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.