’s Basketball

The Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team found its backbeat again.

In any good rock n’roll band, the backbeat provided by the drummer keeps everything in rhythm, provides proper time and makes everything swing properly.

Amiyah Ware is the Neil Peart or Keith Moon of the Cedar Ridge women’s team.

Ware returned to the lineup after she missing two games with a right knee injury. In her absence, the Red Wolves had 33 turnovers against Person, but still managed to scratch out a 46-43 victory over the Rockets.

While it took time for Ware to get her offensive engine cranked up against Southern Alamance, her ball-handling reliability chopped down Cedar Ridge’s turnover total to a mere 18 miscues.

Ware scored a season-high 28 points, including seven 3-pointers, as the Red Wolves defeated Southern Alamance 48-43 at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Friday night.

Cedar Ridge (8-5, 2-1 in the Central Conference) were held to nine points in the opening 15 minutes, but shot 7-of-11 in the third period to take a 32-29 lead into the fourth quarter.

Ware gave the Red Wolves the lead for good with a 3-pointer off a pass from Sarah Utley with 5:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Patriots were led by Sunny Yarnell, who finished with eleven points, but fouled out after she was called for a charge when she ran into Red Wolf freshman Kate Finnegan. Ware scored the Red Wolves next four points, including a 3-pointer assisted by Finnegan. Ware also drained several free throws in the final minute.

Morgan Isley and Madison Brouillard also each had eleven points for the Patriots (4-9, 0-3).

While Ware didn’t start the game, the Red Wolves were limited to just three shots from the field in the opening quarter. The Patriots took a 10-3 lead at the end of the first quarter as Yarnell scored the first three field goals.

Cedar Ridge will travel to Orange on Wednesday night at 6PM.

Orange 46, Walter Williams 44: The Orange women’s basketball team is now the only undefeated team in Central Conference play after they survived a battle with Walter Williams.

Orange used a 20-4 run at the end of the third quarter to overcome an early deficit to the Bulldogs. Junior Evelyn George sparked the run for the Lady Panthers (8-4, 3-0 in the Central Conference). George finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Addie Atkins added eight points.

Williams forward Reagan Averett led all scorers with 17 points, while Alaiyah Mitchell added ten points.

With 6:36 remaining in the third quarter, Williams’ Jordan Taylor scored off a lay-in off a pass from Scout Winter to put the Bulldogs egghead 27-21. Orange sophomore Maura McMurtry nailed a three-pointer off a pass from Atkins to spark an Orange run. After a field goal by Taylor, McMurtry dropped in a straightaway three-pointer off a pass from Alexis Stephens. Orange sophomore Mariah Poole tied the game off a steal and lay-in at 29-29.

Averett knocked down two free throws for the Bulldogs, but that would be its last lead. Orange guard Shannon Murphy tied the game with a jumper, which was followed by a steal by George, who scored on a lay-in. George would score off a stickleback basket, then added a 3-pointer at the third quarter buzzer assisted by McMurtry to increase the Panthers’ lead to 38-31.

McMurtry opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer, followed by another lay-in by George with 6:37 remaining in regulation to build the Orange advantage to 43-31. That turned out to be Orange’s final field goal.

The Bulldogs would chip away at the lead with Averett scoring a three-pointer off a feed from Winter. Atkins hit two free throws with 2:15 remaining in the fourth quarter to build the Orange lead back to 46-40.

Taylor and Aaliyah Mitchell scored field goals to cut the Bulldog lead to 46-44 with :48 remaining. Williams’ full court pressure led to an Orange turnover in a frantic final 10 seconds, but the Bulldogs threw the ball away in a rush to get the ball to the basket with :3.1 left. With Orange clinging to a 46-44 lead, McMurtry took the inbounds pass and dribbled away from Mitchell long enough to run out the clock.

Without its star player Amiyah Ware, every game has been a battle for the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team. On Tuesday night, the Red Wolves relied on its depth to defeat Person 46-43 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. In just her third varsity game, freshman Kate Finnegan led all scorers with 16 points and 18 rebounds as the Red Wolves improved to 5-5, 1-1 in the Central Conference. Sophomore guard Jamee Watson drained a key 3-pointer with 2:47 remaining to put Cedar Ridge ahead 41-34. After the Rockets cut its deficit to 43-41 with 55 seconds remaining, Finnegan scored on a lay-in off a pretty transition pass from Sarah Utley for the final field goal of the game with 24 seconds remaining. Utley finished with ten points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals. Cedar Ridge has already surpassed its win total from all of last season as they try to reach the state playoffs for the first time since the 2017-2018 season. The Red Wolves have its most wins in a year since the 2018-2019 season, when they won seven games. Ware, who broke the county record when she scored 54 points last year, was injured against Western Alamance on December 15. She watched from the bench last night and hopes to return soon. Cedar Ridge will host Southern Alamance in Hillsborough on Friday night.

Cedar Ridge women’s basketball’s Kate Finnegan & Jamee Watson discuss win over Person

Without its star player Amiyah Ware, every game has been a battle for the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team. On Tuesday night, the Red Wolves relied on its depth to defeat Person 46-43 at Red Wolves Gymnasium.

The Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team is off to its best start in six years. On Tuesday night, the Red Wolves defeated Durham School of the Arts 52-29 in a game that was stopped with 2:44 remaining in the fourth quarter. Junior Sarah Utley has brought a steady point guard presence in her first year with the Red Wolves. Utley is a transfer from High Point Christian Academy. Utley had 15 points against the Bulldogs, tied for game-high honors with guard Amiyah Ware. Jamee Watson helped the Red Wolves pull away in the third quarter. She scored nine points, seven of which came in the fourth quarter. Cedar Ridge used a 28-6 run over the final ten minutes that was played to earn its fourth win of the season. Last week against Northern Durham, Utley ha eleven points, five assists, five steals and one rebound as the Red Wolves won 59-27. Watson finished with eight points, three assists and four steals. Three nights later, Cedar Ridge swept the week when they defeated the Lady Knights 42-17. Cedar Ridge will play its first Central Conference game on Friday. They will host Western Alamance in Hillsborough. Last year, the Warriors defeated Northwood in the state playoffs to end the Chargers reign as 3A State Champions.

Cedar Ridge women’s basketball’s Sarah Utley & Jamee Watson discuss win over DSA

No Description

The Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team won its season game of the season on Monday night. Senior Amiyah Ware scored 15 points while Sarah Utley added eleven as the Red Wolves defeated Northern Durham 59-27 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. The Red Wolves led at the end of the first quarter 19-2 following the opening field goals from Cameron Copeland and Addie Reid. The Red Wolves shot 7-of-10 from the field in the opening quarter and never looked back. Cedar Ridge beat a previously undefeated Northern Durham team who came in 2-0. Cameron Copeland finished with six points and three rebounds, while Cyani Jacobs had six points and four rebounds. Cedar Ridge head coach Megan Skouby, who played college basketball at Iowa, has spent the past three years building the Red Wolves program from the bare bones. Before Skouby joined the program, during the pandemic, Cedar Ridge had only five players for some home games where fans weren’t permitted to attend. Since then, Skouby has built the program to where Cedar Ridge is fielding a junior varsity program. Last year, the Red Wolves won two Central Conference games and this year they’re focused on taking another step up in the Central Conference. Cedar Ridge will travel to Northern Durham on Wednesday afternoon at 5 o’clock.

No Title

No Description

It was her first year playing high school basketball playing in the town she grew up in, but Amiyah Ware made it a memorable one.

Playing guard for Cedar Ridge, Ware broke a series of school and county records. Ware has been named to the All-District 6 first-team for the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association. Joining Ware on the first-team was Laynie Smith of Chapel Hill, Emerson Thompson of Falls Lake, Rymiah Sanders of Southern Durham and Sydney Barker of Jordan.

Orange’s Erin Jordan-Cornell, the leading scorer and rebounder for the Lady Panthers, was named to the third-team.

This year, Ware broke the Cedar Ridge single-season school record with 470 points. The previous record was held by Madison Wardlow, who scored 389 points in the 2018-19 season. Even more impressively, she did in 17 games. Ware missed Cedar Ridge’s opening six games as she continued to recover from a torn ACL suffered last spring when she still attended the Burlington School. Ware’s impact was immediate. In her second game, she scored 18 points as the Red Wolves defeated Person 50-27 in Roxboro, which ended the Red Wolves 39-game conference losing streak. It was Cedar Ridge’s first conference win since February 8, 2019.

Ware broke the Orange County record on February 3 when she scored 54 points against Western Alamance. The previous record, regardless of gender, was set by Ronnie McAdoo of Orange High when he scored 53 against Southern Durham on January 24, 1978. She also broke the single-game Cedar Ridge women’s scoring record, which was set be Wardlow when she scored 35 against Northern Durham on February 5, 2019.

The following week, Ware became the first player, regardless of gender, in county history to score 50 points twice in a season. Against Durham School of the Arts on February 8, Ware scored 51 points as the Red Wolves defeated the Bulldogs 66-57 at Sykes Gymnasium.

In each of her final 12 games, Ware scored over 20 points. She eclipsed over 30 points six times, including in each of her final five regular season games.

Jordan-Cornell overcame her second knee surgery in 2022 to lead Orange in scoring and rebounding. This season, Orange reached the state playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years and had a winning season for the third straight campaign.

Jordan-Cornell was name the Most Valuable Player of the Eastern Guilford Holiday Showcase, a tournament that Orange won in Gibsonville. In the championship game against Northeast Guilford, she had 13 points and nine rebounds as the Lady Panthers rolled 46-25. In the semifinals, Jordan-Cornell had 14 points and 14 rebounds as Orange defeated Walter Williams, a Central Carolina Conference rival, 53-49. In the opening round of the tournament, held at 10 AM on December 26, Jordan-Cornell had eleven points and eight rebounds as Orange defeated the Burlington School 54-44.

This season, Jordan-Cornell had six double-doubles. Her final game at Orange was one of her best. She registered 12 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks and four steals against Southern Wayne in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs in Dudley. It turned out to be the final game for Orange head coach B.J. Condron, who announced his resignation the following week in order to become the first Athletic Director at Southeast Alamance.

An All-Conference performer in volleyball and basketball, Jordan-Cornell led Orange with 16 points and 14 rebounds in a victory over Eastern Alamance in the opening round of the Central Carolina Conference Tournament on February 13. In her senior night game, held on February 10, Jordan-Cornell scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Eastern Alamance in a 44-39 victory. She finished in double-figures scoring in each of her last six games and seven of her last nine.

Jordan-Cornell was also a student advisor for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association this year. She attended board meetings with the NCHSAA to advice the panel on student-athlete concerns.

Cedar Ridge women’s basketball guard Amiyah Ware made more history in the Red Wolves regular season finale. On Wednesday night, Ware scored 51 points as the Red Wolves defeated Durham School of the Arts 65-57 at Sykes Gymnasium. It came just five days after Ware scored 54 points against Western Alamance, breaking the Orange County record which had stood since 1978. Ware is the first player to ever score 50 points in a game twice in a season in Orange County history. She did it in the span of three games. Ware scored all but one of the Red Wolves points in the second half as Cedar Ridge earned its fourth win of the year. Ware has 12 20-point games this season ever since she made her debut in a Red Wolves uniform against Voyager Academy in December. Ware had her second 50-point game just hours removed from LeBron James setting the all-time NBA scoring record against Oklahoma City in Los Angeles. While she sometimes looks up to James, Ware is a big Jayson Tatum fan. Cedar Ridge will start play in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament on Monday night against an opponent to be determined. There’s a chance Ware could face Western Alamance in the opening round, where Ware broke the county record last Friday.

Cedar Ridge’s Amiyah Ware discusses scoring 51 points vs. Durham School of the Arts

Cedar Ridge women’s basketball guard Amiyah Ware made more history in the Red Wolves regular season finale. On Wednesday night, Ware scored 51 points as the Red Wolves defeated Durham School of the Arts 65-57 at Sykes Gymnasium. It came just five days after Ware scored 54 points against Western Alamance, breaking the Orange County record which had stood since 1978.

DURHAM–It would be easy to draw comparisons between Amiyah Ware and LeBron James.

Just 24 hours removed from James breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA all-time scoring record, Ware made her own history inside Durham’s venerable Paul Sikes Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Against the Durham School of the Arts, Ware scored 51 points to propel the Cedar Ridge women’s team past the Bulldogs 65-57 in the Red Wolves’ regular season finale.

She became the first player in the history of Orange County, male or female, to have two 50-point games in the same season. It happened only five days after Ware set the Orange County record by scoring 54 points against Western Alamance, She topped the record set by Orange High’s Ronnie McAdoo in 1978 when he scored 53 against Southern Durham.

Like millions of others, Ware stayed up past her bedtime late Tuesday night to watch James sink a fadeaway for his 38,353rd point. Just as James captured the attention of the sports world, Ware’s domination of the Bulldogs riveted the fans inside Sikes Gymnasium, practically a miniature version of Cameron Indoor Stadium with bleachers on the lower-level and six rows of dark blue wooden seats circling the upper-deck and a crow’s nest.

Except Ware is more of a Jayson Tatum girl. She watched him play for her college team, Duke, growing up and thinks he’ll lead the Celtics to its 18th World Championship this year.

Ware closed out Cedar Ridge’s regular season by avenging an earlier loss to the Bulldogs. On November 21, the Bulldogs rolled past the Red Wolves 55-26 in Cedar Ridge’s home opener.

It should come as no surprise that Ware wasn’t in the lineup that night for the Red Wolves, still working her way back from a torn ACL in her right knee suffered last spring.

On Wednesday night, there was all sorts of obstacles that Ware overcame to lead the Red Wolves to its fourth straight victory of the year. At halftime, Cedar Ridge went to the locker room leading 32-28, with Ware scoring 18 in the first half. Yet when the Red Wolves walked out to start the second half, the overhead scoreboard read 32-30, the first of several discrepancies between the two teams’ scorekeepers on the night. After lengthy deliberation between the three officials, Cedar Ridge started the half with its four-point lead intact.

In the second half, Ware scored 33 of Cedar Ridge’s 34 points. Senior Grace Young’s fourth quarter free throw was the only exception to the Red Wolves’ second half scoring total.

Ware had to play the final quarter with four fouls. On the other hand, she fouled out three DSA guards sacrificed with the unenviable task of defending her all night. That included Lindsay Suitt and Nylah Daniels, the Bulldogs’ top two scorers.

Late in the game, a DSA reserve got extra aggressive and caught Ware with a hand across the face, which fired up the Cedar Ridge bench, not to mention Ware. Late in the game, Ware laid down a crossover move on another DSA substitute which left the hapless  Bulldog sprawling to the floor flat on her backside, sending every fan in the gym reeling. It led to Ware’s final free throws of the game.

Ware’s latest extraordinary effort led to a successful farewell for seniors Cameron Copeland, Cierra Copeland, Grace Young, Beysi Asencio, and Deepmala Ford-Williams, all of whom won their final regular season game.

Men’s Basketball: Durham School of the Arts 62, Cedar Ridge 56

Cedar Ridge hoped that a viral campaign to make guard Landon Dalehite eligible for Wednesday’s game against Durham School of the Arts would be enough to carry the Red Wolves to victory.

Though Dalehite was allowed to play by the NCHSAA, DSA was able to avenge a loss from November.

Josh Dorsette scored 25 points as the Bulldogs (6-16) defeated the Red Wolves 62-56. Early in the third quarter, Cedar Ridge took a 35-34 lead after a lay-in by Colton Taylor, who paced the Red Wolves with 21 points. Cedar Ridge built its lead to 37-34 after a transition basket by Taylor on a feed from Dalehite. Shortly afterwards, Taylor was called for his third and fourth fouls, which sent him out of the game for the final 3:02 of the third quarter.

The Cedar Ridge scorekeeper had Taylor for one foul at the end of the first half, but the Durham School of the Arts scorekeeper had him with two. The home scorebook is the official scorebook for all games at non-neutral sites.

After Taylor picked him his fourth foul, Cedar Ridge was never able to regain momentum offensively. Jaden Haynes drilled a 3-pointer late in the third quarter to put the Bulldogs back ahead. Dorsetts scored eight points in the fourth quarter.

Cedar Ridge (6-15) will start play in the Central Carolina Conference Tournament on Monday night against an opponent to be determined. If Orange defeats Eastern Alamance this Friday, and if Person knocks off Walter Williams, then the Red Wolves will travel to Orange for the opening round.

On Tuesdays night in Burlington, Walter Williams defeated Cedar Ridge. Dalehite was ejected after two technical fouls that Red Wolves coach Mike Jones, along with many others on the team, took issue with. It led to the Cedar Ridge Instagram account starting a viral campaign named #Freelando. It worked, as Dalehite was cleared to play by the NCHSAA hours before tipoff.

Women’s Basketball: Cedar Ridge 65, Durham School of the Arts 57: 

Cedar Ridge: Amiyah Ware 51, Annora Leaf 2, Grace Young 4, Jamee Rose Watson 8.

Durham School of the Arts: Nylah Daniels 15, Lindsay Suitt 27, Eboseta Arhuidese 11, Genesis Danies 2, Tatyana Cheek 2.

3-pointers: Cedar Ridge 2 (Watson 2) Durham School of the Arts 3 (Daniels 3)

Fouled Out: Durham School of the Arts (Suitt, Daniels, Kamryn Ettson)

Men’s Basketball: Durham School of the Arts 62, Cedar Ridge 56

Cedar Ridge: Colton Taylor 21, Jonovan Wingate 4, Hayden Kirk 5, Braedon Wilbourn 8, Landon Dalehite 4, Harrison Perel 2, Luke Orstad 6, Corin Wingate 6.

Durham School of the Arts: Darryn Johnson 10, Josh Dorsette 25, Kaleb Lucas 6, Jaden Haynes 17, Billy Dupree 4.

3-Pointers: Cedar Ridge 3 (Taylor, Orstad, Wilbourn) Durham School of the Arts 4 (Dorsette 2, Haynes 2)

Just a day after National Women in Sports Day, Cedar Ridge junior Amiyah Ware set a mark that will likely live on for decades.

Unless she breaks it herself. Again.

Ware scored 54 points for Cedar Ridge in a 69-64 loss to Western Alamance at Coach Erma Adams Court in Elon. She broke a series of records and milestones. For starters, she shattered her own school record, which she set in her first game in a Cedar Ridge uniform when she scored 37 points against East Chapel Hill on December 6 at Wildcats Gymnasium. Ware tied her own record last month against Eastern Alamance in Hillsborough.

She also broke the county record, regardless of gender, that had stood since 1978. Orange High’s Ronnie McAdoo held the previous Orange County record when he scored 53 points in a 92-76 win over Southern Durham on January 24, 1978. McAdoo, who went on to play at Old Dominion, accomplished the feat without the benefit of a 3-point line, which was introduced in North Carolina High School basketball in 1988.

No player from Chapel Hill, East Chapel Hill or Carrboro High has ever surpassed 50 points in a game in recorded history.

Ware’s total is the 10th-highest ever recorded in a women’s game, according to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association record book. She surpassed the 53 points compiled by Wendy Palmer, who played at Person High School, against Northern Durham in 1991. After Palmer graduated from Person, she went on to play at Virginia and eventually in the Women’s National Basketball Association, starting with the Utah Starzz, for eleven seasons.

The all-time women’s record in North Carolina is held by Clinton’s Mikayla Boykin, who scored 63 points for Clinton against Pender County in 2017. Boykin, now with the Charlotte 49ers, holds the top-two spots on the all-time single-game list. She scored 62 points against Triton in 2016.

“It was inhuman, honestly,” said Cedar Ridge women’s coach Megan Skouby. “She played her butt off tonight, scoring 54 points out of 64 total points. She has absolutely been a game changer for us. She leads the floor. She’s our point guard. Teams have to concentrate so much on her. And when she’s on, she is just unstoppable.”

It’s the most points scored in a women’s game since Charlotte Sherrill tallied 56 for Blue Ridge High School against Nantahala in 2021.

Ware has changed the fate of the Cedar Ridge women’s team after she transferred from the Burlington School last summer. She tore the ACL in her right knee last spring, which led to her missing the opening six games of this season. The Red Wolves lost each of their first six games, but nearly won her in her debut at East Chapel Hill.

On December 9, Ware scored 19 points as the Red Wolves defeated Person 50-27 in Roxboro, which ended Cedar Ridge’s 39-game conference losing streak. It was Cedar Ridge’s first conference win since February 8, 2019.

Since then, Ware has scored over 20 points in nine consecutive games. She had 34 points against Eastern Alamance on Tuesday night, her final home game of the season.

Cedar Ridge will end its regular season this week. They will wrap up Central Carolina Conference regular season play at Walter Williams in Burlington on Tuesday night. The Red Wolves will face Durham School of the Arts at Paul Sykes Gymnasium on Wednesday night. Cedar Ridge will start play in the CCC Tournament on February 13.

“I saw some real growth from our team against Western Alamance,” Skouby said. “Not just from Amiyah, but our defense looked really good. We were very aggressive. We’ve definitely gotten better as the year has gone on. They just have to continue that and hopefully. If we played like we did tonight against some of these other teams, we wouldn’t be where we are now. Let’s just put it that way.”