If it’s true that strength doesn’t arise from comfort, Orange men’s basketball should be Hercules by now.
In a perfect world, Orange would have Coleman Cloer, Mason Robinson and Kai Wade as seniors in its starting lineup.
But it isn’t a perfect world.
When the season started a month ago, Cloer, the most coveted college prospect in school history, was in Florida. Wade was, and still is, in Kentucky. Robinson was in Greensboro.
With the graduation of seven players and the transfer of guard Kamaal Smith to Eastern Alamance, just two rotation players returned from last year’s 19-9 team that came a good bounce or two away from winning the Central Conference championship.
If that wasn’t enough, eighth-year head coach Derryl Britt has been absent from day-to-day team activities for two weeks now. Though he has continued with daily school duties at Orange, Britt’s most recent involvement with the basketball team came when he coached against Person in the Panthers’ home opener on December 4.
Orange administration officials declined comment about Britt’s status and the reason for his absence on Tuesday night.
Amidst the uncertainty, Orange delivered its most poised performance of the year to earn its tenth straight win over Cedar Ridge on Tuesday night.
Junior center Jalen Crayton scored 15 points while guard Hector Garrido added 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Panthers defeated the Red Wolves 66-45 in its Big 7 Conference opener at a packed Orange High Gymnasium.
Tied 22-22 at halftime, Orange charged out to a 16-2 run to start the second half, shooting 9-of-11 from the field in the third quarter to take control of the game.
Tripp Beasley led Cedar Ridge (1-6, 0-1 in the Big 7) with 16 points. The Red Wolves were hampered by 24 turnovers.
Garrido, who was used as a stretch forward in his first two years at the varsity level, has shifted to point guard in the wake of Wade’s transfer. Like everyone else on the team, he’s learned on the job.
“He was locked in tonight,” said interim head coach Lemont Jones. “That’s the kind of Hector we need every night. I could see he was locked in during pregame and that was a good thing.”
Cedar Ridge, looking for its first win over Orange since February 5, 2021, led the vast majority of the first half. Beasley opened with a 3-pointer while the Panthers looked jittery on offense early. After Panther forward J.T. Gray scored off a stickback basket, the Red Wolves ended the opening quarter with five straight points, capped by another 3-pointer from Beasley to put Cedar Ridge ahead 14-9.
Orange sophomore Carson James, in his first start, started the second quarter with three free throws. Garrido added two more charity tosses to even the game at 14-14. James scored off a jumper to give the Panthers its first lead at 16-14, but the Red Wolves went on a 6-0 run, four of which was scored by Beasley, to go back ahead 20-16.
Garrido started the second half with a lay-in off a dribble drive. Following a missed shot by the Red Wolves, Orange’s Logan Edwards drained a 3-pointer, followed by a lay-in by Gray to propel Orange to a 27-22 lead. Cedar Ridge’s A.J. Seymore scored on a move to the basket while getting fouled, but that was the Red Wolves only field goal in the opening six minutes of the second half.
Crayton took a pass from Garrido and scored on a lay-in to trigger nine straight Orange points. Crayton ended the run with a dunk off a feed from Weston Cheek.
Beasley opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to cut the Panther lead to 42-31, but Garrido scored on a transition lay-up. Orange shot 73% from the field in the second half.
The Panthers will host Southeast Alamance on Thursday night. Cedar Ridge will host Seaforth at Red Wolves Gymnasium.
