Cedar Ridge Women’s Basketball

DURHAM–It had been 724 days since Cedar Ridge women’s basketball’s last win. Anyone who followed the team knew that once they finally ended its losing streak, it would be a rich moment.

Once it arrived on Monday night, no one knew how dramatic or poetic it would be.

Senior guard Phoenix Smith knocked down a 3-foot baseline jumper off a feed from Julie Altieri with three seconds remaining to propel the Red Wolves past Northern Durham 45-44 at Poe Gymtorium on Monday night to end a 26-game losing streak. It was Cedar Ridge’s first win under new head coach Megan Skouby, a former University of Iowa center who joined the school last summer after serving as a coach at South Iredell.

Cedar Ridge’s last win came on December 12, 2019, when they defeated South Granville 44-29 in Hillsborough.

The Red Wolves, who led by ten points at the half, lost its lead in the final minute. Northern Durham (1-3) could have run out the clock to send the Red Wolves back to Hillsborough with another close loss, but the Knights were called for a 3-second violation with ten seconds remaining.

“All I told them was ‘you’ve got ten seconds. Push it and they’re either going to foul you or you’re going to get someone up the court,'” Skouby said. “They did great. Luckily, Julie was able to see the floor and she got up to Phoenix. Phoenix caught the ball, which was number one, and got that shot up. It went in.”

Last Tuesday, Cedar Ridge had a six-point lead against Voyager Academy with 1:05 remaining, but lost 36-35 in overtime. Three days later, the Red Wolves led East Chapel Hill 32-26 with 4:00 left, but the Wildcats scored the game’s final 13 points to win 39-32.

As painful as those near-misses were, it may have been worth it if Smith could be the hero once the elusive win finally came. Last season, the Red Wolves played several games with only five players when injuries and the pandemic left them without any substitutes. Knowing she would have to play all 32 minutes before the opening tip, Smith was out there as the team’s point guard ready to face insurmountable odds, along with Cierra Copeland, Cameron Copeland, Anjelica Carbajal and Bryn Booker.

Smith, a three-sport athlete, was one of three seniors on the Cedar Ridge volleyball team that just won the 3A State Championship.

“Phoenix works her but off every day for you,” Skouby said. “That’s all you can ask. She works hard. She was out there last year working hard. This year, she can go a little harder because she does have someone who can go in for her every so often if we need to, which is nice. She’s on the floor being aggressive.”

When Skouby took over as women’s basketball coach, her first obvious order of business was to increase the roster. She served as an assistant to Fiona Cunningham in volleyball, where juniors Julie Altieri and Grace Young agreed to join the team. Since August, she’s walked the hallways of Cedar Ridge looking to get people to go out for the team. She was so successful that she actually had to cut six players from the roster last month.

Altieri has been a starting guard for each of Cedar Ridge’s four games. Though she hasn’t played an organized basketball game since she was in seventh grade, Altieri leads the team with 10.7 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game.

Young scored nine points against East Chapel Hill last Friday. It was the first time that she played in a basketball game since she was eight years old.

Cedar Ridge will start Central Carolina Conference play against Western Alamance tonight. It figures to be a tough league with Northwood (who reached the 3A Eastern Regional championship game last year), Eastern Alamance and Person leading the way.

But the losing streak that has permeated Red Wolves basketball for nearly two years is now a thing of the past.

*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.

Robert Jones: After capturing the gold medal at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships in the high jump, former Cedar Ridge Red Wolf Robert Jones earned his third victory of the season. Last weekend, Jones finished first in the men’s high jump at the Aggie Classic Twilight at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. Jones’ winning jump was 2.05 meters. This season, Jones has not finished outside the top-five in any of the events he’s competed in. He now heads to the NCAA Eastern Regional Championships, which will start Thursday inside Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team’s season came to an end over the weekend in the Stillwater Regional of the NCAA Softball Tournament. The Bulldogs opened play with a 3-1 win over Boston University on Friday afternoon at Cowgirl Stadium in Stillwater, OK. On Saturday afternoon, #5 Oklahoma State defeated Mississippi State 9-3. In the elimination game on Saturday night, Mississippi State easily defeated Campbell 12-0 in five innings. Oklahoma State eliminated the Bulldogs 10-2 in five innings on Sunday afternoon. Mia Davidson opened the tournament going 1-for-3 against the Terriers. She had an RBI fielder’s choice to score Aquana Brownlee in the fifth inning. In the first game against the Cowgirls, Mia went 1-for-3. Against Campbell, Davidson hit the 69th home run of her career. That moved her into sole possession of 2nd place all-time in Southeastern Conference history. It was also her third home run in the NCAA Tournament for Mississippi State, another school record. Mississippi State broke a school record with four home runs in an NCAA Tournament game. In the third inning, Mia tagged out Campbell’s Katelyn Chisholm at the plate. Davidson went 1-for-2 in her final game of the season. Mississippi State took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning after Davidson drove in a run with a single up the middle. It was her seventh career RBI in the NCAA Tournament, which is third in school history. She also reached base for the 20th straight game, a new career-high. Mia ended the year with a .311 batting average after starting all 60 of the Bulldogs’ games. She was second on the team with 17 home runs. She also registered 42 RBIs. Davidson, who was accepted into graduate’s school last month, will enter her senior season only two home runs shy of the SEC record, held by Florida’s Lauren Haeger.

Montana Davidson: Montana started all four of Mississippi State’s games at third base in the NCAA Tournament. Against Boston University, she singled up the middle in the sixth to knock in Christian Quinn for the game’s final run. Montana finished 1-for-3 against the Terriers. She went 0-for-3 against Oklahoma State. Later in the day against Campbell, Montana finished 1-for-3. She scored in the 3rd inning off a Carter Spexarth. On Sunday, Davidson drove in the final Mississippi State run of the year with a single in the 2nd inning. For the season, Montana finished with a .252 batting average in 58 games. She had three home runs and 21 RBIs. Mississippi State finished the year 34-23, which included an 8-game winning streak down the stretch. Montana is a senior, but can opt for another year of eligibility after the COVID-19 pandemic ended the 2020 season before the NCAA Tournament started.

Tori Dalehite: After winning the Southern Conference Championship for the first time, the UNC Greensboro softball team participated in the NCAA Tournament for the first time this weekend. Duke defeated the Spartans 2-0 in the opening game of the Athens, Georgia regional at the University of Georgia. Western Kentucky ended the Spartans season 8-4 in the elimination game at Jack Turner Stadium. Dalehite, a freshman, didn’t play in either game. This year, Dalehite appeared in 12 games, almost exclusively as a pinch runner. She had one at-bat, walked once and scored six runs. UNCG finished 34-17, 14-4 in the Southern Conference.

Once again, we go back into the time machine for this week’s Retro Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week. This time, we journey back to the week beginning January 17 for Cedar Ridge women’s basketball guard Phoenix Smith. This year, Cedar Ridge was hit hard by COVID-19 and injuries. Quite often, Cedar Ridge only had five players for games. Despite having no reserves, Phoenix started at point guard and didn’t back down. A junior, Smith was in her this season on the varsity level. Now, Smith is bringing her strong work ethic to the Cedar Ridge women’s track and field team. Smith has finished 2nd in the pole vault during a meet at Southern Durham last week. She also ran in the 100-meter dash, where she finished fourth. On Thursday at Cedar Ridge, Smith competed against East Chapel Hill and Chapel Hill. She managed to establish a new personal best in the 100 meter dash. Now, Smith has a goal of reaching the regional championships next month, whether its for the pole vault or the 100-meter dash. Next week Cedar Ridge will compete against Northwood and Orange during a tri-meet at Northwood High in Pittsboro. Congratulations to a tribute in perseverance, this week’s Retro Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week, Phoenix Smith.

Jaylin Jones: Jones was named to the Division III USA South Athletic Conference first-team as a short-stick defensive midfielder over the weekend. Jones, who played lacrosse and football at Orange, also was named to the USA South All-East Division first-team. On Saturday, Pfeiffer captured the USA South East Division championship with a 13-11 win over Greensboro College at Lefko Field in Misenheimer. It was Pfeiffer’s tenth consecutive victory, a school record. Jones had two ground balls and created two turnovers. Next weekend, Pfeiffer will face Piedmont College for the USA South Conference championship at Lefko Field. The winner advances to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Montana Davidson: On Friday, the former Orange High shortstop hit two home runs for the Mississippi State softball team in an 8-7 loss to South Carolina at Carolina Softball Stadium in Columbia, S.C. In the second inning, Montana drilled a two-run homer to centerfield. In the fourth, Davidson hit a solo blast to left field. Montana finished 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs. Mississippi State bounced back with wins on Saturday and Sunday to take the series. On Saturday, Montana had an RBI off a fielder’s choice to wrap up a 6-run 1st inning as the Bulldogs won 6-2. Davidson went 2-for-3 with an RBI double as Mississippi State won 7-1. For the weekend, Montana hit .400 with a team-high 6 RBIs.

Mia Davidson: Mia tied a Mississippi State record with her 67th career home run in Sunday’s win over the Gamecocks. Davidson hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to tie Rafael Palmeiro for the most home runs in Mississippi State history, baseball or softball. Mia is now in 3rd place in Southeastern Conference softball history for career home runs behind Florida’s Lauren Haeger (71) and Georgia’s Alyssa DiCarlo (69). Davidson also drew a walk with the bases loaded against the Gamecocks in the sixth inning. On Saturday, Mia drove in the Bulldogs’ opening run with another bases loaded walk. She finished 1-for-3. On Friday, she went 0-for-3. Mississippi State is now 27-22, 3-15 in the SEC.

Tori Dalehite: On Saturday, Mercer defeated UNC Greensboro softball 2-1 in the opening game of a doubleheader at Sikes Field in Macon, GA. Dalehite entered the game as a pinch runner. The Spartans rebounded to win the final two games of the series and are now 28-15 overall, 11-4 in the Southern Conference.

Jaden Hurdle: On the weekend she celebrated her 19th birthday, Hurdle had several strong performances for the Patrick Henry Community College softball team. On Sunday, Patrick Henry swept a doubleheader from Surry Community College in Martinsville, VA. In the opening 4-3 win, Hurdle earned the save as she threw the final two-thirds of an inning. She surrendered one hit. At the plate, Hurdle went 0-for-3. The Patriots won the nightcap 4-0. Hurdle hit her ninth home run of the season. She also had an RBI double and finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored. On Friday, Florence-Darlington Technical College swept a doubleheader from Patrick Henry by identical 5-2 scores. In the opener, Hurdle went 1-for-3 with a double. Patrick Henry finished the regular season 19-17 overall, 13-7 in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association. The Patriots finished 3rd in the Region X West Division, only one game behind first-place Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. In 34 games, Hurdle hit .356 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs. On May 14, Patrick Henry will be in the Region 10 Tournament at Springwood Park in Burlington.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team split a doubleheader with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute at Highland Recreation Center in Hickory on Saturday. Catawba Valley took the opener 9-2. Andrews, starting a shortstop, went 1-for-4 with a two-run single in the first inning. Andrews later scored off a double by Lillie Pennington. CCTI took the second game 14-7. Andrews went 2-for-4 with a two-run double in the 3rd inning. Catawba Valley finished the regular season 23-11, 12- 8 in Region X. Andrews played in all of the Red Hawks’ games and was second on the team with a .461 batting average (10th in Region X). She led the team with 53 hits (4th in Region X) and 41 RBIs (tied for 4th in Region X). Andrews also scored 35 runs (3rd on the team), hit eleven doubles (2nd on the team), and eight home runs (2nd). She goes into the Region X Tournament on a 7-game hitting streak.

Landon Riley: Riley earned his second win of the season for the Liberty baseball team in a 9-8 victory over Bellarmine on Sunday. In one-third of an inning, Riley surrendered three runs off three hits. It was only the second game this year where Riley surrendered a run. The Flames earned the walkoff win in the bottom of the ninth inning when Logan Mathieu hit a two-run homer. The Flames are now 30-11, 14-1 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Bryse Wilson: Wilson was optioned by the Atlanta Braves to the team’s alternate training site after he started Thursday’s game against the Chicago Cubs. In three innings, Wilson surrendered seven runs off four hits with two walks and one strikeout. The Cubs won 9-3 and Wilson fell to 1-2 on the year.

Natalie Chandler: The #2 UNC women’s soccer team has started play in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels defeated Denver 2-0 in Matthews on Friday. Chandler, who was the captain of the Orange women’s soccer team in her junior and senior seasons, is a senior for the Tar Heels. UNC will face Washington at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary on Wednesday.

Kayla Hodges: On Thursday afternoon, the Elon women’s soccer team surprised top-seeded Hofstra 1-0 in the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament in Towson, MD. Hodges, who was named the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season, started for the Phoenix on defense. Claire Broderdop scored the game’s only goal in the 78th minute. It’s the first time that Elon ever defeated Hofstra. The Phoenix is now 5-3 and will face UNC Wilmington for the Colonial Athletic Association championship on Sunday afternoon.

Taylin Jean: The Division II Limestone women’s soccer team came to an end with a 1-0 loss to Queen’s University in the semifinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament last Thursday. Jean, a goalkeeper, didn’t play against the Royals. She earned the victory in net during Limestone’s final win of the season, a 2-1 win over Lincoln Memorial on April 5.

Jordan Rogers: The Division III William Peace women’s soccer team had its season end against Mary Baldwin on March 26. This season, Rogers started in all eight games for the Pacers. She played 443 minutes. Peace finished 3-5 overall, 2-4 in the USA South Athletic Conference.

Bailey Lucas: The Meredith volleyball team’s season came to an end on Wednesday in the semifinals of the USA Southeast Division Tournament. Averett defeated the Avenging Angels 3-1 on scores of 26-24, 21-25, 25-23, 25-20 inside the Grant Center in Danville, VA. Lucas ended her junior season by starting the final game of the season. She compiled 16 assists, 15 digs and one kill. Lucas led the team with 314 assists this year. She was fourth in the squad with 108 digs. Meredith ends the year 9-5.

Mia Davidson: The Mississippi State softball team won both of its midweek games this week. The Bulldogs defeated Samford 8-5 in Birmingham, AL on Tuesday. Davidson went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the 7th inning. On Wednesday, Mississippi State edged Southern Miss 3-2 in eight innings at Nusz Park in Starkville, MS. Davidson went 1-for-3 with a single in the 1st inning, and eventually scored.

Montana Davidson: Montana hit an RBI single in the fourth inning for Mississippi State against Samford. In the third inning, Montana scored in the third inning off an RBI single by Fa Leilua. She finished 1-for-2 with an RBI against Samford. Against Southern Miss, Montana went 0-for-2 with a walk. Mississippi State is 22-16 and will travel to Missouri this weekend searching for its first Southeastern Conference win of the season.

Brandon Andrews: The former Cedar Ridge pitcher made his debut for Jacksonville State last month. In one-thirds of an inning, Andrews gave up three runs off two hits as the Gamecocks lost to Kennesaw State 12-10 at Stillwell Stadium in Kennesaw, GA on March 24. After two seasons and 37 relief appearances at Nicholls State, Andrews transferred to Jacksonville State last summer. He redshirted last season with Nicholls State. Jacksonville State is 16-15, 7-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Gamecocks will travel to Eastern Kentucky this weekend.

Kate Burgess: Burgess, a former center for the Orange women’s basketball team and cross country runner, is now a member of the UNC rowing team. On March 27, UNC’s 1V4+ quad earned its first win of the season over UCF at Virginia’s South Fork River Reservoir in Charlottesville, VA. Burgess was in the 2V4 race, joined by freshman coxswain Isabelle McGimsey, along with Gigi Maroney, Nicole Van Liew and Claire Melgard. They finished the race in 8:10.9. UCF’s team finished in 8:05.7.

Jaylin Jones: The Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team defeated Greensboro College 18-8 at Lefko Field in Misenheimer on Wednesday. Jones, who played football and lacrosse at Orange, had two ground balls for the Falcons. Pfeiffer improved to 8-1 overall, 6-0 in the USA South Athletic Conference. Pfeiffer will face Methodist in Fayetteville on Saturday.

The Orange women’s basketball team made a living off its high-low combination in its half-court offense throughout the abbreviated season.

So it’s only natural that tandem, which proved to be a difficult matchup for many teams, would wind up on the All-Big 8 Conference team.

Junior point guard Aaliyah Harris and sophomore center Erin Jordan-Cornel were both named to the All-Conference team on Monday morning. Cedar Ridge senior guard Nadia Oswald, who played three varsity seasons, was the only Red Wolf named to the All-Conference team.

Harris, in her third year on the varsity, was the point guard for an Orange team that finished 6-4. Without backcourt mate Mary Moss Wirt, Harris was second on the team with 10.6 points per game. She led the team with 15 3-pointers and was second on the squad with 106 points.

During Orange’s five-game winning streak, Harris scored in double figures every game. She had 16 points and a season-high five assists against Southern Durham on January 22 in a 61-39 victory. In a 57-40 win at Vance County on February 6, Harris tied her season-high with 16 points. The victory led Orange to face Chapel Hill with a trip to the state playoffs on the line.

Jordan-Cornell, fresh off a strong season with the Orange volleyball team, led Orange with 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Despite being a 5-11 center, Jordan-Cornell was also third on the team with 16 assists.

Jordan-Cornell’s best games came against Southern Durham. In Hillsborough on January 22, she had a season-high 19 points and eleven rebounds. In Orange’s season finale at Spartan Gymnasium, Jordan-Cornell finished with 14 points, including a go-ahead basket off a feed from Jarmil Wingate with 1:55 remaining in the fourth quarter after Orange trailed the entire game.

Jordan-Cornell had five double-doubles, starting with eleven points and ten rebounds on January 15 against Northwood, who would go on to win the Big 8 Championship for the second straight year. She also had 15 points and 14 rebounds against Vance County on February 6. She ended the year with 14 points and 16 rebounds against Southern.

Oswald played in four games before her senior season came to a premature end due to an injury. She had 18 points against Northern Durham on February 9. Oswald was a three-year member of the varsity team and often came up with big shots during Cedar Ridge victories. As a sophomore, Oswald drilled a key 3-pointer as the Red Wolves surprised Orange 44-37, an Orange team that would win 19 games and host a 3A State Playoff game.

Cedar Ridge was honored with the sportsmanship award. With Oswald out and other players busy with practice for other sports, the Red Wolves played several games with only five players. Against Orange, Cedar Ridge only suited up Phoenix Smith, Anjelica Carbajal, Bryn Booker, Cameron Copeland and Cierra Copeland. After the final buzzer sounded, Cedar Ridge principal Dr. Carlos Ramirez applauded the team as the exhausted players came to the bench.

Phoenix Smith was named honorable mention All-Big 8 for the Red Wolves. She played in all eight of the Red Wolves games and led the team in scoring (among players who played more than two games) with 5.3 points per game.

Junior Jarmil Wingate was named honorable mention All-Big 8 for Orange. At 5-foot-2, Wingate was still second on the team with six rebounds per game. Wingate, who broke the school record for 200 meters in her freshman year, was a regular starter at power forward for the Lady Panthers.

Northwood’s Cameron Vernon was named Big 8 Coach of the Year. The Chargers captured the Big 8 Championship for the second year in a row. Northwood finished 11-0 and ends the Big 8 season having won 22 consecutive conference games. The Chargers lost to Asheboro in the 3A Eastern Regional Championship game.

Northern Durham’s Maya Hood was named Big 8 Player of the Year.

it would have been very easy for the Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team to simply stay home on Wednesday. They had only five players, three of whom were freshmen, available for its game against Orange. But the Red Wolves wanted to compete against their crosstown rivals, even if it meant playing its second game in as many days. For that, Cameron Copeland, Bryan Booker, Phoenix Smith, Angelica Carbajal and Cierra Copeland deserve nothing but respect. For the second night in a row, they played all 32 minutes without any substitutions. Cedar Ridge Principal Carlos Ramirez applauded the team as the final buzzer sounded and the players went to the bench.

The first burst of severe weather this winter wasn’t a snowstorm. It was thunderstorms and high winds, which has led the Cedar Ridge and Orange basketball teams to reschedule its final home games.

Cedar Ridge’s game against East Chapel Hill, originally scheduled for Friday night, was rescheduled for Monday night at 7. The Red Wolves’ women’s basketball team will play at East Chapel Hill on Monday night at 7.

The Orange men’s basketball team not only had to adjust its game against Chapel Hill on Friday, but also its final home game of the year against Southern Durham.

The Panthers’ men’s basketball team will face Chapel Hill on Monday night at home at 7:30. The Orange women’s basketball team travels to Chapel Hill on Monday night.

Originally, the Orange men had its senior night game scheduled against Southern Durham on Tuesday. Now, the game has been rescheduled for Wednesday night at 7:30. The Orange women will also travel to Southern Durham on Wednesday.

The Orange men will conclude its regular season with a road trip to Northern Durham at Poe Gymtorium next Thursday. The Orange women will have its senior night game against the Lady Knights next Thursday, which will be the final home game for Lady Panthers senior Grace Andrews.

The Big 8 Conference Tournament will start February 17. All four basketball teams will be on the road for their respective first round games.

Orange’s Senior Night game will be the final home game for seniors Joey McMullin and Tucker Miller. It will be an unusual ending to an awkward season for McMullin, in particular. On the opposite sideline will be Southern coach Greg Motley, who was McMullin’s coach for his first two seasons at Orange. Motley, who coached Orange for 20 years before resigning at the end of the 2017-18 season, still teaches Economics at Orange and even has several current Panther players as his students. McMullen was one of them earlier this year, as was Orange’s starting point guard J.J. Thompson.

Of the four local teams, the Orange women have the best chance to make the state playoffs, despite a rash of injuries and losing four starters from last year. The Lady Panthers nearly turned the Big 8 Conference standings over on its ear on Thursday night, carrying league leader Northwood to overtime. The Chargers came away with a 51-44 victory, but only after Orange missed two free throws with three seconds remaining with the score tied at 44-44.

The Lady Panthers are 10-9, 4-7 in the Big 8 Conference.

While the Cedar Ridge men held its senior night ceremonies against Orange on January 31, Monday’s game against East Chapel Hill will be the official final home game for Mekai Collins, K.J. Barnes, Andrew Altieri, Jai’kel Gibbs, Zach Holmes, Grayson Ramos and Cameron Hartley. With a win, the Red Wolves would have its first three-game winning streak since early December 2016.

The Cedar Ridge men will conclude its regular season with a road trip to Southern Durham on Thursday.

For the third time in four years, there’s a chance the same school could win both the Big 8 men’s and women’s regular season championships. In the men’s standings, Northwood is 10-1, one game ahead of Southern Durham and Vance County. The Chargers end the year with road trips to Northern Durham and East Chapel Hill before finishing with a home game against Vance County. The Chargers defeated the Vipers 72-55 on January 21. Northwood and Southern Durham split their season series.

After escaping against Orange, Northwood leads the Big 8 Conference with a 10-1 record. Southern Durham, who lost both games to the Chargers, is 9-2.

Orange swept both basketball races in 2016-17. Hillside did it last year.

Schedule for the final week of the regular season:

Cedar Ridge men:

Monday: vs. East Chapel Hill in Hillsborough at 7.

Tuesday: at Vance County

Thursday: at Southern Durham

Cedar Ridge women:

Monday: at East Chapel Hill

Tuesday: at Vance County

Thursday: at Southern Durham

Orange men:

Monday: vs. Chapel Hill at 7:30

Wednesday: vs. Southern Durham 7:30

Thursday: at Northern Durham 7:30

Orange women:

Monday: at Chapel Hill

Wednesday: at Southern Durham

Thursday: vs. Northern Durham