The Orange men’s basketball team defeated Cedar Ridge for its first win of the season on Tuesday night. Jalen Crayton finished with his second double-double of the season with 15 points and ten rebounds as the Panthers defeated the Red Wolves 66-45 for the tenth straight time. Point guard Hector Garrido finished with a season-high 13 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals as Orange improved to 1-5. With the offseason transfers of Kai Wade and Kamaal Smith, Garrido has been pressed into point guard duty this year. Garrido was a varsity starter his freshman year and played forward. Against the Red Wolves, Crayton shot 7-of-11 from the field and also had four steals with two blocks. In the second game of the year against Willow Spring, Crayton nearly had a triple-double with ten points, ten rebounds and six blocks. The younger brother of former Orange women’s soccer play Lily Crayton, Jalen continues to improve for a young Panther squad. Garrido has scored in double-figures in three straight games after putting up eleven in Thursday’s loss to Southeast Alamance. The Panthers will face Grimsley in Greensboro on Monday in its final game before Christmas. Next Saturday, Orange will face Apex in the opening round of the Southeast Alamance Holiday Hoops Tournament in Haw River.
