The Cedar Ridge women’s basketball team pulled off a huge victory over crosstown rival Orange on Tuesday night. Senior Madison Wardlow scored 23 points to push the Red Wolves past the Lady Panthers 43-36. It was Cedar Ridge’s first home win over Orange since 2016. Just as important were Natalia Garay’s six points, all in the first half. Cedar Ridge freshman Takia Nichols added six points. The Red Wolves didn’t trail after the first quarter, though Orange had several possessions to tie in the second half. Cedar Ridge is now 2-3 in the Big 8 Conference and host Apex Friendship on Wednesday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium. It was a gratifying win for Cedar Ridge, who will return to Big 8 Conference action on Friday at Northern Durham.

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is basketball forward Icez Barnett. Last week, Barnett helped the Orange women’s basketball team to a 2nd place finish in the Granville Central Holiday Tournament in Stem. In the semifinals, the Lady Panthers defeated Franklinton 55-48, ending the Rams’ seven-game winning streak. Barnett scored 15 points. In the championship game, Barnett scored 14 points in a loss to Ravenscroft. On Friday, Barnett put up eleven points as Orange defeated East Chapel Hill 40-33 for its first Big 8 Conference victory of the season. Barnett recently committed to Chowan College. She’s in her third season as a varsity player and aims to put Orange back in the state playoffs.

Orange Panther of the Week: Icez Barnett

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is basketball forward Icez Barnett. Last week, Barnett helped the Orange women’s basketball team to a 2nd place finish in the Granville Central Holiday Tournament in Stem. In the semifinals, the Lady Panthers defeated Franklinton 55-48, ending the Rams’ seven-game winning streak.

The Orange women’s basketball team had a struggle on Friday night, but defeated East Chapel Hill 40-35 at Wildcat Gymnasium for its first Big 8 Conference win of the season. Orange was held to a season-low 12 points in the first half, but scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to earn its seventh win away from home this season. Lauren Cates scored nine points in the fourth quarter and finished with a game-high 18 points. Icez Barnett added eleven. Orange, now 8-3, will play three games in four days next week. They face Cedar Ridge at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Tuesday night at 6, a game that can be heard on Hillsboroughsports.com.

The Cedar Ridge men’s basketball team returned to action on Friday night. Northwood defeated the Red Wolves 61-35 at Red Wolves Gymnasium. It was Cedar Ridge’s first game since December 18, when they faced Chapel Hill. It’s a young Red Wolves team that has no seniors on the roster. The good news is some young players are getting playing time. Freshman Derrick Smith is averaging 9.2 points per game. Cedar Ridge will return to action on Tuesday night facing crosstown rival Orange at 7:30. You can hear the game on Hillsboroughsports.com.

L

Orange guard Machai Holt scored a career-high 33 points on Saturday as the Panthers scored a season-high 88 points in a victory over Western Guilford in the 5th place game of the Eastern Guilford Christmas Holiday Basketball Tournament in Guilford. Mekai Collins added 24 points. Orange started the tournament with a disappointing loss to Northeast Guilford on December 27, but rebounded with a 70-61 win over Southeast Guilford the following day. Orange will return to Big 8 Conference action on Friday night with a trip to East Chapel Hill. Orange is 6-5, 0-1 in the Big 8 Conference.

If the standards for a technical foul that applied to Orange in the waning seconds of a tie game apply to the rest of high school basketball in North Carolina, head coaches may want to consider seat belts for their assistants immediately.

After leading 47-39 with 1:36 remaining, the Southern Lee Cavaliers finished the game with a 13-0 run to defeat the Panthers 50-47 inside Cavalier Gymnasium in Sanford on Wednesday night.

In its final nonconference game of the season, it appeared Orange was set to pull off its biggest win under Derryl Britt’s young tenure. They lead 50-45 with 1:00 remaining against a Southern Lee squad with a 10-3 record.

After Octavious Flack scored on a stickback basket with :50.1 remaining, controversy took over. Machai Holt missed the front end of a one-and-one. After Stewart Judd grabbed the rebound for Southern Octavious Flack was fouled on a three-point attempt by Joey McMullin, who contended Flack flopped. It McMullin’s fifth foul. Flank knocked down all three free throws to even the game at 47.

On the subsequent inbounds, Holt tried to dribble through a double team and fell to the floor. There was no whistle, leading to an immediate Orange protest from the bench. In the heat of the moment, a referee called a technical foul with ten seconds remaining in the game on an Orange assistant because he left his seat.

Southern Lee’s Khalil Ridges scored the game-winning point on a back-end of the technical free-throw. Se’Vion Clay sank two free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining, and Joey Franklin’s three-point attempt to tie the game fell short at the buzzer.

Flack led Southern Lee with 17 points, while Clay finished with 15. Mekai Collins had 17 to lead the Panthers, while McMullin had 12. Holt, coming off a career-high 33 points against Western Guilford on Saturday, finished with ten.

The final two minute ruined a solid quarter for the Panthers, where they took their first lead of the second half and held the Cavaliers to only two points in the opening 5:02. McMullin hit back-to-back field goals to vault the Panthers into a 41-37 lead.

It appeared Orange would cruise from there. Collins scored off a lay-in from a gorgeous dribble drive to put Orange ahead 43-37, which was followed by Clay being called for traveling. Holt scored off a field goal with 2:03 remaining. Collins’ free throw extended Orange’s lead to 47-39 with 1:36 left, but it would be Orange’s final points.

Orange, coming off a 5th place finish in the Eastern Guilford Holiday Hoops Tournament, struggled out of the gates. They didn’t score in the opening 4:05. Clay and Flack each scored eight points in the first half to put Southern Lee ahead 27-22 at halftime.

Midway through the third quarter, Collins had only five points, but scored Orange’s final nine points of the third quarter to narrow the Cavaliers’ lead to 37-33.

Wednesday’s game was the start of a stretch of five games in nine days for Orange. Their final 14 games will be Big 8 Conference contests, starting with a road trip to East Chapel Hill on Friday night. Hillsboroughsports.com will carry the Orange women’s game starting at 6, followed by the men’s game at 7:30.

Avery Jenkins is the latest member of Orange’s 100-win club.

On a night when the Panthers honored Levi Anderson for winning his 100th match over the weekend, Jenkins pinned Northwood’s Nolan Ellis in 1:31 to become the 47th Orange grappler to win 100 matches. Jenkins, a senior wrestling at 170 pounds, is now 23-6 on the season.

Anderson claimed his 100th win during the West Stanly Duals on Saturday in Oakboro. After scoring a major decision victory over West Stanly’s Jared Watson for his 99th career win, Anderson claimed a forfeit victory against Richmond County for win #100.

Jenkins picked up his 99th win in the West Stanly Duals when he pinned Jamohan Short of Richmond County.

Overall, Orange powered past the Chargers 51-28 to improve to 18-1 overall, 3-0 in the Big 8 Conference. The result all but guarantees that next Wednesday’s match against Chapel Hill will decide the Big 8 Championship.

Orange started the match with five consecutive pins. At 138 pounds, Tayton Alvis pinned Northwood’s Grant Ray in 3:59. At 145 pounds, Anderson earned career victory #101 way pinning Nathan Davis in 36 seconds. Caleb Brimmer pinned Grant Leonard at 152 pounds in 1:56. At 160 pounds, Nathan Hecht defeated Montgomery Allgood in 3:33. Jenkins’ victory propelled Orange to a 30-0 lead.

Donald Hicks pinned Harrison Knapp in 3:14 at 195 pounds. Hicks, in his first season starting for Orange, is now 26-5 on the season. Junior heavyweight Juan Navarro ensured the overall victory with a 6-2 victory over Abraham Pena.

Joshua Dunn picked up a forfeit victory at 106 pounds. At 113, freshman Kessel Summer pinned Zion Verinder in 45 seconds.

Orange will spend Friday and Saturday in the Quentin Crosby Tournament at Dudley High School in Greensboro.

The Cedar Ridge wrestling team returned to action at Red Wolves Gymnasium on Wednesday night. The Northern Knights defeated Cedar Ridge 47-24.

Cedar Ridge senior Darius McLeod earned his 80th career win with a forfeit victory at 132 pounds. Katie Watkins picked up a forfeit win at 126 pounds. At 170 pounds, Cedar Ridge’s Wyatt Robinson pinned Deven Cates in 3:37. Red Wolves sophomore Cutter Tate earned a forfeit win at 220 pounds. Because of a high number of forfeits on both sides, there were only five matches contested on the night.

Last month, Cedar Ridge competed in the Western Harnett Duals in Lillington. While the Red Wolves lost all five of the dual matches, there was drama against Apex. After Jonas Urban claimed a forfeit victory at 195 pounds, the dual match was evened at 30-30. The Cougars were ruled the winners after it was determined that they had scored more takedowns in the match.

Overall, Daina Pritchard went 3-2 in the Western Harnett Duals. Pritchard pinned Apex’s Mason Arbogast in 5:32. In a 60-12 loss to Lumberton, Pritchard pinned Zyon Smith in 3:00. Against Terry Sanford, Pritchard scored another pin, finishing off Leo Reyes in 3:26.

After being idle for nearly two weeks, the Red Wolves’ match against Northern started a string of three events in three days. Cedar Ridge will return to action on Thursday night against Chapel Hill, a dual match that was postponed from last month because of the winter storm. On Friday, Cedar Ridge will participate in the Glenn Duals.