Despite trailing for most of the game, the Cedar Ridge girls basketball team handed Southern Durham its first league loss and made the Big 8 race all the more interesting in one night.
Madison Wardlow scored 16 points while Yolanda Simpson added 13 points and eleven rebounds as the Red Wolves defeated the Spartans 49-43 on Wednesday night at Red Wolves Gymnasium. The game, which was originally scheduled for three weeks ago, was the second game in two nights for the Red Wolves, who won at Chapel Hill Tuesday.
Southern led 38-27, its largest of the game, after a stip steal by Jonisha McDaniel with 6:12 remaining in the fourth quarter. Wardlow started the comeback with by hitting three free throws on consecutive possessions. Wardlow played the final 5:30 with four fouls.
Logan Woody scored on a driving layup to narrow Southern’s lead to 38-32. Woody sank two free throws on the next CRHS possession with 4:00 left.
Wardlow took a transition pass from Woody to score on a layup, shrinking Southern’s lead to 38-36. Ephraim sank a 15-foot jumper to end the Cedar Ridge rally with 3:12 left.
That’s when the Red Wolves played three of its best minutes of the season. Taylin Jean started by splitting a pair from the foul line, but Simpson grabbed the rebound and was fouled, leading to two more free throws to make it a 40-39 game.
Wardlow stripped the ball from J-Naya Ephraim on the next possession and was fouled hard in transition with 2:18 left. The referees called an intentional foul on Ephraim, and a technical foul was called on Southern’s Amiyah Ingram.
Wardlow sank one of the two free throws to tie the game, and Simpson knocked down both of the technical free throws to give Cedar Ridge its first lead of the game at 42-40 with 2:18 remaining.
Tori Dalehite rebound an airball and threw it the lengthy of the floor to Wardlow, who scored on a layup to give CRHS a 44-40 lead with 1:50 left.
Simpson scored on a layup to extend CRHS’ lead to 46-40, but Saeeda Muhammad scored on a three-point play after she was fouled by Jean, who fouled out. Muhammad’s free throw cut the Red Wolves’ lead in half. Tori Dalehite sank a crucial free throw down the salt the game away.
Even more impressively, Cedar Ridge won despite the return of Southern’s best player, Ephraim, who had missed the past month because of a sprained ankle suffered against Northwood on December 15th. Ephraim has committed to play college basketball at the University of Illinois.
Southern and Hillside are now tied for first place in the Big 8 at 6-1. Cedar Ridge, who will face Hillside next week, is 3rd at 5-2, tied in the loss column with Northwood, who is 3-2. Hillside defeated Chapel Hill on Wednesday
Midway through the third quarter, Southern led 29-23 before Wardlow scored seven consecutive Red Wolves points. McDaniel’s 3-pointer with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter put the Spartans ahead 31-27 going into the fourth quarter.
CEDAR RIDGE 49, SOUTHERN DURHAM 43
CEDAR RIDGE: Grace Davies 4, Logan Woody 11, Madison Wardlow 16, Yolanda Simpson 13, Taylin Jean 3, Catherine Coyle 2, Tori Dalehite 2.