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Cold shooting and too much Zion Copeland led to Cedar Ridge’s seventh loss in eight games.

Northern Vance never trailed in defeating the Red Wolves 68-52 on Friday night in Henderson. Kalin Jackson scored 14 points to lead the Vikings (10-7, 3-2 in the Big 8), while Zion Copeland scored 12 points and grabbed 20 rebounds.

Dmonte Kinney led the Red Wolves with 19 points, but Khalil Barnett was the only other CRHS player in double figures (11 points). The Red Wolves shot just 23% from the field and finished 5-of-24 from 3-point range.

When Northern Vance wasn’t scoring, they were scoring on stickbacks. In the first half, the Vikings rebounded 43% of their missed shots.

The Vikings surged out to a 12-4 lead, punctuated by an ally-oop dunk on an inbounds pass from Noah Seward to Jackson, which sent the half-full gym into a frenzy.

The impact of that dunk may have impacted the young Red Wolves. Northern Vance promptly went on a 9-2 run to finish the first quarter ahead 21-9. The Vikings shot 52% in the opening eight minutes and forced five turnovers.

Trailing 48-31 going into the fourt quarter, CRHS went on a 10-1 run, spurred by consecutive 3-pointers from Kinney. With the Red Wolves trailing 49-41, freshman center B.J. Freeman tried to draw a charge on the Vikings’ Malik Glasco, but was called for a block. The Cedar Ridge bench was called for a technical foul in protest, and Glasco drained three of the four subsequent free throws that ended the Red Wolves’ last threat.

The road doesn’t get any easier for the Red Wolves. They have three conference games next week, starting at Southern Durham next week. They host J.F. Webb on Wednesday, then host Chapel Hill on Friday at 7.

CEDAR RIDGE: Dmonte Kinney 19, Khalil Barnett 11,  Terrance Crawford 3, Mekai Collins 4, Isaiah Brown 2, John Vaughn 1, Colby Cashaw 4, B.J. Freeman 8.

NORTHERN VANCE-Laquad Holden 5, Malik Glasco 13, Kaylen Jackson 14, Thomas Townes 4, Zion Copeland 12, Noah Seward 10, Kenton Pettaway 8, Tyronne Davis 2

Dynasties are more common in high school sports than at other levels of sports.

Orange wrestling is very likely to win its 15 consecutive conference championship by month’s end. Northern Durham football won 18 consecutive PAC-6 Championships from 1984-2001. East Chapel Hill boys and girls tennis won seven consecutive 3A state championships from 1998-2004 under coach Lindsey Linker, who also coached six state championship boys’ squads.

So when the apple cart gets turned over, people take notice.

Perhaps Cedar Ridge Girls Tennis Coach Lennie Corbett knew that was going to happen before anyone else did this year. Chapel Hill has ruled the Big 8 Conference in 2015, rolling to a 10-0 record. In fact, they had a combined 67-2 record against their conference rivals.

In August, Corbett said “I’m looking for big things from these girls this year.”

Did that include winning the school’s first-ever conference championship in girls tennis? Yes, it did. Corbett just didn’t say so at the time.

There was already core leadership returning in top singles player Tess Johnson, a returning All-Big 8 performer who advanced to the 2nd round of the 3-A Mideast Regionals in 2015. Johnson would remain the top singles player throughout the championship season. There was also Leah Thompson, who qualified for regionals in doubles with Maddie Allen in 2015.

But there was also the secret weapons. Freshman Olivia Ward, the daughter of Person High tennis coach Lynn Ward, went 14-4 during the season. Senior Serena Sauers finished 15-1, while Thompson registered a 14-2 mark. Senior Hanna Spear finished 8-0, while junior Kate Miller went 14-1.

Of course, every championship season has to have a defining moment. For Cedar Ridge, that came on September 7th, when they traveled to Chapel Hill and stunned the Tiers 6-3.

Milner clinched the victory with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 victory over Rachel Thomas at #6 singles. Sauers defeated Sarah Combs 6-2, 6-4 at #3 singles, while Spear grinder out possibly the most important victory of the day, beating Megan Wu 3-6, 6-2, 10-8.

Ward clinched Cedar Ridge’s opening win with another three-set affair, beating Hailey Polska 6-4, 2-6, 11-9.

Thompson captured her match at #3 singles over Lauren Bolzan 6-4, 6-4, then teamed with Lutz to defeat Polska and Wu 7-7 (7-5).

On September 28, Cedar Ridge would clinch the Big 8 Championship by beating Chapel Hill again 5-1 in Hillsborough. The highlight of that day was Ward defeating Lauren Bolzano 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 to improve to 10-3 on the season.

Things would only get better during the Big 8 Tournament at Orange High Tennis courts. The Big 8 Doubles Championship match was an all-Cedar Ridge affair. Miller and Sauers captured the conference title by beating their teammates, Thompson & Lutz, 8-2.

In the most successful season in team history, the Red Wolves won its first playoff dual team match over Swansboro 9-0, then defeated Burlington Williams 5-3 to advance to the state quarters,. Ultimately, Terry Sanford ended the Red Wolves season.

Johnson, Thompson, Miller and Ward were all named to the Big 8 All Conference Team.

Cedar Ridge finished the most successful season in school history 19-2, 12-0 in the Big 8. They won 18 matches in a row, truly overturning conventional thinking, even if Corbett seemed to know before anyone else.

The cliche “A battle of two teams moving in opposite directions” doesn’t fit Orange’s 88-57 rout of Cedar Ridge on Saturday.

Really, it was a game between two teams at different stages of their programs.

At the very least, Orange has as much talent as its 2013-14 squad, which went 26-6 and advanced to the 3A Eastern Regional Final, where they lost to Wilson Hunt 66-60 at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville. That team, featuring Tay Jones, Jawad Chambers and Keegan Crabtree, was among the best in Greg Motley’s 20 years as Panthers head coach.

On Saturday, Orange started two seniors who have anchored the program the past two seasons. Connor Crabtree put the game away early in the third quarter when he stole a pass leading to a breakaway slam dunk, then fired in a 22-foot three-pointer which PA announcer Coach Charles Walker bellowed “was from the Tennessee state line” over the PA system. Crabtree finished with 31.

On the other hand, Cedar Ridge Coach Clay Jones is balancing life without all-time leading scorer Peyton Pappas, who graduated in May and is now at Catawba. By his own admission, Jones and Pappas had their ups and downs through a four-year relationship. Jones grudgingly accepted the occasional ill-timed technical foul or one-legged off-balance jumper, just as long as Pappas showed up ready to play…which he always did.

In Pappas’ absence, Cedar Ridge doesn’t have a coach on the floor, the thing that Jones loved about Pappas.

With only two seniors on the roster, Cedar Ridge started well against Orange. Center Colby Cashaw scored eight of his ten points in the first quarter and drew two fouls on Panthers center Logan Vosburg. Crabtree was held to five points, yet Orange still led 21-13 going into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Crabtree found room to create off the dribble, which was bad news for the Red Wolves. Crabtree stuck a three-pointer with 2:42 remaining to put Orange ahead 39-26 at the half.

It would only get worse after a lazy Cedar Ridge turnover led Crabtree to a strip steal and dunk. Seconds later, Crabtree swished a three-pointer to send Motely’s Crew into a frenzy.

Freshman Joey McMullin finished with 16 for Orange, while Vosburg added 12. Junior Mitch Portman added ten.

Freshman center B.J. Freeman led Cedar Ridge with 13 points,. Another freshman, Mekai Collins, added twelve.

Orange (12-4, 5-0) remains in first place in the Big 8 at 5-0. They’re 12-4 overall. With exams this week, they play again Saturday at home against Northwood at 3:30.

Cedar Ridge (6-9, 1-4) will host J.F. Webb Thursday at 7:30 in an effort to keep its playoff hopes alive.

CEDAR RIDGE: Khalil Barnett 4, Terrence Crawford 8, Tahjai Hill-Wells 3, Mekai Collins 12, Colby Cashaw 10, Dmonte Kinney 6, B.J. Freeman 13, Khalil Hill 2.

ORANGE: Mitch Portman 10, Connor Crabtree 31, Joey McMullin 16, Logan Vosburg 12, Marquis Phelps 5, Ryan Sellers 5, Matt Atherton 4, Treshon Richardson 5.

In an already solid year for athletics at Orange, there are some teams whose dominance isn’t the least bit surprising.

Orange football went undefeated during the regular season, which was practically a foregone conclusion after beating Southern Durham 49-7 on September 23rd, midway through the year.

Orange wrestling is now 19-0 after winning five dual matches at the Havelock Duals on Friday. All that stands between the Panthers and a 15th conference championship is a showdown with Chapel Hill later this month.

On the other side of the expectations aisle are the Orange girls basketball team, who are now 15-0 after beating Cedar Ridge 59-43.

Not only have the Lady Panthers surpassed last year’s win total, they’re one win away from doubling it (8-17 in 2015-16).

The previous three years, they won 19 games. They’ve already secured its first winning season since 2009-10, when they went 12-11 under Don Herbert.

Perhaps it’s just a team that has come of age. Starters Kaylen Campbell, Mia Davidson, Bethlyn Early, Jazlyn Watson are all seniors, as are reserves Enzyah Holt, MaryBeth Dobbins, and Adalyn Fleming.

Playing its second game in 19 hours on Saturday, the Panthers used its depth to wear down Cedar Ridge. Davidson, who never saw a rebound she couldn’t contest, led Orange with 12 pints. Campbell added eleven, while Icez Barnett came off the bench for nine.

Cedar Ridge was shackled by foul trouble in a game that had no less than four players report to the locker room for various injuries in the first half. Late in the second quarter, Red Wolves leading scorer Carrie Davis suffered a cut over her left eye after colliding with Holt for a loose ball. Miniature drops of blood were scattered across the floor, causing a five-minute delay where Orange principal Eric Yarbrough and athletic director Mark McCauley wiping up the hardwood with paper towels.

CRHS’s Yolanda Simpson suffered a bloody nose during a similar scrum in the first quarter, while Orange’s Grace Dively limped off the floor after getting tangled up going for a rebound.

Cedar Ridge opened with a 3-1 lead, but Orange used its depth to quickly take the lead for the game’s duration. Barnett, Holt and Janae Myers all came off the bench to score field goals as Orange led 12-9 at the end of the first quarter.

Leading 29-20 at the half, the Panthers kept the lead in double digits after Davidson notched eight points in the third quarter. Campbell, who averages 12.9 point per game but was held without a field goal in the first half, scored nine points in the second half. Orange’s bench out scored Cedar Ridge’s 19-9.

Madison Wardlow, who couldn’t get into the flow of the game in the first half because of foul trouble, scored 13 to lead all scorers. Davis finished with ten.

Cedar Ridge (8-6, 2-3) goes into exams with its playoff future uncertain. Currently in 4th place in the Big 8 Conference, they host J.F. Webb on Thursday at 6 PM.

Meanwhile, Orange is tied for first in the Big 8 with Northwood, who is 5-0 despite losing three starters at the beginning of the season with torn ACLs. The Panthers travel to Pittsboro to face the Chargers next Saturday.

Rescheduling basketball games because of winter weather around North Carolina is almost as much of a tradition as the games themselves.

For starters, Orange and Cedar Ridge boys and girls had their respective games on Tuesday postponed. Cedar Ridge was supposed to host Webb. Instead, they will face Webb next Thursday in a tripleheader.

The Orange Boys were supposed to host Northwood on Tuesday, while the Orange girls were supposed to be on the road. Those games will be made up next Saturday (Orange boys at home, girls at Northwood). Both games will start at 3:30.

For those with long memories, Orange and Cedar Ridge had games postponed on December 16th. Orange was supposed to host a tripleheader against Northern Vance. Cedar Ridge was matched up against Southern Durham (boys at home, girls at Southern).

All of those games will be made up on February 1st. The Orange tripleheader vs. Northern Vance will start at 4:30 with the JV Boys game. The Cedar Ridge boys host Southern at 7, while the Girls team go to Spartans Gymnasium.

On top of all that, the Orange boys and girls had a doubleheader slated for Monday at Durham School of the Arts for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That has been cancelled.

In its place, Orange will host Jordan in a doubleheader on January 25th, starting with the girls game at 6.

Not many high school players surpass 1,000 points for their careers, but Connor Crabtree has done it. In fact, he has over 1,100 points now. After going over 1,000 points against Southern Durham, he had games of 37, 14 and 27 in earning MVP honors in the Eastern Guilford Holiday Classic. For good measure, he added a career-high 38 points against Chapel Hill on January 4th in an Orange victory.

Orange’s Connor Crabtree Talks 1,000 points and Scoring 38 vs. Chapel Hill

December was quite a month for Connor Crabtree. Before Christmas, he scored his 1,000th point against Southern Durham. He led Orange to the Eastern Guilford Holiday Classic Championship. To start 2017, he scored 38 points in a win over Chapel Hill.

For the 2nd time this season, Mitch Portman scored 15 points in a game. He did it last Thursday in Orange’s victory over Chapel Hill. He also scored 15 on December 28 in the Panthers’ 72-70 victory over Piedmont Classical in the first round of the Eastern Guilford Holiday Classic in Gibsonville.

Orange Guard Mitch Portman Talks the Win over Chapel Hill

Portman finished with 15 points against the Tigers, his fifth game in double figures this season.

All in all, the 2016 fall sports season has to be considered a solid one in Hillsborough.

Cedar Ridge and Orange each had one of its athletic teams win a Big 8 conference championship. There were four teams from each school (Cedar Ridge boys soccer, Orange volleyball, Cedar Ridge boys cross country and Orange girls cross country) that finished runner-up to Chapel Hill in the Big 8. Each of those Chapel Hill teams either won a state championship or played for one.

If there was one thing lacking, it was the amount of upsets. Perhaps because Orange and Cedar Ridge were evenly matched against each other or their league rivals in most sports.

In retrospect, there’s one match that stands out in bright, neon letters as the biggest upset of autumn: Cedar Ridge volleyball beating Chapel Hill on October 6.

The peculiar part of the Red Wolves’ upset is that Cedar Ridge had swept CHHS in 2015, each time in four games.

But Cedar Ridge didn’t merely undergo changes after the 2015 season, where they went 24-4, had a perfect Big 8 record and advanced to the fourth round of the 3A state playoffs.

They had a total extreme makeover.

On paper, it didn’t seem that Cedar Ridge’s losses would be massive after 2015. There were only two seniors: outside hitters Asha Barnes and Courtney Eckmann. Both valuable players who would be tough to replace, but there seemed to be enough players returning to make CRHS a factor in the Big 8 again.

Then Coach Charlie Oakley resigned in the winter to focus on starting a family. Rising senior Lily Henry suffered a torn ACL in the offseason. After playing in all 28 games in 2015, she was limited to 12 in 2016. Three rising seniors opted not to play volleyball to focus on other duties that come with being a senior in high school.

Just like that, the Red Wolves were without four starters and the head coach who took them to their greatest heights.

That’s only part of what made the win over CHHS so surprising.

Going into the match, Cedar Ridge had lost six of its last eight matches (not counting a forfeit victory over Bartlett Yancey on September 21). They had stumbled to a 4-6 start in Big 8 play, while the Tigers were riding an 11-game winning streak.

However, there were signs that Cedar Ridge was capability of pulling the upset in the first meeting with CHHS on September 13. The Red Wolves extending the match to five games, forcing the decisive fifth game with a 25-23 victory in the fourth set. The Tigers took the fifth 15-13 to improve to 9-3.

A month later, Cedar Ridge didn’t need a fifth set. Or a fourth one.

The Red Wolves rolled 25-20, 25-20 and 25-23. Meg Anderson and Alexis Dumain each had nine kills, while Kayla Robinette registered seven. Dumain, Anderson and Henry each had three aces. Linsday Thompson had a team-leading 18 digs, while Henry finished with 19 assists.

Cedar Ridge missed the playoffs and finished 8-14. Chapel Hill would play for the 3A state championship three weeks later against Concord Cox Mill in Reynolds Coliseum.

It wasn’t the year the Red Wolves wanted, but they can always lay claim to the biggest upset of 2016 in Hillsborough.